These Black Stars Made TIME 100's 2023 Most Influential List

Terence Blanchard's "Champion" Opening Night

Source: Cindy Ord / Getty

TIME Magazine, the always-timely and trusted editorial news empire for the past century, has for decades honored those considered to be the shot callers of the world with is prestigious TIME 100 World’s Most Influential People list.

No, we’re not talking social media stars; this list presents a yearly look at the real-life movers and shakers of the industry that help set the social norms in society. This year, you can expect to see a lot of Black excellence appear on the hefty list of America’s all-stars for 2023.

With stars like chart-topping rap queen Doja Cat and A-list Hollywood heartthrob Michael B. Jordan featured on two separate covers (seen above), it’s easy to see how powerful Black culture was over the past year. TIME 100 broke down their honorees into a handful of categories based area of expertise and seniority, including “Artists,” “Icons,” “Pioneers,” “Leaders,” “Titans” and “Innovators.”

Here’s what TIME 100 had to say about the way the list is broken down and the selections overall:

“At this year’s first gathering of TIME100s, in Davos, Switzerland, the overarching theme was the confluence of interconnected challenges, from climate and public health to democracy and equality.

That is also the central theme running through the 2023 TIME100 list—starting with the most existential of challenges: climate change. This year’s list features a record 16 people defending the environment, including the new leaders of Australia, Colombia, and Brazil, all recently elected on a wave of pro-climate sentiment.”

While we think the entire list is filled with amazing cultural leaders, which you can read in full by clicking here, we had to give a special shoutout to all the famous faces representing for our culture as top influencers across the globe.