The Year In Black Boy Joy: Billy Porter, Saint West, Lil Nas X, Tyler Perry & More
Black men (and boys!) offered an abundance of memorable moments this year! From making some serious coins to celebrating major milestones, 2019 proved Black Boy Joy truly exists.
In honor of the #BlackBoyJoy movement, we've decided to recap some of the most notable happenings of the year—in no particular order!
Billy Porter Won Fashion All Year Long!
From arriving at the Met Gala dressed in head-to-toe gold to wearing a tuxedo-gown to the Oscars, Billy Porter earned tens across the board— all year long!
Creating buzz-worthy moments in style, the Pose actor not only drew attention to toxic masculinity, but he also showcased that fashion is meant to be inclusive.
Honestly, we wonder what this style maven has in store for 2020. Whatever it is, we know it will be applause-worthy. Bravo!
Saint West Exudes The Happiness Level We All Strive For.
Kim Kardashian and Kanye West’s son, Saint West is the purest example of Black Boy Joy. At 4-years-old, the oldest son of the famed couple is rarely caught on camera throwing a tantrum or giving a pout. In fact, he’s completely unbothered. Goals!
Kevin Hart Was Back On His Feet Months After A Nearly Fatal car accident.
Comedian Kevin Hart was lucky to be alive after a nearly fatal car crash in September left him immobilized due to serious back injuries. Today, the 40-year-old actor is back on his feet— even captured on camera dancing the ‘BOP’ with his daughter, Heavenly.
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"I'm about 65 to 75 percent back to my physical self," Kevin explained on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in December. "My workouts are not full. I'm not lifting crazy weights, but I'm back to weighted workouts, agility, mobility, core workouts."
Now that's something to rejoice about!
Dapper Dan demanded that Gucci be held accountable for their racially insensitive fashions.
Despite working with Gucci, fashion designer Dapper Dan demanded "accountability" after the fashion brand dropped the ball and allowed blackface fashion to make a debut.
“I am a Black man before I am a brand," the Harlem fashion icon wrote on Instagram before he arranged a meeting with the CEO of Gucci. Profound!
Safaree Is Living His Best Life With A Baby Girl On The Way!
It was quite a busy year for Safaree. From marrying fellow Love And Hip Hop star Erica Mena to announcing to the world that he’s expecting his first child, the larger-than-life reality star has been living his best life.
If you don’t believe us, take a look at his social media timeline filled with pregnancy photoshoots, ultrasounds, and money-making moves!
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Tyler Perry Built A Massive Motion Picture Studio Honoring Black Legends.
Tyler Perry made history by building the largest motion picture studio in the country and naming the studios after the Black Hollywood elite.
The 300-acre studio that sits on the grounds of former Fort McPherson army base in Atlanta paid homage to: Oprah Winfrey, Denzel Washington, Spike Lee, Whoopi Goldberg, Sidney Poitier, Halle Berry, Will Smith, Harry Belafonte, Cicely Tyson, Ruby Dee, Ossie Davis, Della Reese, John Singleton and Diahann Carroll. Outstanding!
Stephen Curry Announced His Choice To Sponsor Golf For Howard University.
NBA star Stephen Curry proudly announced his decision to sponsor the creation of men’s and women’s golf teams at Howard University, making it possible for competitive golf to be played at the HBCU for the first time in decades.
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Master P Secures A Deal With Walmart And Launches Rap Noodles.
It was a big deal when Master P went from a hitmaker in the studio to a co-founder of the savory chips brand Rap Snacks in 1994. Now, Cardi B’s Jerk BBQ, Trina’s Honey Dew Cheese Puffs, and the Migos’ Sour Cream with a Dab of Ranch can be found in over 4,200 Walmart stores.
As if that wasn’t enough, the 49-year-old multi-millionaire recently announced that he expanded his brand by is cooking up the stir fry with his very own brand of ramen noodles, ICON Rap Noodles. Delish!
Omarion Showed What Being Unfazed AF Truly Means And Went Viral Along The Way!
