1. Sean Bell Born on May 23, 1983, Sean Bell was 23 years old at the time of his death. [5]He was a nephew of the current University of Tulsa basketball coach, Frank Haith.[6] Bell pitched baseball for John Adams High School in Ozone Park, and in his senior year he had an 11-0 record, with a 2.30 E.R.A. and 97 strikeouts in 62.2 innings. He also studied acting in Flushing, Queens[7] and worked odd jobs after the birth of his daughter, Jada, on December 16, 2002. The Sean Bell shooting incident took place in the New York City borough of Queens, New York, United States, on November 25, 2006. Three men were shot a total of 50 times by a team of both plainclothes and undercover NYPD officers. Sean Bell was killed on the morning before his wedding.

2. Edward Byrne Born on February 21, 1966 was a police officer in the New York City Police Department who became well known in the United States after he was murdered in the line of duty. Around 3:30 a.m, on February 26, 1988 Byrne was sitting in his marked patrol car on 107th Avenue and Inwood Street in South Jamaica, Queens. As Byrne sat in his car another car pulled up beside him. Two men exited and one of them knocked on the passenger side window of Byrne's cruiser while a second man crept up on the driver's side and shot Byrne in the head five times with a .38 caliber pistol. Two other men acted as lookouts. Byrne was pronounced dead at the hospital. He had just turned 22 years old.

3. Run-D.M.C. was an American hip hop group from Hollis, Queens, New York, founded in 1981 by Joseph Simmons, Darryl McDaniels, and Jason Mizell. The group is widely acknowledged as one of the most influential acts in the history of hip hop culture. On October 30, 2002, Jason Mizell aka Jam-Master Jay was shot and killed at his recording studio in Queens.[21] Outside the studio where the murder occurred, fans and friends gathered and left Adidas sneakers, albums, and flowers for the legendary DJ. The homicide has yet to be solved.

*Halo over Jam Master Jay’s image*

4. LL Cool J James Todd Smith (born January 14, 1968), known professionally as LL Cool J (short for Ladies Love Cool James),[1] is an American rapper and actor from Queens, New York. He is known for such hip hop hits as "I Can't Live Without My Radio", "I'm Bad", "The Boomin' System", "Rock The Bells" and "Mama Said Knock You Out", as well as romantic ballads such as "Doin' It", "I Need Love", "Around the Way Girl" and "Hey Lover". LL Cool J is also known as one of the forefathers of pop rap. LL Cool J has also appeared in numerous films, including In Too Deep, Any Given Sunday, S.W.A.T., Mindhunters, and Edison. He currently stars in an action role as NCIS Special Agent Sam Hanna, on the CBS crime drama television series NCIS: Los Angeles. LL Cool J is also the host of Lip Sync Battle on Spike.

5. 50 Cent /Curtis James Jackson III (born July 6, 1975),[1] known professionally as 50 Cent, is an American rapper, actor, businessman, and investor. Born in the South Jamaica neighborhood of the borough of Queens, Jackson began selling drugs at age twelve during the 1980s crack epidemic. Although he left drug-dealing to pursue a musical career, he was struck by nine bullets in a 2000 shooting. After Jackson released the compilation album Guess Who's Back? in 2002, he was discovered by Eminem and signed by Shady Records, Aftermath Entertainment and Interscope Records. During his career Jackson has sold over 30 million albums worldwide and won several awards, including a Grammy Award, thirteen Billboard Music Awards, six World Music Awards, three American Music Awards and four BET Awards.[3] He has pursued an acting career, appearing in the semi-autobiographical film Get Rich or Die Tryin' (2005), the Iraq War film Home of the Brave (2006) and Righteous Kill (2008). 50 Cent was ranked the sixth-best artist of the 2000s, the third-best rapper (behind Eminem and Nelly).[4] Rolling Stone consider Get Rich or Die Tryin' and “In Da Club" to be in their lists of “100 Best albums of the 2000s” and “100 Best songs of the 2000s” at numbers 37 and 13.

