Top 50 Black Power Brokers In Entertainment

Whether creating groundbreaking movies, developing original tv programs, or making soulful music, these 50 power brokers call the shots in america's most dynamic industries

important figures in publishing, music, film, philanthropy, education, health and fitness, and social awareness.
Career Track: Winfrey began her broadcasting career at WVOL radio in Nashville while still in high school. At 19, she became the youngest person and the first African American woman to anchor the news at Nashville’s WTVF-TV. Winfrey then worked for a television station in Baltimore before moving to Chicago to host AM Chicago in 1984, which was later renamed The Oprah Winfrey Show.
Interesting Fact: Since The Oprah Winfrey Show entered national syndication in 1986, it has remained the No. 1 talk show for the past 16 seasons.

Title: CEO, Aftermath Records
Age: 37
Why He’s Powerful: For close to two decades, Dr. Dre has been a dominant force in the rap music industry. And since 1996, his label, Aftermath Records, has become a hit factory. The strongest performer on his roster has been white rapper Eminem.
Career Track: Dre made his entrée as a pioneer of gangsta rap. In 1987, he joined N.W.A., the audacious rap group that introduced the world to Ice Cube, M.C. Ren, and the late Eazy-E. He left the group in 1992 to form Death Row Records with Suge Knight and over the next four years, produced chart buster albums like The Chronic and Snoop Doggy Dogg’s Doggystyle. As a producer, he developed a style of music that became known as “G-Funk.” Dre left Death Row and formed Aftermath Records through a distribution agreement with Interscope.
First Gig: He performed with World Class Wreckin’ Cru.
