2001

The sale of BET Holdings to Viacom for $3 billion was completed, making founder Robert L. Johnson the first Black billionaire in American history. The deal was the largest acquisition of a Black-owned business ever at the time.

The sale of BET Holdings to Viacom for $3 billion was completed, making founder Robert L. Johnson the first Black billionaire in American history in the largest acquisition of a Black-owned business ever at that time.

Industry data confirmed that hip-hop and R&B had surpassed country music to become the best-selling music genre in the United States, a cultural and economic landmark reflecting the mainstream dominance of Black American music.

Robert L. Johnson completed the sale of Black Entertainment Television (BET) to Viacom on January 23, 2001 for approximately $3 billion, making him the first Black American billionaire. The landmark transaction validated the commercial value of Black-targeted media and demonstrated that a Black entrepreneur could build and exit a media company at the very highest levels of American capitalism.

Beyoncé, Kelly Rowland, and Michelle Williams released Survivor, an anthemic album that sold over ten million copies worldwide and produced the defining feminist pop-R&B anthems of the early 2000s.

Tiger Woods won the 2001 Masters, becoming the first golfer in history to hold all four major championship titles simultaneously — a feat dubbed the 'Tiger Slam.' His dominance transformed golf from a predominantly white sport into a globally diverse phenomenon and made him the highest-paid athlete in the world.

Allen Iverson won the NBA Most Valuable Player Award for the 2000-01 season while leading the Philadelphia 76ers to the NBA Finals. Standing at 6 feet tall, Iverson's MVP win defied conventional wisdom about size in basketball and his cultural influence on Black youth fashion and identity was unparalleled in the sport.

Philadelphia 76ers guard Allen Iverson won the NBA Most Valuable Player award after leading the league in scoring and steals, and guiding the 76ers to the NBA Finals as a cultural icon who reshaped the aesthetics and style of professional basketball.

Songs in A Minor sold 236,000 copies in its first week, the largest debut week sales figure for any debut album at that time, and won five Grammy Awards including Album of the Year. Keys announced a new generation of classically trained Black women artists who bridged R&B, soul, and neo-soul.

Jay-Z released 'The Blueprint' on September 11, 2001, which debuted at number one and is widely considered one of the greatest hip-hop albums ever made. The album solidified Jay-Z's status as the preeminent MC of his generation and introduced producer Kanye West to a mainstream audience.

Kehinde Wiley began exhibiting his large-scale portrait paintings of Black men in poses drawn from European Old Masters in major New York galleries in the early 2000s, quickly establishing himself as one of the most talked-about artists of his generation. His work reclaimed the visual language of Western art to center and celebrate Black masculinity.

Colson Whitehead published his second novel John Henry Days, a richly layered examination of the myth of John Henry and Black American labor and celebrity, which was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award.

New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter won the World Series Co-MVP award after a dramatic Game 4 home run past midnight gave him the Mister November nickname. Jeter's leadership during New York's post-9/11 World Series run became one of the defining sports moments of the decade.

Atlanta rapper Ludacris released his major-label debut Word of Mouf, which debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and sold over four million copies, establishing Atlanta trap-adjacent hip-hop in the mainstream.

Brooklyn rapper Talib Kweli and producer Hi-Tek released Train of Thought under the Reflection Eternal name, a critically lauded alternative hip-hop album that showcased sophisticated lyricism and social commentary.

Powell becomes the highest-ranking Black official in US history to that point.