6. Nicki Minaj/ Onika Tanya Maraj (born December 8, 1982), known professionally as Nicki Minaj, is a Trinidadian-born American rapper, singer, and songwriter.[1][2][3] Born in Saint James, Trinidad and Tobago and raised in South Jamaica, Queens, New York, Minaj earned public attention after releasing three mixtapes between 2007 and 2009. She has been signed to Young Money Entertainment since 2009. Minaj's first and second studio albums, Pink Friday (2010) and Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded (2012), both peaked at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200 and produced the successful singles "Super Bass" and "Starships", respectively. In 2010, Minaj became the first female solo artist to have seven singles simultaneously charting on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. Her third studio album, The Pinkprint (2014), was preceded by its second single, "Anaconda", which peaked at number two on the Hot 100 and is her highest-charting single in the U.S. to date. Minaj made her film debut in the 2012 animated film Ice Age: Continental Drift, followed by supporting roles in The Other Woman (2014) and Barbershop: The Next Cut (2016). In 2013, she was a judge on the twelfth season of American Idol.

7. Lost Boyz, Lost Boyz is a hip hop group from South Jamaica, Queens, New York City. The original group members were lead MC Mr. Cheeks, backup MC and promoter Freaky Tah (1971–1999), DJ Spigg Nice and Pretty Lou. In 1999, the group released their debut single "Lifestyles Of The Rich home & Shameless people", charting on the Billboard Hot 100. The release landed them a record deal with Uptown Records. The group contributed a single to the Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood soundtrack, titled "Renee". The song became a major hit, breaking into the Top 40 on the Hot 100 chart. The single also reached Gold status in 1996. On June 4, 1996, they released their debut album Legal Drug Money. The work was highly acclaimed, and the album featured five Hot 100 hits, including their past singles "Lifestyles of the Rich & Shameless", "Renee", as well as "Music Makes Me High" Which was Remixed By Platinum Producer Frankie Cutlass, "Jeeps, Lex Coups, Bimaz & Benz" and "Get Up". The album was certified Gold by the RIAA in late 1996. On the night of March 28, 1999, at a birthday party for Mr. Cheeks, Freaky Tah was shot in the head while exiting the Sheraton Hotel in Queens. Tah was taken to Jamaica Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 4:20 am, at the age of 27. The getaway driver, Raheem Fletcher, was sentenced to 7 years in prison for Manslaughter. In 2001, Kelvin Jones pleaded guilty to the murder. The three remaining group members finished their third album LB IV Life, released in September 1999.

8. Wynter Gordon/ Diana Eve Paris Gordon (born August 25, 1988), better known by her former stage name Wynter Gordon, is an American singer-songwriter. She began as a writer for other artists, later signing with Atlantic Records where she began working on an album while continuing to write songs for other acts and providing vocals on songs. Her debut album With the Music I Die was released in 2011.

9. Milford Graves, born August 20, 1941 in Queens, New York)[1] is an American jazz drummer and percussionist, most noteworthy for his early avant-garde contributions in the early 1960s with Paul Bley and the New York Art Quartet alongside John Tchicai, Roswell Rudd, and Reggie Workman. He is considered to be a free jazz pioneer, liberating the percussion from its timekeeping role. In fact, many of his music contemporaries, musician inspirees, and fans world-wide would argue that Graves is perhaps the most influential known musician in the development and continuing evolution of free-jazz/avant-garde music, to date. Milford Graves taught at Bennington College, in Bennington, Vermont, being a tenured professor from 1973 until 2011, when he was awarded Emeritus status. He has invested his time in research within the field of healing through music.[3]

10. Nuttin But Stringz As kids Damien and Tourie worked as street musicians, playing at Grand Central Station and on the New York City subways.[1][3][4] In 2003, they began playing professionally under the name Nuttin' But Stringz.[2] In 2005, Nuttin' But Stringz won a talent contest at the Apollo Theater. In 2006, Escobar appeared in the film Step Up. Nuttin' But Stringz took third place in the 2008 season of America's Got Talent.[4] They performed at the First inauguration of Barack Obama in 2009[2] and won two Emmys.[6] In 2012, Nuttin' But Stringz separated. Damien Escobar, also known as Dame Esco, is an American violinist. His "crossover violin" musical style consists of a mix of classical, jazz, pop, R&B, and hip hop. Escobar was born in 1988 in the Jamaica, Queens neighborhood in New York City. He lived with his single mother and older brother Tourie.[3] He began playing the violin at the age of eight.[4][5] At the age of ten, Escobar became the youngest student accepted into the Juilliard School of Music.[1][4] He graduated from Juilliard at 13.[5] He also studied at the Bloomingdale School of Music.[3] n 2007, Escobar founded the Violins Against Violence foundation.[2][6] Escobar also works with the VH1 Save the Music Foundation, UNICEF and Kennedy’s Cause, a charity that benefits children with lymphatic malformation.[2][3][8][11] He is also on the Board of Directors for the Jamaica YMCA. In 2013, he hosted an event that raised over $50,000 for the Jamaica YMCA.[1] In 2014, Escobar performed a rendition of We Shall Overcome in honor of Mike Brown, Trayvon Martin and his friend Sean Bell.

