7 celebrities you may not have known were of Jamaican descent

Jamaica isn't just a tropical paradise of sun and sand - it's a cradle of extraordinary talent that has given birth to a wave of celebrities who've left an indelible mark on the world stage. We’re familiar with the pulsating rhythms of reggae legends and the electrifying speed of track and field athletes, but individuals of Jamaican descent have etched their names in the annals of fame, radiating inspiration, diversity, and a slice of the island's rich culture.

Alicia Keys

Singer, songwriter, actress, and classically trained pianist, Alicia Keys, born Alicia Augello Cook, does it all. Born on January 25, 1981, in Hell’s Kitchen New York, Keys is the daughter of Irish-Italian paralegal Terri Augello and Jamaican flight attendant Craig Cook.

With 15 Grammy Awards, Alicia Keys is the most awarded R&B artist in the history of the ceremony. She has won more NAACP awards than any other artist. She has had four number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100 -- "Fallin'," "No One," "Empire State of Mind," and "Girl on Fire."

Sheryl Lee Ralph

The veteran actress has recently commanded the mainstream attention she’s always deserved with her scene-stealing presence in the hit award-winning ABC sitcom Abbott Elementary as the kind yet stern old school teacher Barbara Howard.

Sheryl Lee Ralph is the daughter of Stanley Ralph, a college professor, and Ivy Ralph, a Jamaican fashion designer who created the Kariba suit. She spent her childhood between Mandeville, Jamaica, and Long Island, New York.

Lee Ralph won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her role in Abbott Elementary, becoming the first Black woman in 35 years to win the award. In 2022 she received the Order of Jamaica for her exemplary contribution to the international film industry.

Sheryl Lee Ralph receiving the Order of Jamaica in 2022. Photo from Ebony Magazine

Notorious B.I.G.

The late great Christopher George Latore Wallace, best known as the Notorious B.I.G., was an American rapper and songwriter without comparison. He was born to Jamaican immigrant parents in Brooklyn, New York. His mother, Voletta Wallace, was a preschool teacher, while his father Selwyn George Latore, was a welder and politician.

Largely considered one of the greatest rappers of all time, B.I.G. won four Grammy awards, and his posthumous album Life After Death soared to the top of the Billboard 200 charts. To this day B.I.G.’s timeless classics can be heard around the world.

Notorious BIG as small child in Jamaica. Photo from Largeup.com

Patrick Ewing

11-time NBA all-star, New York legend, and one of the greatest NBA centers of all time, Patrick Aloysius Ewing Sr. was the prototypical center for much of his career. Ewing was born August 5, 1962, one day before Jamaica’s independence from Britain, in Kingston Jamaica to Carl and Dorothy Ewing.

As a child, the young athlete excelled in cricket and football before moving to the States in 1975 where he attended the Cambridge Rindge and Latin School and learned how to play basketball. Ewing quickly developed into one of the country’s top prospects and went no.1 overall by the New York Knicks in the 1985 NBA draft. Ewing last worked as a coach for the Georgetown Hoyas -- the university’s men’s basketball team.

Kerry Washington

Kerry Marisa Washington is an American actress who rose to popularity for her genre-defining role as Olivia Pope in the hit ABC series Scandal for which she was twice nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series.

Washington was born in the Bronx, New York City to Valerie and Earl Washington. According to the actress, her mother is from a “mixed-race background and from Jamaica, so she is partly English and Scottish and Native American, but also descended from enslaved Africans in the Caribbean.”

In 2014 Kerry Washington made the Time 100 list of most influential people and in 2018, she was listed as the eighth highest paid television actress.

Busta Rhymes

Trevor George Smith Jr., best known as Busta Rhymes, is an American rapper, songwriter, producer, and actor. Rhymes was born in East Flatbush Brooklyn, New York to Geraldine Green and Trevor Smith Sr., both Jamaican. The rapper attended George Westinghouse Career and Technical Education High School in Brooklyn with future rap superstars Christopher “The Notorious B.I.G. Wallace” and Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter.

Busta Rhymes has always been proud of his Jamaican heritage -- he’s made frequent visits to the island and incorporated patois into his music carving out an inimitable style. Rhymes is Hip Hop royalty, and his trademark ‘rapid flow’ has influenced the likes of Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, and Doja Cat.

Jamaican artistes take stage at 2023 BET Awards during Busta Rhymes’ tribute — Spice, left, and Busta Rhymes perform "So Mi Like It" during a tribute in his honor at the BET Awards on Sunday, June 25, 2023, at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark Terrill)

Sandra "Pepa" Denton

Sandra Denton, best known as Pep or Pepa, is a rapper, author, and reality TV star best known for her work as one-third of Salt-N-Pepa. Denton was born in Kingston, Jamaica to Charles and Endid Denton and is the youngest of eight children. As part of Salt-N-Pepa, Denton is a pioneer in women's Hip Hop and received an Hollywood star in Novemeber 2022 alongside the other two members.