It’s safe to say 2023 is the year of Ice Spice. After four Hot 100 top ten hits, collaborations with Nicki Minaj and Taylor Swift, Billboard announced this week that the 24-year-old Bronx native is Billboard’s R&B/hip-hop Rookie of the Year. Ice Spice, born Isis Gaston, told Billboard, “I have put in so much hard work, and it means a lot to be recognized for it and have more than just plaques to show for it.” Ice will be honored at a ceremony next week; in the meantime, see her and Nicki Minaj in their new hit song “Barbie World,” released from the soundtrack of the mega-hit film Barbie.

Vice President Kamala Harris has no time for the foolishness provided courtesy of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. Harris masterfully shut down the failing presidential candidate’s invitation for a debate on the state’s new guidelines on teaching Black History in public schools, CBS News reports. On Aug. 1, at the 20th Women’s Missionary Society of the African Methodist Episcopal Church Quadrennial Convention in Orlando, Florida, Harris said, “I will tell you, there is no roundtable, no lecture, no invitation we will accept to debate an undeniable fact. There were no redeeming qualities of slavery.” We need that on a bumper sticker! Watch above.

Want some inspiration on how to design your future dream home? Singer John Legend and his wife, model Chrissy Teigen are rocking the cover of the September 2023 edition of Architectural Digest and giving the world a look into their fabulous Beverly Hills villa. This grand contemporary home is epic, from vintage sconces and their own olive tree to ball pits and bunk beds. Check out some of the photos above.

Despite a lack of financial support from the Jamaica Football Federation, Jamaica’s women’s soccer team advanced in the FIFA Women’s World Cup on Wednesday (August 2), pulling off a 0-0 draw with the powerhouses from Brazil. Affectionately called the Reggae Girlz, Forbes reports that the women’s team put Jamaica in the history books as the first Caribbean island to qualify for round 16. It’s also the first time since 1995 that Brazil has been eliminated at this stage. The Reggae Girlz hit the field again for their next game on August 8, proving to little island girls everywhere that even when people don't believe in you, believing in yourself is all that matters. Big up!

After the PGA Tour got dragged for merging with the Saudi Arabia-backed LIV Golf, the organization had to do something to prove their loyalty to their American fan base. Enter Tiger Woods who was announced this week as the PGA Tour's newest board member, according to USA Today. The golf legend said in an Aug. 1 statement, “This is a critical point for the Tour, and the players will do their best to make certain that any changes that are made in Tour operations are in the best interest of all Tour stakeholders, including fans, sponsors, and players.”

The hope is that Woods will create some transparency through his board appointment, which will enable the players to have the final say on the PGA’s future partnerships and policies. This will be especially important after arguments that the agreement between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf was not adequately communicated.

Can you believe the handsome man first introduced to us with the cornrows, and all that swagger in Barbershop over 20 years ago is still grown and sexy at 50 years old? Yep, on Aug. 3, Michael Ealy, our favorite blue-eyed actor, proved once again that black does not crack when you take good care of it. Check out Ealy’s epic journey in film, here.

On Aug. 3, after years of legal battles, the family of Henrietta Lacks settled with a biotech company that took her cells without her consent. According to CBS News, Lacks’ family and Thermo Fischer Scientific parties are “pleased” with the settlement, but the details of the payment have not been made public.

While undergoing treatment for cervical cancer in 1951 at John Hopkins Hospital, Lacks’ cancer cells were used as the source of the first immortalized human cell line. As her cells kept reproducing, the HeLa immortal cell line was the cause of several medical advancements, such as the development of the polio vaccine, HIV/AIDS treatment, and the COVID-19 vaccine, as well as several cosmetic breakthroughs. The timing of the settlement is poetic. Lacks died at 31 in 1951, but Aug. 3 would have been her 103rd birthday.

If you need another option for soul food in Detroit, just turn to former NBA player and former Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson, who is opening Fixins Soul Kitchen in mid-December. The restaurant will seat 325 people and is located at 1435 Randolph Street, in the Paradise Valley neighborhood. According to a press release, at a kickoff ceremony this week, attendees included actor-turned-candidate Hill Harper, who is running for U.S. Senate in Michigan.

“When I think about the power of small businesses and communities, this [Fixins] is exactly what we need,” said Harper. The restaurant will be Johnson's fourth Fixins Soul Kitchen location, joining restaurants in Sacramento, Los Angeles, and Tulsa, Oklahoma. See the photo above with Johnson and Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, who also attended the event.

Snoop Dogg has conquered the cannabis industry, delved into the wine and culinary worlds, and now he wants to have a foothold in footwear. On Aug. 2, Skechers announced a multi-year partnership with the new Snoop Dogg x Skechers collection. The first shoes, the OG and Remix, just dropped this week. The unisex shoes are slip-ons with leather uppers and an imprinted bandana-type design in several colors. Snoop said in a statement, “The excellent team at Skechers took my ideas and my flavor, and we created this collection for all walks of life.”

After closing his epic Las Vegas residency last month, Usher unexpectedly dropped new music. The new track “Good Good” features Summer Walker and 21 Savage and was just released today (Aug. 4).

Leave it to Usher to give us one more summer banger before the season ends!