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    From filming in their bedrooms to amassing millions of followers, Black creators are defining what it means to lead online.

    Mashable’s annual 101 list showcases the creators, influencers, and digital entrepreneurs driving internet culture, and Black creators are showing out. Their influence now reaches far beyond social platforms, shaping food, comedy, tech, fashion, philanthropy, livestreaming, and entertainment. Together, they show how Black creators are not just participating in internet culture but actively building it.

    Here are 10 Black creators who made the cut.

    1. Keith Lee 

    Keith Lee is the true definition of a community builder. Instead of reviewing Michelin star restaurants, Lee travels to lesser-known Black-owned and mom-and-pop spots. With close to 30 million followers on Instagram and TikTok combined, a food review from Lee can have customers lining up out the door. By featuring smaller businesses, Lee’s reviews bring publicity and increased revenue to establishments that genuinely need it. 

    As a father of three who is big on family, Lee also hosted a multigenerational food festival this year in New Orleans: Keith Lee’s Familee Day. The daytime event featured live performances by artists such as Kirk Franklin and Tobe Nwigwe, a food village curated by Lee, and a “Familee” obstacle course. The inaugural event had an estimated 20,000 attendees, bringing people together for food, culture, and a sense of community. 

    2. Yasmine Shahid 

    One of the lesser-known creators on the list, Yasmine Shahid, is best known for her impersonations and comedy. The Los Angeles-based actor and comedian built her following with comedy sketches, nostalgic parodies, and pop culture spoofs. Equipped with her wigs and a wicked sense of humor, fans have seen her impersonate members of One Direction or even Jasper from Twilight. Between TikTok and Instagram, she has nearly 3 million followers. 

    With a background in theater, Sahid successfully bridged the gap between social media content creation and mainstream Hollywood. She was cast in Overcompensating, which highlights her ability to bring her distinct brand of humor to scripted television. 

    3. Josh Johnson 

    Josh Johnson is an acclaimed American stand-up comedian, Emmy-nominated writer, and actor best known for his prominent role on Comedy Central’s The Daily Show. He has amassed a massive global following through his distinct, long-form observational comedy and prolific release of stand-up sets. Johnson almost always performs in his comfortable grey hoodie, a signature look for “the funniest guy on the internet,” as dubbed by WIRED magazine. 

    Johnson served as a writer and performer on NBC’s The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in 2017. There, he made his late-night stand-up debut. He then joined The Daily Show as a staff writer and was promoted to the weekly rotating host lineup in July 2025. A massive YouTube following has been built through his self-released, multi-hour stand-up marathons. This included releasing 28 hours of material in 2024 and 38 hours in 2025.

    4. Achieng Agutu

    Achieng Agutu, also known as the Confidence Queen, is easily the internet’s best friend. Born and raised in Kenya, she moved to the U.S. to pursue her education but quickly found herself building a massive online community while creating content. In her earlier videos, she would often share positive affirmations, speaking life into her followers and radiating positivity. When Agutu starts her videos with “Heyyy Besties,” you feel like she’s speaking directly to you. 

    With nearly 2 million followers across Instagram and TikTok, Agutu has achieved massive online success and broken barriers in the fashion industry. She co-hosts the Amazon Prime Gen-Z talk show Influenced, which is produced by Reese Witherspoon’s company, Hello Sunshine. In 2024, Agutu was named Sports Illustrated’s Swimsuit Rookie, making history as the first bald Kenyan woman to model for the magazine. In a world where women are told to shrink, she only shines brighter. 

    5. Marques Brownlee 

    Marques Brownlee, professionally known as MKBHD, is one of the internet’s most influential technology content creators. Best known for his in-depth, high-quality, and objective reviews of consumer electronics, Brownlee has over 21 million followers on YouTube. Starting in 2009 on his family’s computer, his consistent product reviews have positioned him as one of the most powerful people in tech media. 

    Not only do his consumer reviews drive customer behavior, but they also influence product design. For example, the CEO of Nothing, Carl Pei, would film responses explicitly addressing MKBHD’s design critiques. Beyond tech reviews, Brownlee has also leveraged his platform to conduct interviews with global icons, tech CEO, and political figures. Past videos have featured Barack Obama, Bill Gates, Elon Musk, and Mark Zuckerberg. He is also the chief creative officer at Ridge, where he actively designs and develops material architecture for physical products.

