The New Black History: Notable People Worth Adding to the Books

Be it media, entertainment or technology these folks need to be added to the history books

Black History Month is what it is. Black History. But, it seems like the same history gets told every year. Students are learning about men and women who lived hundreds of years ago. Black America changed a lot over the years.

Granted, after  President Obama took over the White House, there weren't many black “firsts” left to claim. But still, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t people worthy of being added to the black history lesson plans.

Loop 21 put together a short list of people we think deserve to be mentioned among the already greats in black American history.

[Also Read: Bad Moments In Black History]

Entertainers

Sean “Diddy” Combs

Like, love or loathe him, Sean Combs has been a button pusher on black culture for the last 20 years. He changed the sound and face of R&B as the genius behind Jodeci and Mary J. Blige. He’s blamed for the entire “shiny suit era” era of hip-hop and he’s managed to make Ciroc just as popular as Hennessy and Crown Royal among black folks.

Tyler Perry 

If you can get past him wearing a dress in his movies or listening to bougie critics, you’d be applauding this man. While we’ve had our share of black directors who had great runs at the box office, none have done it on the level of Tyler Perry. As of last year, Forbes named him the Highest Paid Man in Entertainment. Now that’s history.

Jay-Z & Beyoncé

While they may be hip-hop's biggest power couple their individual accolades speak for themselves. He is one of the most financially successful hip-hop artists and entrepreneurs in America, having a net worth of over $450 million as of 2010. He has sold approximately 50 million albums worldwide, while receiving thirteen Grammy Awards for his musical work, and numerous additional nominations. He is consistently ranked as one of the greatest rappers of all-time. Jay-Z co-owns the 40/40 Club, is part-owner of the NBA's New Jersey Nets and is also the creator of the line Rocawear. He is the former CEO of Def Jam Recordings, one of the three founders of Roc-A-Fella Records, and the founder of Roc Nation.

Mrs. Carter was named "Artist of the Decade" by The Observer. In December 2009, Billboard magazine ranked Knowles the fourth "Artist of the 2000s" decade and named her the "Most Successful Female Artist of the 2000s," as well as the "Top Radio Artist." Knowles was also ranked 15th on Billboard magazine's list of "The Top 50 R&B/Hip-Hop Artists of the Past 25 Years" (1985–2010). In February 2010, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), listed Knowles as the "Top Certified Artist of the Decade," with a total of 64 certifications, including albums, digital songs, master ringtones and music videos.

Politics & Business