1. Alex R. Hibbert
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After starring in ‘Moonlight,’ Alex R. Hibbert’s ready for his lead role in ‘The Chi.’
2. Ryan Coogler
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Ryan Coogler’s had everyone talking since 2013’s ‘Fruitvale Station’ and 2015’s ‘Creed.’ With the highly anticipated ‘Black Panther’ finally dropping in February, need we say more? #BlackPantherSoLit
3. Hunter Greene
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At 16, Hunter Greene helped the US win a gold medal in the 18-and-under Baseball World Cup. He was also the second overall pick in the 2017 draft, chosen by the Cincinnati Reds, and became the 13th high school athlete to make the cover of Sports Illustrated. With that 102 mph fastball, be sure: we haven’t seen the last of him.
4. Devin Allen
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Recipient of the inaugural Gordon Parks Foundation Fellowship and author of ‘A Beautiful Ghetto,’ Devin Allen has poised himself as one of Baltimore’s most inspiring voices.
5. Donald Glover
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With Season 2 of ‘Atlanta’ confirmed for this year and a potential collab with Quavo on the way, 2018’s looking like another fruitful year Donald Glover.
6. Algee Smith
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Algee Smith is set to star alongside Amandla Stenberg and Issa Rae in the forthcoming adaptation of ‘The Hate U Give.’
7. Wyatt Cenac
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Though he’s not a newbie, previous ‘Daily Show’ correspondent Wyatt Cenac does have a few big projects on the way, including a new HBO show.
8. Joyner Lucas
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More eyes are on rapper Joyner Lucas after the release of “I’m Not Racist.”
9. Chance The Rapper
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The Grammy award-winning rapper and activist known for his work in his hometown of Chicago is sure to promote Black boy joy in 2018.
10. Stephen Glover
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Stephen Glover’s FX deal has everyone licking their chops. He also has an animated Deadpool TV series for FXX and Marvel on the way. Oh, and his brother’s show, ‘Atlanta’—which Stephen also writes for—heads back to TV on March 1.
11. Lakeith Stanfield
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Not only does Lakeith Stanfield return to the screen when ‘Atlanta’ makes it comeback, but the ‘Crown Heights’ star’s forthcoming ‘Sorry To Bother You’—which co-stars Tessa Thompson—is heading into Sundance.
12. Jason Mitchell
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From the looks of ‘Mudbound,’ Jason Mitchell will likely garner some much-deserved attention during this forthcoming award season.
13. Cress Williams
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Cress William’s story about a retired-superhero-become-vigilante is the next Black superhero show you need to watch.
14. Quavo
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The lead rapper from the Grammy-nominated The Migos is likely to continue making a splash in 2018.
15. Kerby Jean-Raymond
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The 30 yr-old Haitian-American designer/founder of acclaimed fashion label, Pyer Moss, is known for making political statements through fashion. He first made waves with his spring 2016 show, which featured a short film about race relations in the United States. Since then, he’s designed tees that listed the names of victims of police brutality, traveled to North Dakota with supplies for the Dakota Access Pipeline protesters, and created a collection that explored the theme of economic inequality. Reebok’s also partnering with the designer to create two capsule collections debuting in February 2018 and August 2018.
16. Ashton Sanders
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The 21-year-old breakout ‘Moonlight’ star has two major films releasing in August 2018—”Captive State,” in which plays the lead, and “The Equalizer,” where he stars opposite Denzel Washington.
17. Daniel Caesar
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Since releasing his debut studio album, ‘Freudian,’ Daniel Caesar has received overwhelming acclaim from critics and fans alike. With a European tour in the books and two Grammy nominations under his belt, 2018 is looking to be the burgeoning crooner’s year.
18. Caleb McLaughlin
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Confirmation of ‘Stranger Things’ Season 3 can only mean good things during the new year for Caleb McLaughlin.
19. Daniel Kaluuya
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After starring in 2017’s hit horror film-meets-documentary ‘Get Out,’ Kaluuya is revving up for his role in Marvel’s ‘Black Panther.’
20. Joshua Kissi
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Joshua Kissi first made a name for himself as one half of Street Etiquette. The co-founder of photo stock company TONL, he recently became an Advisory Board Member for VSCO, and was a Forbes 30 Under 30 nominee in 2017.
21. Woody McClain
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After playing Bobby Brown in BET’s miniseries ‘The New Edition Story,” Woody McClain will reprise his role in the network’s spinoff, ‘The Bobby Brown Story.’
