#IMBHM: Celebrating Old and New Rock and Metal Legends

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

To celebrate Black History Month 2026, I wanted to explore some artists who have had a profound impact on rock and metal music. In recent years, the alternative music scene has undoubtedly become a safer and more diverse space for people of all backgrounds. Whilst there’s still a long way to go, it’s promising to see more recognition than ever before for artists of all walks of life.

Whilst there are some big names on the list, there are also some people who I feel don’t receive the recognition they definitely deserve. I wanted to both honour the people who deserve the credit they receive as well as acknowledge some up-and-coming talent.

Native James

Native James is an artist who effortlessly merges genres. With a sound that plays with hip hop, metal, punk, grime, and garage, he isn’t afraid to push the limits. The Ipswich musician combines intriguing lyricism in his rap style with percussion and riffs that wouldn’t be out of place in modern metalcore. One of his most popular tracks, ‘Hammer‘, sums up this contrast perfectly. Native James is definitely not the only black artist to genre-bend in this way. He appeared as a special guest alongside Skindred, whose frontman Benji Webbe definitely deserves an honourable mention in this article.

Slash

This list features many great guitar players, and Slash is no exception. He helped the hard rock band Guns N’ Roses create a sound that was distinctive and influential as their lead guitarist. With other projects such as Velvet Revolver, alongside an induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame under his belt, he has made a career for himself that is more extensive than the band that skyrocketed him to fame. In more recent times, he has collaborated with Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators to create four albums to date. The most recent of which was ‘4‘, released in 2022.

The Paradox

Some additions to this list have been known to the world for centuries. Despite this, The Paradox has been garnering more and more attention since it formed in 2024. The band is comprised of Eric Dangerfield on lead vocals and rhythm guitar, Donald Bryant on bass, Xelan on lead guitar, and PC3 on drums. Their style is reminiscent of pop-punk and emo. They’ve managed to make waves within this sub-genre through tracks frequently circulating on social media. Furthermore, their single ‘Do Me Like That‘ featured Travis Barker of Blink-182 fame.

Jimi Hendrix

Cited as the greatest guitar player of all time by the likes of Rolling Stone magazine, Jimi Hendrix is still a massively influential musician decades after his death. With the likes of Zakk Wylde, Lita Ford, and Kirk Hammett being inspired by him, he has helped to shape a lot of what is known today in rock and metal. Whilst he had already begun to build a name for himself beforehand, he is most known for the Jimi Hendrix Experience. This was the band consisting of him, Mitch Mitchell on drums, and Noel Redding on bass. ‘Are You Experienced?‘ was released in 1967. The debut record helped define psychedelia and the movement of the time. Whilst there are many great Hendrix tracks to choose from, I’ve linked below ‘Voodoo Child (Slight Return)‘. It’s one of my favourites and features in the brilliant film ‘Withnail & I‘.

Tosin Abasi

Washington-born musician Tosin Abasi is the founder and lead guitarist for Animals as Leaders. The group is an instrumental band often described as progressive metal. His early career is defined by performing for bands within the metal and metalcore scenes. Animals as Leaders began in 2007 as a solo project for Abasi. However, Javier Reyes and Matt Garstka have taken on staple features as rhythm guitarist and drummer, respectively. The band has released five albums to date, the most recent being ‘Parrhesia‘ back in 2022. Abasi has also impacted how musicians use guitars as a tool. He has his own brand, Abasi Concepts, as well as collaborations with brands such as Ibanez.

Billy Preston

Born in 1946, Billy Preston worked as a session keyboardist during the 1960’s. Most notably, working with The Beatles during their ‘Get Back‘ sessions in 1969. His influence was massively important to the group in later recordings. Preston would continue to work with George Harrison after The Beatles split. His solo career ventured further into funk and R&B influences, with a Grammy win for the 1972 track ‘Outa-Space‘. Throughout his career, he created an impressive back catalogue of solo music as well as continuing to collaborate with other musicians. This includes names such as The Rolling Stones, Luther Vandross, and Eric Clapton. The contribution Preston brought to rock (along with a variety of other styles) is vast. There’s certainly no doubt he deserves an immense amount of recognition.

Follow IndustryMe on Instagram, Threads, X, or YouTube. To read more articles celebrating Black History Month, click here.

About The Author