Music
History
Movies
Sampling Platter
Literature
Sports
Capitals
100
Featuring an all-Black cast, songs like "Ease On Down The Road" & “Slide Some Oil to Me”, this 1975 Broadway musical had a rough beginning before becoming a smash hit & winning seven Tonys.
What is the Wiz?
100
A formal California attorney general and representative of the US Senate, this person was the first African American woman to become US Vice President in 2021.
Who is Kamala Harris?
100
This actor and rapper starred in the movie Men in Black. That’s hot!
Who is Will Smith?
100
This original song, "Nothing Can Stop Me" by Cissy Houston, was used for what updated song by Famous Dex and features A$AP Rocky
What is Pick it Up?
100
Performative or transformative? This bell hooks book, published December 1999, redefines love as a verb rather than just a feeling, arguing that love is rooted in care, commitment, trust, knowledge, responsibility, and respect.
What is All About Love: New Visions?
100
This man, born Cassius Clay Jr. in 1942, was a heavyweight boxer known as “The Greatest.” He was famous for his “float like a butterfly, sting like a bee” style, and principally refused induction into the Vietnam War.
Who is Muhammad Ali?
100
United States (~50 million)
What is Washington D.C.?
200
This R&B/hip-hop artist is credited with popularizing Auto-Tune in modern music during the late 2000s, with songs like ’Buy U a Drank’?
Who is T-Pain?
200
This American civil rights lawyer and jurist was the Supreme Court’s first African-American justice. He also played a prominent role in the movement to end racial segregation in American public schools, culminating in the Court’s landmark 1954 decision in Brown v. Board of Education.
Who is Thurgood Marshall?
200
This 1992 epic biographical drama, directed by Spike Lee, chronicles the life and transformation of one of the most influential civil rights leaders of the 20th century. Starring Denzel Washington in a powerful lead performance, the film traces his journey from street hustler to global human rights icon.
What is Malcolm X?
200
This original song, "Any Time, any Place" by Janet Jackson, was sampled for this 2012 Kendrick Lamar song?
What is Poetic Justice?
200
This author’s 1969 autobiography, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, recounts her childhood in the Jim Crow South and established her as a towering literary voice of the 20th century.
Who is Maya Angelou?
200
This person holds the title of fastest man 100m male runner in history, holding the world record set in 2009 of 9.58 seconds?
Who is Usain Bolt?
200
Brazil (~113 million)
What is Brasilia?
300
This musical subculture originated in the streets of Oakland in the 90s. A hip-hop musical genre native to the Bay Area, this style is characterized by high energy, uptempo beats, specific slang like “ghost riding“ and ”going dumb”, and artists like Mac Dre, E-40, and Keak Da Sneak.
What is Hyphy/ the Hyphy Movement?
300
This American civil and LGBTQ rights activist was a protege to Martin Luther King Jr. and James Bevel during the civil rights movement. He founded the organizations that later merged to form the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, and launched a presidential campaign in 1984 as a vocal critic to the Reagan administration. He recently passed on February 17, 2026.
Who is Jesse Jackson?
300
This actor was the first African American woman to win an Academy Award in the category of Best Actress for her performance in the 2001 romantic drama Monster’s Ball?
Who is Halle Berry?
300
This original song, "What is move on up" by Curtis Mayfield, was sampled for this update song by Kanye West
What is Touch the Sky?
300
This Nobel Prize winning author published her first novel, The Bluest Eye, in 1970. A graduate of Howard and Cornell University, this decorated novelist and editor won the Pulitzer Prize for Beloved in 1988.
Who is Toni Morrison?
300
This two-time WNBA All star currently playing for the Chicago Sky set the league single-season record in rebounds in her 2024 rookie season. Nicknamed the “Bayou Barbie,” she played college basketball for the Maryland Terrapins and LSU Tigers.
Who is Angel Reese?
300
Nigeria (~230 million)
What is Abuja?
400
This “Queen of Soul” rose from Detroit’s gospel tradition to become one of the most powerful voices in American music history. In 1967, her anthem “Respect” became both a chart-topping hit and a civil rights and feminist rallying cry.
Who is Aretha Franklin?
400
These two activists co-founded the Black Panther Party in October 1966. Beginning in Oakland, California and spreading to chapter cities across the country and globe, the organization was dedicated to self determination for the Black community and advocated for better housing, education, justice, and land for Black Americans.
Who are Huey P. Newton and Bobbly Seale?
400
Born in Mexico City to Kenyan parents and raised in Nairobi, this Academy Award-winning actor made her breakthrough in 12 Years a Slave. She later captivated global audiences with her role as Nakia in Marvel’s Black Panther.
Who is Lupita Nyong’o?
400
This original song, "What is You’re My Latest, My Greatest Inspiration" by Teddy Pendergrass was sampled for this 2024 song by Kendrick Lamar.
What is euphoria?
400
This 1993 dystopian novel by Octavia Butler follows a young visionary named Lauren Olamina as society collapses due to climate change, economic instability, and violence. Its fictional presidential slogan, “Make America Great Again,” has sparked renewed interest in the book decades after its release.
What is Parable of the Sower?
400
Born in Japan to a Haitian-American father and Japanese mother, this professional tennis player was ranked as the World No. 1 in women’s singles by the Women’s Tennis Association for 25 weeks straight starting in January 2019. She has won four mejor titles: two each from the Australian Open and The US Open.
Who is Naomi Osaka?
400
Ethiopia (~128 million)
What is Addis Ababa?
500
Is the room spinning? This American trumpet virtuoso, composer, and singer, rose to prominence In the 1940’s for is scat singing, bent horn, puffy cheeks, and light-hearted personality. He became a leading popularizer of the new music genre bebop, and taught and influenced musicians like Miles Davis, Clifford Brown, and Chuck Mangione.
Who is Dizzy Gillespie?
500
This American politician became the first Black woman to be elected to the United States Congress in 1968. Representing New York’s 12th congressional district, this leader was born in Brooklyn, but spent ages 5-9 in Barbados.
Who is Shirley Chisholm?
500
This 1995 coming-of-age drama follows four young Black women navigating friendship, trauma, and sisterhood in 1970s Harlem.
What is Set it Off?
500
This original song, "Heather" by Billy Cobham, was used for this updated song by Souls of Mischief.
What is 93 'Til Infinity?
500
This 1982 epistolary novel, told through letters written to God and to a sister overseas, centers on Black Southern womanhood and survival in the early 20th century. It later inspired a Broadway musical, a 1985 and 2023 film adaptation.
What is The Color Purple?
500
A member of the gold winning teams known as the “Fab Five” at both the 2012 and 2016 Summer Olympic Games, she was the first U.S. Gymnast to win gold in both the individual all-around and team competition in the same Olympics, and first Black American to win an Olympic individual all-around title.
Who is Gabby Douglas?
500
Tanzania (~67 million)
Dodoma