NEWS

The internet is full of content creators, but only a select few can say they've earned a spot on one of TIME's biggest annual lists. This year, the publication recognized more than a handful of Black digital stars who are shaping culture, influencing conversations, and redefining what it means to be an influencer with a meaningful platform in today's age.

Mason Haynes, a longtime celebrity bodyguard who protected members of the Kardashian family and several other A-listers, has died in a traffic accident on July 4, just two days before his 53rd birthday. He previously worked with Kim Kardashian, Kris Jenner, Kanye West, Kevin Hart, Nicki Minaj, Charlie Puth and Formula 1 star Lewis Hamilton. Mason was part of the family's security team when Kim was robbed at gunpoint in Paris in 2016. His employer, Trojan Security UK, remembered him as an absolute legend in the close-protection industry. Mason leaves behind his wife Fay, daughter Brooke and son Noah.

On Saturday morning, July 11, 2026, Houston rapper Judy World, whose real name was Krystal Jordan, was fatally stabbed in southeast Houston. The 28-year-old suspect, Kayla Wynita Rodgers, was arrested and charged with manslaughter in connection with the incident.

Damon Dash isn't giving Jay-Z's Yankee Stadium victory lap a standing ovation, saying the three-night spectacle looked less like a celebration and more like a carefully crafted marketing ploy. Dame unloaded on The Art of Dialogue, picking apart Hov's anniversary shows from a business perspective rather than a musical one, questioning why the concerts happened for the 30th anniversary of Reasonable Doubt and arguing the entire production felt designed to push Yankees-branded merchandise.

July is officially National Watermelon Month—a U.S. Senate-approved celebration of one of summer's favorite fruits. But behind those family backyard BBQs lies a piece of history that was left out of the textbooks. Long before the fruit was hijacked and weaponized as a racist stereotype, the watermelon was actually a powerful symbol of Black freedom and economic independence.