11. Lamar Odom/ Lamar Joseph Odom[1] (born November 6, 1979)[2] was born in South Jamaica, Queens, New York City, to Joe Odom and Cathy Mercer.[3] His father was a heroin addict, and Odom's mother died of colon cancer when he was twelve years old.[4][5] At her deathbed, Odom's mom told him: "Be nice to everybody" Lamar is an American retired professional basketball player. As a member of the Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Association (NBA), he won NBA championships in 2009 and 2010 and was named the NBA Sixth Man of the Year in 2011. Odom played on the United States national team, winning a bronze medal in the Olympics in 2004 and gold in the FIBA World Championship (known later as the World Cup) in 2010. He married Khloé Kardashian in 2009, and has made several appearances on her family's reality television show, Keeping Up with the Kardashians.

12. Maurice Harkless was born May 11, 1993) in Queens, New York. He is an American-Puerto Rican professional basketball player for the Portland Trail Blazers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the St. John's Red Storm before being drafted 15th overall in the 2012 NBA draft. Internationally, Harkless represents and plays for the Puerto Rican national team. [88]

13. Bob Beamon, Robert "Bob" Beamon was born in South Jamaica, Queens, New York. s an American former track and field athlete, best known for his world record in the long jump at the Mexico Olympics in 1968. He broke the existing record by a margin of 55 cm (21¾ in.) and his world record stood for almost 23 years.

14. Mario Cuomo June 15, 1932 – January 1, 2015) was born in the Briarwood section of the New York City borough of Queens to a family of Italian origin. The family owned a store in South Jamaica, Queens, in New York City. Mario Cuomo was an American Democratic politician. He served as the 52nd Governor of New York for three terms, from 1983 to 1994,[1][2][3] Lieutenant Governor of New York from 1979 to 1982;[1][2] and Secretary of State of New York from 1975 to 1978. Cuomo was known for his liberal views and public speeches, particularly his keynote speech at the 1984 Democratic National Convention[1] where he criticized Ronald Reagan's policies.[1] The speech brought him to national attention.

15. Tika Sumpter (born in Queens, New York as Euphemia L. Sumpter; June 20, 1980[1]) is an American actress, producer, television host, and model. Sumpter began her career as host of the N network reality series, Best Friend's Date (2004—2005), and in 2005 landed the role of Layla Williamson in the ABC daytime soap opera, One Life to Live where she starred regularly through 2010. In the same year, Sumpter made her movie debut in her leading female role in the musical drama Stomp the Yard: Homecoming. She later had recurring roles as Raina Thorpe in The CW teen drama Gossip Girl, and as Jenna Rice in the BET sitcom The Game.[2] Sumpter was later featured in supporting roles for What's Your Number? (2011) and Think Like a Man (2012), before starring in Sparkle (2012) and A Madea Christmas (2013). In 2013, Sumpter began her role as Candace Young, the leading character on the Oprah Winfrey Network primetime soap opera, The Haves and the Have Nots. Sumpter later played Angela Payton in the comedy films Ride Along (2014) and Ride Along 2 (2016), Yvonne Fair in the biopic Get On Up (2014), and Michelle Robinson Obama in the romantic comedy-drama Southside with You (2016).

