Cultural Icons
This sitcom follows a teenaged Philly jawn sent to live with wealthy relatives in a Los Angeles suburb after he gets into a fight at a playground.
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
While this "King of the West Coast" infamously beat a murder charge in 1996, you can watch him cook with America's favorite convicted felon on their show, "Martha & _____'s Potluck Dinner Party."
Snoop Dogg
This Adidas brand was created by Chicagoan Kanye West
Yeezy
The birthplace of hip-hop
The Bronx (New York City)
This character stars in the majority of Tyler Perry's plays and movies.
Hint: Her government name is Mabel Simmons.
Madea
At first, this American brand was created exclusively for its namesake basketball player while he played for the Chicago Bulls. 37 years later, its relevance in pop culture remains strong across generations.
(Air) Jordan
If you're ever feeling patriotic, this Black guitarist and songwriter performed one of the most famous renditions of the Star Spangled Banner at Woodstock in 1969. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame calls him the "arguably greatest instrumentalist in the history of rock music."
Jimi Hendrix
Motown Records, the Black-founded label that played a key role in integrating American pop music, was founded in this "Motor City".
Detroit
This city is known as the "Black Mecca" because it is home to the oldest and largest consortium of historically black institutions, contains a plethora of black entertainment, and provides for more economic and/or social mobility for Black people.
Atlanta
This teenage character lives in fictional Wizardville, California with her parents, twin siblings BeBe and CeCe, Suga Mama, and her Uncle Bobby.
Hint: The revamp is about to hit Disney+!
Penny Proud
This American actor, one of the highest-grossing of all time, is known for this famous line, "I'm tired of all these m*therf*cking snakes on this m*therf*cking plane!"
Hint: His acting range stretches from Tarantino to Marvel.
Samuel L. Jackson
Born to Black Panther Party members, this rapper's cataclysmic rise deepened the "rivalry"/friends-to-enemies relationship he had against the Notorious B.I.G. and other rappers. Many point to that rivalry as the cause of his death in 1996.... while others think he's in Cuba.
Tupac (Shakur)
This St. Louis rapper wore a bandaid on his cheekbone for YEARS. Despite his current irrelevance, everyone knows the words to "Dilemma" or "Country Grammar."
Nelly
This Brooklyn-born rapper who is now "down in Tribeca, right next to DeNiro, but [he'll] be hood forever" is married to the highest-earning Black musician of all time.
Jay-Z
The Black Panther
This record-breaking British racing driver for Mercedes is the 7x Formula One World Champion and is widely known for his activism and fashion, on and off the racing grid.
Hint: He is the first, and only (so far) Black driver in F1.
(Sir) Lewis Hamilton
This actress first gained attention with her web series, "Awkward Black Girl" before HBO picked up her show, "Insecure," where she stars as an awkward and educated Black woman navigating adulthood in Inglewood.
Hint: At the 2017 Emmys, she told reporters, "I'm rooting for everybody black."
Issa Rae
This "Day 'n' Nite" rapper, who rose to fame via MySpace, opened up the rap genre to include space for our struggles with mental health.
Hint: He wrote the tell-tale chorus for his mentor (although they're beefing rn) Kanye West's "Heartless."
Kid Cudi
The album, "2014 Forest Hills Drive" is named after the childhood home that this artist purchased back from foreclosure.
J.Cole
In Friday, Ice Cube plays this character who was recently fired for stealing cardboard boxes from work.
Craig (Jones)
This Brooklyn-born artist captivated the world with his celebration of black culture and gritty socio-political commentary on themes like colonialism, substance abuse, and police brutality.
Hint: You can often find crown motifs in his work.
Jean-Michel Basquiat
This political organization, founded by Bobby Seale and Huey P. Newton to challenge police brutality in Oakland, enacted survival programs in their territories that fed and clothed children, taught economics, politics, and self-defense, and provided free medical clinics.
The Black Panther Party
Hailing from Chicago's South Side, this Black attorney graduated from Harvard Law School where, as a student advocate, she demonstrated for the hiring of minority faculty. Her career spanned from big law to nonprofits and hospitals before becoming the First Lady of the United States in 2009.
Michelle Obama
This filmmaker rose to fame with his movies, like "She's Gotta Have it," "Do the Right Thing"and "Crooklyn," and most recently won Best Adapted Screenplay at the 2019 Oscars for BlacKkKlansman.
Spike Lee
Regina King provides the voice acting for these two brothers, one who is an intelligent cynic and the other who is a straight hood rat, on "The Boondocks."
Huey and Riley (Freeman)