TikTok is celebrating Black History Month by celebrating the Black creators that set the tone and the trends on the explosively successful social app.
These creators have made an impact on the TikTok community through their inspiring, creative, relatable, and hilarious content, crafting everything from short films, food content, and travel vlogs, to beauty tutorials, dance challenges, comedy POVs and beyond.
The list of trailblazers includes creators nominated directly by the TikTok community for being entertainment leaders and pioneers both on and off TikTok.
Take a look at the social media innovators who made this year’s list below:
01
@artbydemarcusshawn
DeMarcus is a creator who captures everyday life moments with light-hearted comedy. His relatable videos have garnered him over 5M followers on the app and his spot-on impersonations continue to delight viewers across the For You Page.
02
@tonyweaverjr
Tony Weaver, Jr. is an award-winning storyteller known for sharing his love for anime and manga on TikTok. He is the creator of The UnCommons, an award-winning webcomic series, the founder of Weird Enough Productions, a national nonprofit, and was the first comic writer to be selected for Forbes 30 Under 30.
03
@yeahitsak
Akintoye is a hip-hop artist who shares his unique lyrics and creative and groovy rap videos on TikTok. His growing popularity on the app inspired him to release his own music in early 2022.
04
@emmanuelduverneau
Emmanuel Duverneau is a 25-year-old content creator whose love for experimenting in the kitchen stemmed from his mother’s cooking lessons. Emmanuel shares his passion for both dancing and cooking on TikTok and hopes to inspire others to follow their dreams and continue doing what they love.
05
@grace_africa
Grace is a comedian and nurse, known for sharing popular impersonations and relatable comedy on TikTok. Through her background as a nurse, she uses her platform to share humorous content with an educational flair.
06
@cultureunfiltered
Culture Unfiltered is spearheaded by former radio host and music blogger Masani Musa. It is a hub for music discovery and dialogue surrounding popular culture and trending news in music.
07
@immarollwithit
Mya is a sun-loving, tree-hugging, self-named “wheelie lady” who radiates warmth and positivity wherever she goes. As a disabled creator, she shares her joy and passions through dance and sharing her experiences, all while teaching and empowering her communities with educational content.
08
@keke.janajah
Keara Wilson is a 20-year-old dancer and choreographer who creates and shares dance videos on TikTok for fun. She was recognized as a 2021 Originator on The Discover List for creating the popular Savage dance to Megan Thee Stallion’s hit song, and plans on getting certified to become a group fitness instructor to further her career.
09
@megagonefree
MegaGoneFree is a Black LGBTQ+ independent artist who shares her positive and powerful voice coupled with soulful melodies on TikTok. As a Black woman occupying a genre without many mainstream Black voices, she aims to create music that spreads a message of love, open-mindedness and empathy with her millions of followers.
10
@sambafilms
Samba is an artist and filmmaker who combines his interest in culture and cinematography through videos on TikTok. He approaches visual storytelling through the lens of powerful imagery, messages, and emotions, and has worked with brands like Netflix, Nike, and Google.
11
@thesweetimpact
Robert is an IT professional and self-taught cake artist who shares the process behind his cake creations on TikTok. He is known for his fantastical artistry, modeling cakes after iconic pop culture references like Nike Air Jordans, Beauty and the Beast, Space Jam and more. He was honored as a Foodie on The Discover List for his creations.
12
@themomtrotter
Kay is an entrepreneur and travel enthusiast who has traveled to over 36 countries with her family and is currently traveling across the U.S. full time in an RV with her husband and 8-year-old. She is passionate about sharing content on TikTok around finance, parenting, and lifestyle, to show an alternate way of living.