    Related post: Marques Brownlee: meet the 21-year-old tech prodigy taking YouTube by storm

    6. Quenlin Blackwell 

    Having spent over 10 years posting videos, Quenlin Blackwell is a Gen-Z internet icon who everyone has laughed with. At 14 years old, she became known for her chaotic, deadpan, and relatable comedic videos that went viral on Vine. Like when she posted a video of herself falling while performing a cheerleading stunt or strumming a guitar with her hair. Today, she has over 20 million followers across YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram. 

    Beyond comedy, Blackwell has expanded her portfolio to fashion, vlogs, and celebrity interviews. Her YouTube series, Feeding Starving Celebrities, has featured stars such as Pink Pantheress, Arya Star, and Lil Yatchy. She has also walked in high-fashion campaigns, such as Victoria’s Secret, and stepped into television, appearing on shows like the HBO series I Love LA

    7. Kai Cenat 

    At just 24, Kai Cenat has redefined what it means to be a creator. The most-subscribed streamer on Twitch globally, Cenat has built a following of 19 million on the platform and a combined audience of 34.6 million across platforms. His brand is built on high-energy, celebrity collabs, viral challenges, Streamer University, and marathon streams that feel like live events. 

    His September 2025 Mafiathon 3 was a 30-day, around-the-clock live stream that rewrote streaming records. He featured appearances from LeBron James, Kevin Hart, and Kim Kardashian, and peaked at over one million active subscribers. Beyond streaming, Cenat has publicly set his sights on fashion, expressing his dream to launch his own clothing brand. 

    Related post: Kai Cenat: The Online Streamer Redefining Content Creation

    8. Ziwe 

    Ziwe Fumudoh is a comedian, writer, and cultural provocateur whose razor-sharp interviews address big questions about power and identity. Born in Massachusetts to Nigerian parents, Ziwe Fumudoh never wanted to be a doctor or a lawyer. Instead, she discovered satire in high school when her teacher made her class watch The Colbert Report. Since then, she pursued a career in media and writing political and comedic commentary. 

    Ziwe built her audience with the Instagram Live sensation “Baited,” where she would hold uncomfortable conversations about race. Between 2021 and 2022, she hosted, wrote, and executive-produced her own A24-produced late-night show. Her brand is simple: deadpan delivery and satirical questionnaires. Today, she runs her interview series Ziwe: You’d be an iconic guest, where she has sat across from the likes of Kevin Hart, Vince Staples, and Lizzo. Ziwe has also acted in Apple TV+’s critically acclaimed series The Studio in 2025. She has two projects in the pipeline for 2026, including One Night Only and an upcoming Barbershop appearance.

    9. IShowSpeed 

    Few creators command attention the way IShowSpeed does. His chaotic, high-octane personality has made him a global phenomenon, blurring the line between creator and mainstream entertainer. Speed boasts more than 54 million YouTube subscribers, 52 million TikTok followers, and 25 million on Instagram. 

    In 2025, CBS Sports invited him to its broadcast set during Champions League final coverage. Even more, in 2026, he took his IRL world tour to the Caribbean, kicking off a 15-destination trip in Trinidad and Tobago. The tour, done in partnership with Expedia, livestreamed his island-hopping across Dominica, Guadeloupe, St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Maarten, and beyond. He pulled millions of viewers into a live experience that blended tourism, food, music, and fan interaction. 

    Related post: Meet IShowSpeed, the 21-Year-Old Streamer Building a Global Livestream Machine

    10. Shirley Raines 

    Fondly known as “Ms. Shirley,” Shirley Raines was a social media creator and nonprofit founder who dedicated her life to caring for people experiencing homelessness. Having experienced homelessness herself at a young age, Raines worked tirelessly to provide dignity and care for unhoused people. She would regularly deliver food, beauty treatments, and hygiene supplies to Los Angeles’ Skid Row and other unhoused communities in California and Nevada, and share videos for her 7 million followers. Her nonprofit, Beauty2TheStreetz, was built on a simple but radical premise: that everyone deserves to be treated with dignity.

    Raines won CNN’s Hero of the Year award in 2021 and took home the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Social Media Personality in 2025. TIME also named her one of its TIME100 Creators for 2025. Her work is proof that the internet can be a force for real good. Raines passed away earlier this year, but the organization she built lives on. 

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    The post 10 Black Creators Who Made The 2026 Mashable 101 List appeared first on UrbanGeekz.

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