The Root 100 2023: These Black Influencers Are Killing It

Each year, The Root 100 honors those who have made the biggest impact on the culture. And this year, the list is loaded with influencers – more than any previous year.

From the best restaurants to the latest tech, these are the people who know what’s hot and what’s not. And they’re making their mark on social media, with thousands of followers. These are the influencers who earned a spot on this year’s The Root 100 list.

Kenny Beecham

Kentrell “Kenny” Beecham is the blueprint for bridging content creation and basketball. Through YouTube, he has created a platform that allows viewers to watch him rebuild a team from scratch on NBA 2K or talk about the most recent NBA news. With a subscriber count of over 2 million across four different channels, Beecham is also featured on two podcasts, “Through The Wire” and “The Kenny Beecham Podcast.” He also started a basketball newsletter titled “Enjoy Basketball,” which garnered over 35,000 subscriptions in six months after launching in 2022. In April, he appeared on ESPN’s hit show “First Take” and was dubbed by Stephen A. Smith as “The Future of Sports Media.”

Marques Brownlee

YouTuber and podcaster Marques Brownlee began posting his thoughts on technology products to YouTube as a high schooler in 2009. Today, he has more than 17 million subscribers on the platform, where he’s interviewed celebrities including Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates, Kobe Bryant and Barack Obama.

Khabane Lame

Khabane ”Khaby” Lame, TikTok’s million-dollar mime earns $750,000 to feature a product in a post. With more than 240 million social media followers, he has secured lucrative partnerships with Hugo Boss, State Farm and Middle Eastern bank QNB. This fall, he was featured as a character in “Fortnite,” the blockbuster multiplayer video game with more than 230 million monthly players.

Monet McMichael

Monet McMichael is a beauty, fashion and lifestyle influencer with a massive following that landed her at #47 on Forbes Top Creator List. A graduate of Rutgers Nursing School, McMichael has blended her beauty influence and nursing school hacks into a $4 million dollar brand.

Jackie Aina

Jackie Aina is an influencer and beauty blogger with more than 10 years in the space. Known as a pioneer for women of color in beauty, she has amassed over 8 million followers across various social media platforms. But Aina doesn’t just represent diversity for Black beauty influencers...she’s also the CEO and founder of FORVR MOOD, a candle company sold at retailers like Sephora.

Terrell Grice

Television casting producer turned media personality Terrell Grice built a platform of over 1.2 million followers with his web series titled “The Terrell Show.” Guests have included The Clark Sisters, Keke Palmer, Tia Mowry and others.

Arian Simone

Arian Simone founded The Fearless Fund to address and challenge the funding gap for businesses owned by women of color (WOC). With over 17 years of serial entrepreneurial experience and her humbling journey of homelessness to Hollywood, she’s made it her mission to lift up other Black-owned businesses when others aren’t quick to give them an easy path,

Rikki Lee

At just 21 years old, Rikki Lee has amassed tens of thousands of followers with her feel-good content. Whether she’s using her insightful wisdom to guide young women in her podcast or documenting her life at Ohio State University on YouTube, it’s easy to be inspired by Lee, who uses her platforms to help uplift other young women. When she’s not creating content or being a full-time college student, she operates her own agency, The Rikki Lee Agency, where she uses her skills to help brands and influencers.

Ubah Hassan

Somali model and businesswoman Ubah Hassan showed her star power on the reboot of “The Real Housewives of New York City.” But Hassan’s work, goes beyond the screen. The reality star broke into the culinary space in June 2021 when she launched her own line of hot sauces, UBAH HOT.

Adjoa Asamoah

Political and social impact strategist Adjoa B. Asamoah worked tirelessly with state and federal lawmakers over several years to introduce the CROWN Act which explicitly bans discrimination on the basis of hairstyle choices. This important legislation allows people of color to legally wear their twists, locs, braids and fros with pride. With Asamoah’s hard work, the CROWN Act has passed in over 20 states across the country and is waiting a passing Senate vote to become a federal law.

Kai Cenat

Ever since Kai Cenat created his YouTube channel in 2018 and joined the YouTube group “AMP” with six other members in 2019, he’s taken the streaming world by storm with his contagious energy. His videos range from reactions and vlogs to challenges and comedy skits. The streamer became the first to surpass 300,000 subscribers on Twitch. After he flooded the streets of New York with thousands and shut down the city in an attempted giveaway to show gratitude toward his fans, it became clear that Kai is a significant part of the influencer community.

Keith Lee

With nearly 15 million followers on TikTok, former MMA fighter Keith Lee is using his platform to change lives — one food review at a time. His reviews of mom-and-pop restaurants immediately turn into viral videos, which in turn gain small businesses more followers, orders, and sometimes donations. As TikTok’s favorite food reviewer, Lee now has brand deals with Wingstop, Chipotle, and other major corporations.