10 Black influencers to add to your feed
10 Black influencers to add to your feed
It is no secret that the recipe to social media success historically includes being blonde, skinny and wealthy, feeding on the currency of aspirations rather than realities. The danger of this homogeneity is a disregard for accurate diversity and representation in our feeds, the othering of non-white groups and an exclusivity in the realm of influencers and gurus. But today we are seeing with increasing frequency the presence of diversity in a space that traditionally has placed added value in a single homogenous aesthetic.
There are many influencers of color, and specifically Black influencers, who are breaking through the barrier to entry, culminating masses of followers and blazing trails in fashion, beauty and lifestyle content.
Read on to learn about these 10 Black influencers and the names they have established for themselves in the realm of social media and beyond. Each has helped pave the way for other Black content creators and have gone on to be successful in their own fields. From entrepreneurs to artists to models, they have landed on larger platforms and continue to build their brands beyond just Instagram and TikTok. In addition to their creativity, these influencers gain support by advocating for social justice issues and even go on to create their own products and brands that offer more inclusion. From gaming to music, from beauty to art these are some but not all the Black influencers you should add to your feed.
Jackie Aina
Youtube influencer, beauty guru and entrepreneur Jacquelyn Lonje Olayiwola Oyeshola Bolayemi Aina is known for her beauty brand reviews. She speaks about inclusion for darker skin tones and Black women in the beauty community. She also has her own candle line called FORVR mood, sold in Sephora. She currently has over 3.5 million Youtube subscribers, and over one million Instagram followers, proving her to be a huge digital creator and role model for Black women.
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Bri Hall
Bri Hall, or SmartistaBeauty, is a visual artist, musician and beauty guru. She is a natural hair enthusiast and loves trying new products and methods for her audience. She’s a beauty influencer and currently has over 700k subscribers on Youtube, 292k Instagram followers and over 100k TikTok followers. Her makeup tutorials and hair product reviews have continued to increase her fanbase. Her music project, which she works on under the stage name La Hara, debuted in 2019 when she dropped a series of music videos and new songs.
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Terrell Grice
Terrell Grice is a producer, singer, songwriter and the host of The Terrell Show on Youtube. The series is filled with fun games and singing challenges, featuring guest stars like Coco Jones, Ryan Destiny and Chloe Bailey. His channel has one million subscribers, and his Instagram has 513k followers. He plans to have the show return for another season this year with more guests and more talent.
Zach Campbell
Zach Campbell is a Youtube celebrity, musician and dancer. He is best known for his Youtube show Bop or Flop and his podcast, “Tired Ass Podcast,” in which he critiques celebrities’ new music and projects. He also gives insight into young adulthood and being a part of the LGBTQ+ community. He has worked with Lady Gaga and collaborated with stars such as Doja Cat and Lil Nas X.
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Funny Marco
Marco Summers, also known as Funny Marco, blew up on social media for his pranks, challenges and comedic videos. Funny Marco has four million followers and 987k subscribers. He’s currently doing a prank talk show on Breakbeat Media, where he invites celebrities onto the show and confuses them with other celebrities or judges their careers, hosting stars like French Montana, Jayda Cheaves and Rich Homie Quan.
Ziwe
Ziwe Fumudoh is best known as Ziwe from her late-night talk show on Showtime. Ziwe does musical numbers, interviews and sketches that challenge not only her guests but her viewers’ stance on racial and political issues that we see in the media today. Ziwe uses her comedic style and satire to entertain and educate her viewers. Her show has successfully completed two seasons, and she has 560k followers on Instagram and over 327k followers on Twitter. You can watch her show on Showtime, Hulu or any other streaming service that offers the Showtime network as an extension.
Arnell Armon
Arnell Armon is a Youtuber best known for beauty videos, vlogs, fashion and hair tutorials. Arnell is twins with Alissa Ashley, who is also a big Youtuber and beauty guru. Arnell is known for advocating for Black women in the beauty world, fighting for more range in foundation shades, more work opportunities for Black women in the beauty industry and calling out popular brands for their lack of inclusion. Arnell has 903k subscribers on her Youtube channel and 710k Instagram followers.
B Simone
Braelyn Simone is a comedian, influencer and entrepreneur. She is a triple in the entertainment business as a comedian on Wild’ N Out created by Nick Cannon, a Youtuber with 1.02 million subscribers and podcast host. She also owns her own beauty line called B.Simone Beauty. Her current project, Know for Sure Podcast, is actively growing. She and her best friend Megan Brooks talk about life, spirituality, love and hardship.
Luka Sabbat
Luka Sabbat is best known for his role on the hit series Grownish. He played his character Luka from 2018 to 2022. A self-described young creative, in addition to his acting career he is also a well-known model. He had modeled for YEEZY, Dolce & Gabbana and Hugo Boss. Despite considering the role of “influencer” to be “mad corny,” his originality and unabashed authenticity are magnetic in the social media sphere.
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CoryxKenshin
Cory DeVante Williams, CoryxKenshin on his Youtube and social media platforms, has been a creator since 2009. His channel centers largely on gaming, debuting new games that he often gets early access to because of his large social media and Youtube following. He has since hit over 15 million subscribers on Youtube and created a merch line for his fan base. Some of his most well-known video content includes Spooky Scary Sundays, Five Nights at Freddy’s gaming series and RPG horror games. He is an influencer you should follow if you’re into gaming videos or scary content.
is a graduate student in magazine, news and digital journalism at Newhouse. She currently does freelance writing for The NewsHouse.
