African Americans From Kentucky

Kevin Olusola is an illustrious beatboxer of the a capella band Pentatonix. He is also seen playing the cello occasionally in their songs. Scott Hoying spotted him playing the cello in a viral video. The group has released eleven albums, garnered more than two million views on their YouTube channel and sold over two million records.

Athlete and martial artist Jim Kelly won hearts with his Afro hairstyle and his roles in action film such as Enter the Dragon and Black Belt Jones. Apart from films, he also excelled in karate, winning contests such as the International Middle Weight Karate Championship. He has also played professional tennis.

Born into an athletic family, Tyson Gay naturally developed an interest in sports. One of the fastest sprinters in both the 100m and the 200m categories, he was part of the 2016 Olympic relay team that was stripped of its medal for breaking game rules.

Having debuted to his acting career as a child artist, Michael Rainey Jr. went on to play the lead role of Tariq St Patrick in the television series Power Book II: Ghost which was premiered in 2020. The son of a Jamaican mother, the millennial American actor appeared in the film, Amateur, which revolves around an aspiring basketball player.

Born into slavery, Allen Allensworth successfully disguised himself in a uniform and marched to freedom, along with the Union soldiers during the Civil War. He later served the U.S. Navy and eventually became a Baptist preacher. The first Black American lieutenant colonel, he also formed the town Allensworth.

Todd Duncan was an American actor and baritone opera singer. He is best remembered for playing Porgy in the premier production of the popular English-language opera, Porgy and Bess. In 1945, Todd Duncan performed at the New York City Opera, becoming the first African American to perform with a major opera company.   

Bryson Tiller is an American rapper and singer-songwriter. After achieving success with his debut single Don't, Tiller went on to sign a deal with RCA Records and then came up with his debut album Trapsoul, which peaked at the eighth position on the Billboard 200 chart. Since then, he hasn’t looked back and has performed alongside the likes of Rihanna.