Curated playlist
African-American film directors
- Kanye WestKanye West recorded "Through the Wire" with his jaw still wired shut. A 2002 car accident had shattered it.
- Prince (musician)Prince once changed his name to an unpronounceable symbol to protest his record label.
- Denzel WashingtonIn 2025, on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, the actor Denzel Washington said that the emphasis in his first name belongs on the first syllable. His mother had moved it to the second syllable so that young Denzel would answer to her call and not his…
- Halle BerryHalle Berry once stood at a podium holding an Academy Award in one hand and a Razzie in the other. She had turned up in person to collect the Worst Actress prize for Catwoman, and she took the stage with a laugh. "I never in my life…
- Kendrick LamarKendrick Lamar won the Pulitzer Prize for Music in 2018, the first for a piece outside classical and jazz.
- Morgan FreemanIn January 2010, Morgan Freeman became the voice that opened the CBS Evening News, replacing Walter Cronkite in that spot. The network said it wanted consistency across the introductions to its regular news broadcasts and special reports.…
- J. D. DillardJ. D. Dillard's father was the second African-American ever selected to fly for the Blue Angels.
- John SingletonAt 24, John Singleton became the first African American nominated for the Best Director Oscar.
- Ryan CooglerRyan Coogler, the American filmmaker, once handed a bank teller in Atlanta, Georgia a note that got him handcuffed. It happened in January 2022. He wore a hat, sunglasses and a face mask. He wanted to withdraw $12,000 in cash from his…
- Zoë KravitzZoë Kravitz was only two years old when her father put her name on a record. The song is called "Flowers for Zoë," and it appears on Mama Said, the second album by the musician Lenny Kravitz. He wrote it as a tribute to his young daughter.…
- Justin SimienDirector Justin Simien paid for a film trailer with his own tax refund. Fans then gave $40,000 toward a $25,000 goal.