Grind City Culture

Rihanna has brought the world many gifts. She's an influential musician, actress, cosmetics and lingerie mogul, billionaire and national hero of her native Barbados. And now she's poised to add another title to that list: parent. The global superstar, 33, is expecting her first child, with rapper A$AP Rocky. Photos of the couple walking hand in hand in New York City are making the rounds on Twitter, with news of their announcement spreading like wildfire across social media and celebrity-focused media outlets. Celebrity photographer Miles Diggs, who goes by Diggzy, posted a close-up shot of Rihanna's baby bump on Instagram on Monday, writing "SHE IS !" Her many admirers (including fellow celebrities) sounded off excitedly in the comments. Rihanna is pregnant! Rihanna and A$AP Rocky are expecting their first child together. Photographed by Miles Diggs. pic.twitter.com/4toQb9iQhw — Couture is Beyond (@CoutureIsBeyond) January 31, 2022

Cheslie Kryst, who won the Miss USA sash in 2019, has died after a fall from her high-rise Manhattan apartment building. She was 30. Her family confirmed Kryst’s death in a Sunday statement. “Her great light was one that inspired others around the world with her beauty and strength,” it read. “She cared, she loved, she laughed and she shined.” The family said that the pageant-winner had “embodied love and served others” and that “her impact will live on.” Her body was found on the sidewalk outside the Orion Condominium building in Midtown just after 7 a.m. Kryst lived on the ninth floor of the building, according to the New York Post. She was last seen on a terrace 29 stories above the ground. Though her family did not provide a cause of death, sources in the New York Police Department have confirmed that Kryst had died by suicide, according to the Post and The Hollywood Reporter. The Post reported that Kryst had left behind a note leaving her possessions to her mother. “May this...

  On the eve of the one-year anniversary of George Floyd's murder, the NBA's social justice coalition released a statement Monday night calling on the U.S. Senate to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act as a way to honor the memory of Floyd and "others who have been victims of police brutality." The George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, which would ban chokeholds and "qualified immunity" for law enforcement while creating national standards for policing in a bid to bolster accountability, passed in the U.S. House of Representatives in March with bipartisan support and is now pending in the Senate. In their statement, the board members of the National Basketball Social Justice Coalition called on "elected representatives of both parties to work together to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act in the U.S. Senate now and present it to President [Joe] Biden for him to sign into law this year." Other groups of professional...

  “Nuke Bizzle” faces 22 years in prison after brazenly bragging about an identity-theft campaign in his music video, “EDD.” Rapper Fontrell Antonio Baines, who goes by the stage name “Nuke Bizzle,” made his first appearance in U.S. District Court in downtown Los Angeles on Friday after being charged with fraudulently applying for more than $1.2 million in jobless benefits under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Central District of California. Allegedly, Baines was able to defraud the California Employment Development Department (EDD) into distributing CARES Act relief payments under the Pandemic Employment Assistance (PUA) provision, the statement from the U.S. Attorney’s office said. The PUA is intended to aid independent contractors who aren’t typically eligible for unemployment benefits. Prosecutors claimed he...

Boseman, who skyrocketed to international fame in the role of King T'Challa in the 2018 blockbuster, died after a four-year battle with colon cancer. Actor Chadwick Boseman, who portrayed the Black Panther on the big screen, died Friday after a four-year battle with cancer, his family said in a statement on social media. He was 43. Boseman had not spoken about his bout with cancer, and his death came as a shock to many . He died at his home in the Los Angeles area with his family by his side. The actor was diagnosed with colon cancer about four years ago, according to a statement from his family. Boseman was a mainstay of the Black Panther franchise and also appeared in Avengers and Captain America movies. He also played Black icons Jackie Robinson, Thurgood Marshall and James Brown in feature films. “A true fighter, Chadwick persevered through it all, and brought you many of the films you have come to love so much,” his family said in the statement. ...

After three playoff games were suspended in response to the police shooting of Jacob Blake, the Inside crew reacts to the postponement of the game and Kenny delivers a powerful message in support of the players.

New details have been released about the Kenosha, Wisconsin police officer accused of shooting Jacob Blake in the back at least seven times. It comes as the U.S. Department of Justice opens a civil rights investigation into the shooting. After days of violent protests, Wisconsin’s governor is deploying 500 additional members of the National Guard to Kenosha. Mola Lenghi reports.

Continuing Kobe’s Legacy   THIS IS MAMBA MENTALITY   Watch   “It’s a constant quest to try to be better today than you were yesterday.”   Kobe Bryant   Welcome to Mamba Week   Kobe built the Mamba Mentality on Passion, Focus, Honesty, Fearless, and Optimism. For him, Passion meant devoting yourself to a goal through relentless commitment and dedication. To kick off the week, our Mamba Mentors share how to find, fuel, and live in your Passion—just as Kobe taught them.   Day One: Passion   With Diana Taurasi, Jewell Loyd, Sydney Leroux, Sky Brown, Sabrina Ionescu, Devin Booker, Anthony Davis, and Naomi Osaka.   Day Two: Focus   With Diana Taurasi ...