Timeshared the 2017 edition of its annual 100 Most Influential People list Thursday. Chance the Rapper, Donald Glover, Leslie Jones, Ava DuVernay, Viola Davis, and Raf Simons all make appearances on this year's Time 100. The list of pioneers, artists, and icons also features short essays on each honoree from a variety of high-profile names including Common, Tina Fey, DJ Khaled, ASAP Rocky, and more.
Recalling the moment he first encountered a very young Chance the Rapper by way of his grandmother's friend, Common said he told him to "keep following his dreams," then forget all about it. Years later, Common's daughter played him a Chance mixtape. "There was something unique and soulful about it," he toldTime. "I could tell he really knew hip-hop."
For Glover's mention, Time recruited his former 30 Rock collaborator Tina Fey. Fey remembered a moment during the 30 Rock era when Glover, then a staff writer, called a meeting with her and producer Robert Carlock to tell them he felt it was time to leave and pursue acting. "Of the many writers who have suggested this over the past 20 years, Donald is the only one with whom I've ever agreed," Fey said. She also praised his work on Atlanta, calling it a "TV series that is basically him."
The publication grabbed Russell Crowe, who made his Saturday Night Live hosting debut last year, to pen some words on Leslie Jones. Crowe said it wasn't "just the comedy" that drew him close to Jones, though he's quite the fan. "It was, in fact, the kindness, the thoughtfulness, and the way she owns all of who she is," the Oscar-winning actor said.
See the full Time 100—which also includes Ryan Reynolds, Jordan Peele, Colin Kaepernick, John Legend, and Sarah Paulson—by clicking here.
