Black content creators set digital trends, but are rarely recognized for their cultural contributions. Fortunately, some are breaking through those barriers, and Forbes has recognized them.
In their latest roundup of 2021’s highest-paid influencers released in August, they took a look at how much money content creators raked in, and interestingly, Black influencers made the list, but few are at the top.
One exception is Khaby Lame, the Italian phenom that has managed to earn the title of having the world’s most TikTok followers (146M), all without saying a word. His humorous videos that center on him offering common sense reactions to ridiculous video trends has made him the most popular influencer on the platform, and Forbes 8th highest paid content creator on their list.
According to the outlet, before he started making content full-time, Lame was as a factory worker in Italy at the onset of the pandemic and was laid off. Now, less than two years later the 22-year-old, racked up millions via his NIL, has signed a deal with cryptocurrency company Binance as a brand ambassador and has secured partnerships with soccer club PSG and fashion house Hugo Boss. Forbes estimates he banked $10M in earnings last year.
Another Black influencer that made the list was fellow no nonsense creator, Elsa Majimbo, who landed at the #49 spot. Donning a pair of shades and munching on a bag of chips, the witty social media star reportedly earned half a million dollars last year through leveraging her 2.5 million Instagram following to secure deals with Maison Valentino, Bumble, and Beats By Dre.
At #42 is La’Ron Hines, the charismatic content creator that built an empire asking adorable kids at the daycare he works interview questions. After amassing millions of followers on social media He’s been tapped to interview celebs on red carpets and reportedly made $1.5 million from deals with Fashion Nova, Capital One and McDonald’s.
But as great as this all is, it pales in comparison to the above social media stars’ non-Black counterparts who earned much more.
Coming in a t #1 on the Forbes content creator list is Jimmy Donaldson who pocketed $54 million in 2021 alone according to the outlet.
The full list can be found here.