Black Entrepreneurs & Brands That Changed The Game

Black Americans have made significant contributions to science, pop culture, and the business world. Many celebrities and visionary entrepreneurs have built thriving brands, introduced groundbreaking trends, and pioneered innovative marketing strategies that have reshaped industries. Their influence extends beyond business success—many have also championed diversity, representation, and economic empowerment.

These ventures have created lasting legacies, resonating not only within the Black community but also with consumers around the world. From fashion and beauty to music and entertainment, here are some of the most impactful Black-owned brands that continue to shape history.

Motown Records

The legendary record label broke racial barriers and introduced the world to some of the most iconic Black music artists. Motown Records is celebrated for injecting Black American culture and sounds into U.S. households at a time when recording opportunities for emerging Black talent were limited. Diana Ross, The Jackson 5, Marvin Gaye, and Stevie Wonder were among the star-studded line-up in its heyday.

Founded in January 1959 by Berry Gordy Jr., Motown Records started its life as Tamla Records in Detroit. As it evolved over the decades and got a name change, the record label became the most profitable Black-owned business in the U.S. at the time. Gordy was also at a crossroads when he was working on selling Motown and even got pushback from prominent civil rights leaders at the time. He stood firm and completed the sale in 1988.

Today, Motown is part of Universal Music Group and hosts the music of Quavo, Offset, Ne-Yo, Never Broke Again Youngboy, Lil Yachty, Erykah Badu, and other emerging and established music artists. 

FUBU

We can thank FUBU for setting the stage for modern-day streetwear. It all started when Daymond John, Carl Brown, J. Alexander Martin, and Keith Perrin started selling clothes on a street corner in Queens in the early 1990s. These products were made to appeal to rappers and hip-hop music artists, who were an underserved base when it came to fashion in the at the time. Meaning "For Us, By Us," the brand exploded in popularity and helped inject Black sensibilities and fashion into the public zeitgeist.

LL Cool J sported a FUBU cap in a Gap commercial, attracting both customers and funding from big-name businesses like Samsung. Within the decade, the business raked in hundreds of millions of dollars. It even scored several honors for its entrepreneurial endeavors, including two Congressional Awards, two NAACP awards, and an award from the Pratt Institute.

FUBU then pivoted its focus to international markets, making way for other Black clothing brands to fill in the void. The world-renowned business returned to the American market in 2010 and started a collaboration with Puma in 2018. FUBU celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2022.

Air Jordan

Michael Jordan transformed the sneaker landscape forever with his iconic branded shoes. When he was one of the most talented basketball players on the planet, the young NBA star wore the first ever pair of Air Jordans made by Nike during a Chicago Bulls game in November 1984. Since the shoes didn't abide by the association's dress policy, both Nike and Jordan faced fines for defying regulations. The business partners took that moment and made a super viral marketing campaign behind the Air Jordans, launching them into worldwide popularity and a multi-billion-dollar brand.

The insanely popular sneakers became a hotly-desired apparel in stores across the nation, selling out as soon as new models were released. They were so influential that they popularized the "sneakerhead" subculture, where people collect and trade brand-name sneakers -- sometimes for thousands of dollars. Now, Air Jordans are seen as a status symbol, a mainstay in Black culture and fashion, and a permanent fixture in broader casual and streetwear styles.

BET

An idea by Robert L. Johnson would bloom into one of the most recognizable Black American media companies. BET, which stands for Black Entertainment Television, was launched in 1980 to provide programming primarily for Black audiences. The channel sprawled into a media giant with several spin-off channels, news programs, and an annual awards show that recognizes Black entertainers in music, film, and more. Eleven years after its founding, BET became the first Black-led television company to be listed on the New York Stock Exchange.

In 2001, Johnson sold BET to media conglomerate Viacom for roughly $3 billion. The longtime channel faced several controversies over the years, including allegations of presenting negative stereotypes of Black people to the network declining to broadcast Coretta Scott King's funeral in 2006. The television network would make sweeping changes to its content and eventually launched a streaming service.

BET garnered national attention again in March 2023 when Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS) put its majority stake in the brand up for sale. The bidding attracted star-studded potential buyers like Tyler Perry, Shaquille O'Neal, and Byron Allen, but Viacom rescinded its offer five months later.

