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Chance the Rapper and More Make it on Fortune’s 40 Under 40

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Chance the rapper, fortune 40 under 40, black excellence, black influencers

Fortune’s annual ranking of the most influential young people in business is out. The 2017 Fortune 40 under 40 list includes a world leader, tech geniuses, entertainers, business people, and more.

Here is the black excellence that made it on the list, along with the write up on them from the list.

Serena Williams, 35

fortune 40 under 40, black excellence, black influencers

Barbour/Getty Images)

“If you’re a sports fan, or even if you’re not, this has been the year of Serena Williams. In addition to setting the new record for number of Open-era grand slam titles (23) and being the highest-paid female athlete ($27 million over the past 12 months from June), the tennis pro has flexed her muscles on and off the clay court (and done it while pregnant to boot). In May, she joined the board of online survey giant SurveyMonkey, a month later she expanded her portfolio by investing in food startup Daily Harvest, and has spoken out forcefully for equal pay for women of color.”

Kevin Hart, 38

kevin hart, fortune 40 under 40, black excellence, black influencers

(Photo by Mike McGinnis/Getty Images)

“He’s the world’s hottest comic: He filled the massive Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia for his latest show, which he made into a movie that grossed $23.5 million. He’s also starring in two major upcoming movies and planning another tour. But Hart is more than a funny guy. He’s opened a sprawling production studio, launched a streaming TV network, and has a tendency to invest in more brands than he endorses. How does he juggle it all? “I am addicted to success,” Hart says. “And at the end of the day I want my name to have a powerful meaning. Every [business venture] I’m looking at as a building block. It’s helping me become the mogul that I want to be.”

Chance the Rapper, 24

Chance the rapper, fortune 40 under 40, black excellence, black influencers

(Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for Hangout Music Festival)

“The Chicago native has been subverting the music industry’s traditional business model since he was a teenager, declining to sign with a major label and instead releasing his own streaming-only mixtapes, featuring unique strains of hip-hop splashed with sunny spirituality. Last year, he won the first-ever Grammys (three of them) for a streaming-only album and received $500,000 to debut the tracks exclusively on Apple Music. He’s also a celeb endorser for Nestle, Nike, and even Twitter. Up next: He’s set to star in the movie Slice as a pizza-delivery driver/werewolf.”

Chance is especially a favorite celebrity of ours. Read our article on why we need more celerities like him.

Tristan Walker, 33

Tristan Walker, fortune 40 under 40, black excellence, black influencers

Benjamin Rasmussen for Fortune

“After creating a sensation a few years ago with Bevel, a line of shaving items for black men that reduces razor bumps, serial entrepreneur Walker is back with Form, a line of shampoos, conditioners, and other products aimed at a wide array of hair textures. Walker & Co. Brands, seeking to fill a segment overlooked by major consumer-goods product makers — people of color — landed Sephora as Form’s retail partner, enabling it to burnish its beauty credentials and move past the one-size-fits-all approach of the category. Says Walker: “Hair care just hasn’t changed for 20 years.”

 

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