16. Cyndi Lauper/ Cynthia Ann Stephanie Lauper was born at Boulevard Hospital in Astoria, Queens on June 22, 1953 New York City. However, Cyndi Lauper grew up in the Ozone Park[23] neighborhood of Queens. is an American singer, songwriter, actress and LGBT activist.[2][3] Her career has spanned over 30 years.[3] Her debut solo album She's So Unusual (1983) was the first debut female album to chart four top-five hits on the Billboard Hot 100—"Girls Just Want to Have Fun", "Time After Time", "She Bop", and "All Through the Night"—and earned Lauper the Best New Artist award at the 27th Grammy Awards in 1985. Her success continued with the soundtrack for the motion picture The Goonies and her second record True Colors (1986). This album included the number one hit of the same name and "Change of Heart", which peaked at number 3. Lauper has established herself as a pop culture icon[6] selling over 50 million albums and 20 million singles.[7][8] She has won awards at the Grammys, Emmys, Tonys, the New York's Outer Critics Circle, MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs), Billboard Awards, and American Music Awards (AMAs).[9]

17. Donald Trump born June 14, 1946 is an American businessman and politician who is the President-elect of the United States. He is scheduled to take office on January 20, 2017. Trump's victory marked the first time that Republicans would control the White House and both chambers of Congress since the period 2003–2007. Donald John Trump was born and raised in the Queens borough of New York City and received a bachelor's degree in economics from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in 1968. Trump is a Presbyterian.[541] He has said that he began going to church at the First Presbyterian Church in the Jamaica neighborhood in Queens as a child. Trump says that he has never smoked cigarettes or marijuana, or consumed other drugs. He does not drink alcohol.

18. Russell Simmons (born October 4, 1957)[2] is an American entrepreneur, producer and author. Simmons was born and raised in Queens, New York.[4] His father is a public school administrator and his mother is a New York City park administrator. His brothers are painter Daniel Simmons, Jr., and Rev Run of Run-DMC. Simmons co-founded Def Jam in 1983 with Rick Rubin who sold his share of the company for $120 million to Universal Music Group in 1996. The Chairman and CEO of Rush Communications, and created the clothing fashion lines Phat Farm, Argyleculture, and Tantris. In 1985 Russell Simmons co-produced and appeared in the film, Krush Groove.[11] Simmons' company, Rush Communications Inc. includes over ten businesses and three non-profits. Simmons, with his partner Stan Lathan, has also produced television hits HBO's Def Comedy Jam, Def Poetry Jam and currently has a development deal with HBO [3][12] In 1996, Simmons co-produced the hit film The Nutty Professor, starring Eddie Murphy. Russell Simmons has been vegan since 1999 and advocates Ahimsa and veganism, citing animal rights along with the environmental and health benefits.[3][4][16] Simmons is a supporter of Farm Sanctuary, an organization working to end cruelty to farm animals.[17] People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals awarded him with the 2001 PETA Humanitarian Award and the 2011 Person of the Year Award. Simmons describes himself as a Christian yogi, with a love and respect for all religions.

19. Floyd Harold Flake ( January 30, 1945) was born in Los Angeles, California, Flake grew up in Houston, Texas as one of fifteen children of Robert Flake, Sr. and Rosie Lee Johnson-Flake. During his childhood, he was influenced by his parents' Christian moral beliefs. After high school, he obtained his BA degree from Wilberforce University in Wilberforce, Ohio, becoming the first member of his family to graduate from college. He served as a social worker and then worked for Xerox as a marketing analyst. Flake next worked as Director of Student Affairs at Lincoln University, PA, and subsequently dean of students and director of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Afro-American Center at Boston University. In 1976, he was asked to head the Allen African Methodist Episcopal Church (now The Greater Allen Cathedral of New York). Under Flake's leadership, the church grew from having about 1,400 members to over 23,000 parishioners. He is the senior pastor of the 23,000 member Greater Allen African Methodist Episcopal Cathedral in Jamaica, Queens, New York. The church also owns expansive commercial and residential developments; a 750-student private school founded by Flake and his wife Elaine, and various commercial and social service enterprises, which has placed it among the nation’s most productive religious and urban development institutions. The corporations, church administrative offices, school, and ministries comprise one of the Borough of Queens’ largest private sector employers.” The Church is recognized as a major real estate developer. Floyd Flake is also a former member of the United States House of Representatives, serving from 1987 to 1997 and former president of Wilberforce University.