OWN

After Oprah Winfrey became a household name across America, she took her media presence to the next level with the launch of the Oprah Winfrey Network, or OWN. The television personality teamed up with Discovery Communications, now known as Warner Bros. Discovery, to launch the network in 2011, catering to Black audiences like BET. The channel included all sorts of programming focused on spirituality, self-help, and celebrities but struggled to make money and retain viewership in its early years.

In October 2012, OWN pivoted to original scripted dramas, including shows from Tyler Perry, and the move paid off big. Several successful shows include Greenleaf, Queen Sugar, and The Haves And The Have Nots. There were also long-running spin-off programs of previous Perry films, including The Paynes and If Loving You Is Wrong.

OWN was praised for providing alternative views into the lives of Black Americans, both celebrity and common folk, while also facilitating Black-centered scripted programs. Black women were also a key demographic for the channel, which earned several awards since its inception. Oprah sold her majority stake in OWN back in 2020, and Paramount Global now owns 95% of the network.

Yeezy

Hip-hop superstar Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, broke into the fashion industry and altered its landscape when he entered a historic collaboration with Adidas in the early 2010s. The "Heartless" rapper partnered with the German shoe company to realize the Adidas Yeezys brand, which is known for their iconic sneakers and other clothing apparel. Ye originally launched a sneaker line with Nike, but after that project fell through, he inked a deal with Adidas to retain full creative control and royalties.

Debuting in February 2015, Yeezy rattled the fashion and retail world with Boost 750, the first model under Adidas. The shoes sold out within minutes and would be the start of a footwear empire for West, who was officially declared a billionaire by Forbes in 2020. What made Yeezys so impactful were the creative designs, limited inventory, and surprise drops that would maximize both hype and sales, according to Fashinza. Such tactics put the brand on par with Air Jordans from both a cultural and business perspective.

The super-successful sneaker and fashion line ended in October 2022 following a string of antisemitic and controversial remarks from Ye. Adidas canceled the billion-dollar collaboration after seven years, tanking both the company's stocks and the rapper's net worth. West has since apologized for his comments but only time will tell if the legendary Yeezy brand will make a comeback.

Fenty Beauty

Rihanna's chart-topping bangers may shot her to the top of the music world, but it was her lucrative business pursuits that made her worth over a billion dollars -- most notably her world-renowned cosmetics line. 2017 is the year the "Diamonds" singer launched Fenty Beauty, which she co-owns with French luxury conglomerate LVMH. Making hundreds of millions of dollars in five years, the makeup brand set the standard for diversity efforts among its competitors.

Fenty Beauty's main appeal is the vast amount of skin tones their products cater to, making it available to a much broader audience. Throw in inclusive marketing and a strong social media strategy, and the cosmetics company attracted a worldwide fanbase in less than a decade. Other makeup businesses took notice and rushed to expand their collections to include more skin tones, hoping to replicate Fenty Beauty's massive success, according to Brand Vision Insights. It's even been coined the "Fenty Effect."

Thanks to this immensely successful brand, Rihanna's music empire, and other business pursuits, she became the youngest self-made female billionaire in 2022.

Telfar

Telfar Clemens took his passion for fashion and turned it into an industry-leading brand of tote bags. Telfar initially launched in 2014, and the vegan leather handbags were dubbed "Bushwick Birkin," representing both the luxury and affordable aspects of the brand. The unisex accessories caught the attention of iconic celebrities, including Oprah and Issa Rae, springing Clemens to the forefront of the fashion industry.

When the retail world screeched to a halt during the COVID-19 pandemic, the queer Liberian-American took advantage of the lull to push his bags as well as Telfar-branded clothes. The fashion designer and his business partner, Babak Radfoy, also smashed the traditional way of establishing oneself in the industry by organizing bag drops and pre-orders, raking in millions of dollars. The New York Times even called 2020 "The Year of Telfar."

Not only did Clemens' brand earn him numerous awards for entrepreneurship and creativity, but he kept consistent about his advocacy for racial and LGBTQ+ equality in the face of an industry that didn't regard him early on.

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