Besides going viral for his zero cares, Omarion also made news when he announced he would be going forward with the second edition of the Millennium Tour, sans his B2K cohorts. Instead, headliners would include Bow Wow, Ying Yang Twins, and more.
Gucci Mane Finally Snagged A Gucci Campaign!
It was a long time coming, but Gucci Mane finally got some respect on his name! Fashion brand, Gucci made the famed rapper the face of their Cruise 2020 campaign, and the 39-year-old couldn’t be happier. His smile said it all.
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John Legend Hilariously Changed The Narrative Of What It Means To Be The ‘Sexiest Man Alive.’
John Legend is the Sexiest Man Alive, according to People magazine. Although the 2019 honoree was a bit taken aback that he was following in the footsteps of 2018's honoree Idris Elba, he hilariously kept things playful.
"1995 John would be very perplexed to be following 2018 @IdrisElba as #SexiestManAlive," he tweeted. "Hell, 2019 John is about as equally perplexed but thank you @People for finding me sexy. I'll take it."
Even his wife Chrissy Teigen gloated in the glory!
Diddy Turned 50 with a star-studded party that reunited Kanye West And Jay-Z!
Diddy’s 50th birthday extravaganza was a big deal! With a star-filled guest list, it was no surprise that all your favorite celebrities showed up to celebrate the music icon’s milestone. In fact, even Jay-Z and Kanye West made an unexpected reunion.
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Black Dads did their thing and got the recognition they deserve.
There is no way you can deny that Black dads are dynamic. From “dance dads” dedicating their Saturday mornings to learn ballet with their daughters to men becoming experts at laying their daughter’s baby hairs, Black dads went viral all year long with their heartwarming moments!
Jay Z turned 50 and brought back the intellectual property of his fashion brand, Rocawear.
Recently crowned hip-hop’s first billionaire, turning 50-years-old wasn’t the only huge milestone Jay-Z experienced this year. According to the Financial Post, the famed rapper also bought back the intellectual property of his iconic fashion brand Rocawear.
Twins opened A Black-owned version of UberEats called ‘Black And Mobile.'
Finally a Black-owned UberEats! Twin brothers, David and Aaron Cabello changed the game after launching a food delivery service in Philadelphia.
Appropriately called Black And Mobile, the app rapidly grew in popularity, especially since the delivery platform specialized in giving Black-Owned restaurants a way to reach their customers.
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Lil Nas X Made Money Moves after being booted off the country music charts!
Despite being booted from the country music charts, Lil Nas X broke barriers in the country music world.
Thanks to his record-breaking hit "Old Town Road,"—that was certified diamond— the 20-year-old not only secured several awards, but also made history by being the first openly gay Black man to land on Forbes’ list of “highest-paid country acts.” Iconic!
Dwyane Wade Stood By His Son Against Social Media Scrutiny.
Even after Dwyane Wade received social media scrutiny for supporting his gay son, Zion, the NBA legend stood his ground and defended his 12-year-old’s honor.
Even Dwyane’s oldest son, Zaire, took to Instagram to shut down the haters. Love wins!
The ‘Exonerated Five’ embodied Black Boy Joy all year long.
From having their stories told in the limited-series Netflix original When They See Us to walking the red carpet at the 2019 Emmy Awards with writer/director Ava DuVernay, the "Exonerated Five," basked in positive recognition after being wrongly prosecuted in the 1989 rape and assault of a Central Park jogger.
Kevin Richardson, Antron McCray, Korey Wise, Raymond Santana, and Yusef Salaam even received a standing ovation at the BET Awards!
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Daniel Kaluuya won a lead in the Black Bonnie & Clyde film, ‘Queen & Slim.'
Starring in the Black rendition of Bonnie and Clyde, Daniel Kaluuya played a pivotal part in making Lena Waithe's and Melina Matsoukas’ first feature film, Queen & Slim, a big deal.
With numerous awards under his belt, including a Screen Actors Guild Award for Black Panther, we are sure we can expect much more success from the British-born actor.
