Time Magazine has released its annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world and Kanye West sits in the number one spot.
The list is comprised of a selection of people who are blazing a trail, be it in entertainment, politics or even fashion and music. Each person on the list is honoured by a written piece by other famous/influential people.
West made the list for his ‘belief in himself and incredible tenacity’ as stated by Elon Musk, engineer, entrepreneur and CEO of SpaceX and Tesla Motors.
Kim K also made the list and was honoured by Martha Stewart who said: “Kim comes across as an enviable big sister in a clan where everyone seems to love one another. Are they indeed today’s Brady Bunch? Where does Kim go from here? There seem to be very few barriers to further explosive success.”
Actor, film producer, and director, Lee Daniels also made the list. Daniels is Creator and Executive Producer of the hit TV series Empire which premièred in January 2015. The show had a successful 12 episode run and is set to return for a second season.
Daniels and Empire co star, actor Terrance Howard are reportedly being sued for $1bn (£674m) by Ron Newt, a self-confessed “gangster, pimp, and drug dealer,” for allegedly stealing his idea for the popular TV show.
Oprah Winfrey honoured him with these words: “Nothing quite prepared me for working with Lee Daniels. Two years ago, I stepped onto the set of The Butler for my first appearance in a movie in 15 years. Lee was directing my first scene when he suddenly came from behind the camera, rushed over to me and shouted, “Stop acting!””
“His eyes and ears are attuned to nuance. He knows how to rattle the nerves of the zeitgeist. He is an undeniable, singular voice, the likes of which we’ve rarely seen.”
Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie also made the list. Deputy managing editor of Time had this to say about her: “It’s the rare novelist who in the space of a year finds her words sampled by Beyoncé, optioned by Lupita Nyong’o and honoured with the National Book Critics Circle Award for fiction. But the Nigerian writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is just that sort of novelist.”
Other Nigerians who made the list are President-elect Muhammadu Buhari, and #BringBackOurGirls campaigner Obiageli Ezekwesil.
Controversially, Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau also made the cut. He’s listed as the ‘Scourge of Africa’. There’s no image of him but the write up says: “Most Americans do not yet recognize his name, but the citizens of Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, know Abubakar Shekau all too well: he is the most violent killer their country has ever seen. Shekau took over the terrorist organization Boko Haram in 2009 after the group had been weakened by Nigerian government forces.”
