You:Rated - Black And British

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Recently on our socials, we asked you who your favourite Black, British icons were across film, TV, literature, business and music. Here’s who you picked!

DAVE

Dave has been making moves since way back in 2015, when he dropped a freestyle video on YouTube. Since then, he’s collaborated with the likes of Drake, Stormzy and AJ Tracey, starred in Top Boy, won Brit Awards, the Mercury Prize and the Ivor Novello, played Glastonbury, and made many political statements through his music. 

MALORIE BLACKMAN

Malorie’s books have been a staple in British primary schools since the 1990s, from Pig-Heart Boy to Noughts and Crosses. After realising that none of the books she read as a child featured characters who were Black, she started writing her own in hopes that it would change the world of literature, and that it did! In 2008, she was awarded an OBE, in 2013 she became the new Children’s Laureate, and just this year she was chosen as winner of the PEN Pinter Prize, becoming the first writer of children's and Young Adult books to receive the accolade. 

Here’s why you love her:

 “I find her inspirational due to the way she presents racism within her stories and makes it so everyone can interpret it as they wish. I also feel her novels raise awareness to those who are subjected to any kind of discrimination, not just racism”
“I think Malorie Blackman is inspiring! I read her book Noughts and Crosses and it really made me think about what society thinks of each other”

JAMAL EDWARDS

Jamal made history when he founded SBTV at just 18 years old, and helped launch the careers of many musicians like Skepta, Dave and Ed Sheeran. The channel is regarded as a key institution for Black British music, particularly UK grime and UK rap, with a huge following of over 1.2 million subscribers. In 2014, Jamal was awarded an MBE for his services to music and helped launch the Queen’s Young Leaders Programme. He was also an advocate for mental health, working with CALM and making a documentary with The Guardian. Jamal was also an ambassador for both the Prince’s Trust and NCS, and in 2021 received an honorary Doctor of Letters degree from the University of West London as a representation of his success. 

CYNTHIA ERIVO

Cynthia is a Tony, Emmy and Grammy winner…with Oscars noms in the bag too. Making her one step away from being a fully fledged EGOT! Starting out on the small screen in shows like Chewing Gum, it was the theatre that really kicked off Cynthia’s career. In 2013 she was cast in the West End production of The Color Purple, and her rendition of the song I’m Here became historic. It also led to her being further cast in the Broadway revival from 2015-2017. Since then she’s starred in films such as Widows, Bad Times at the El Royale, and Harriet - which she was nominated for Best Actress and Best Original Song at the Academy Awards., and will be Elphaba in the film version of Wicked! As a queer woman of colour, Cynthia has said that being out in the film industry means “some young Black queer actress somewhere will know coming in that she’s not alone…I’m taking a risk to claim the freedom of being one’s full self.”

RICHARD AYOADE

Richard is everyone’s favourite awkward guy! From playing Moss on The IT Crowd to jaunting around different countries in Travel Man, and being a regular fixture on different TV panel shows, there are many facets to his comedy and likeability. He’s also a writer and director, with films like Submarine and music videos for Kasabian and The Arctic Monkeys under his belt. His three books, Ayoade on Ayoade: A Cinematic Odyssey, The Grip of Film, and Ayoade on Top are all about his love for film, and he has two children’s picture books in the making too. 

Here’s why you love him:

“He inspires young people, we're both mixed and I can relate to him!”

LEIGH-ANNE PINNOCK

Leigh-Anne rose to fame thanks to The X Factor in 2011. Originally auditioning on her own, she was eventually put in a group that would become Little Mix. Over the next decade, Little Mix became one of the most well known girl groups of all time, with multiple number one albums and singles. This year, Leigh-Anne has started her own solo career, with an album in the works. Alongside music, Leigh-Anne has become widely recognised for speaking out against racism in Britain, sharing her own experience in the music industry and creating a documentary called Leigh-Anne: Race, Pop & Power. 

Here’s why you love her:
“She encouraged many women to embrace themselves”