ICE CUBE, born O’Shea Jackson on June 15, 1969 is an American hip hop artist, record producer, actor, screenwriter, film producer, and director. He began his career as a member of the hip-hop group C.I.A. and later joined N.W.A. After leaving N.W.A. in December 1989, he built a successful solo career in music, and also as a writer, director, actor and producer in cinema. Additionally, he has served as one of the producers of the Showtime television series Barbershop and the TBS series Are We There Yet?, both of which are based upon films in which he portrayed the lead character.
Cube is noted as a proficient lyricist and storyteller and is regarded as a brutally honest rapper; his lyrics are often political and he is considered one of the founding artists in gangsta rap. He was ranked #8 on MTV’s list of the 10 Greatest MCs of All Time.
Following his role as ‘Doughboy’ in Boyz n the Hood, in 1992 he starred alongside Ice-T, and Bill Paxton in Walter Hill’s action film, Trespass, and then in The Glass Shield.
John Singleton had encouraged Ice Cube to try his hand at screenwriting, telling him, “If you can write a record, you can write a movie.” With this encouragement, Ice Cube wrote the screenplay for what became the 1995 comedy Friday, in which he also starred, alongside then up-and-coming comedian Chris Tucker. Friday earned $28 million worldwide on a $3.5 million budget, and spawned two sequels, Next Friday and Friday After Next. On March 9, 2011 he announced that he was making the final sequel called Last Friday.
In 1997, Ice Cube starred in the action thriller Dangerous Ground as a South African exiled to America who returns 15 years later. He also had a supporting role in the film Anaconda that same year. He wrote, executive produced, and made his directorial debut in The Players Club in 1998, and in 1999 starred alongside George Clooney and Mark Wahlberg in the critically acclaimed Three Kings. Ice Cube starred in the commercially successful movie Barbershop, as well as All About the Benjamins.  In 2004, he appeared in Barbershop 2: Back in Business, and Torque; in 2005 he starred in the action movie XXX: State of the Union, as well as the family comedies Are We There Yet? and Are We Done Yet?, co-starring Nia Long.
Ice Cube and basketball star LeBron James have paired up to pitch a one-hour special to ABC based on James’ life. Ice Cube’s Are We There Yet television series premiered on TBS on June 2, 2010. On August 16, 2010, Are We There Yet? was renewed for 90 additional episodes

Terri Southall is a native of Springfield, Illinois. Terri graduated from Alabama A&M University in 2003 with a degree in Civil Engineering. In 2010, Miss Southall received her Master of Engineering degree from University of Alabama in Birmingham. Terri has been in the construction industry for 10 years and is currently employed with Southern Company. She is a 2012 graduate of the Southern Company Engineering & Construction Services Leadership Program and a member of National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC).
Having a heart to serve her community, Terri tutors students focused in S.T.E.M. and is a member of the Birmingham Change Fund, a local philanthropic group with a mission to invest in and serve the community.
Terri is also an active member of Greater Birmingham Area – Alabama A&M University Alumni Association. In addition to serving the community, Terri enjoys hosting dinner parties with family and friends, concerts, plays, and traveling.
Congratulations Terri as you reign Queen for the Greater Alabama A&M University Alumni Chapter.

By Jessica Jones

Foluso Oluade, a senior at Alabama State University, has been crowned Miss Alabama State University 2013-2014.
She is the daughter of Olujide Oluade, of Nigeria, and Patricia Oluade of Lexington, Miss.
A native of Jacksonville, Miss., Oluade, chose to attend ASU because of its renowned arts department, and because of a longing to “get away from home.”
During her academic career at ASU, Oluade, an English major, said she has taken away more than just what she learned in the classroom.
“What is most dear to me about Alabama State University is the life lessons I have learned at the school,” Oluade said. “The diversity of the school, with students from all over, brings a lot of enlightenment, as well as challenges, that prepare me for my next step in life.”
Leading up to running for the Miss ASU title, Oluade’s intentions were to, not only be an outstanding Miss ASU, but to also be as true to herself as she possibly could.
“My expectations were that I could easily handle my positions and that I would have a template of how to be the best Miss ASU to date,” she said. “Being Miss ASU certainly has been no walk in the park, not because this is not an awesome position to be in, but because there is no template that explains how Foluso can be the best Foluso. This means there is no template for me, in my own right, to be the best Miss ASU to date.”
Whether or not she would win the crown wasn’t a concern for Oluade, who has a slightly different definition of winning; for her, winning doesn’t always mean coming in first place.
“I had a feeling that I was destined to win,” Oluade said. “Even if I had lost the election I still would have won because I learned about positive dimensions in myself due to the process of running.”
As confident as she was while running for the title, she still expressed her surprise at winning.
“When I won I could not believe it,” she said. “All that was going through my mind was Thank you, God! I am sure that this was duly noted by the students when I fell to my knees and screamed it.”
As the representative of the school, Oluade understands the responsibility that she has been given is great. For her, it brings to mind several emotions, yet none can quite describe the feeling perfectly.
“It is a wonderful feeling, a powerful feeling, and at times [a] scary feeling to be a representative of Alabama State University,” Oluade said. “Being Miss ASU can’t be [summed] up in a few words. I would have to write a book about how tremendous a feeling it is to be my university’s queen.”
Aside from positively representing her school and herself, Oluade said she will also serve her community and peers.
“I am in a wonderful position to nurture and enlighten others through forums and events geared towards wise choice making,” Oluade said.” Wise choice making as far as health, peer pressure, every aspect of life I can touch on.”
In addition to her fulfilling duties of Miss ASU, Oluade is also a member of ASU Elite Models, the W.E.B Dubois Honors program, ASU peer mentoring, and assists with the ASU Aspire mentoring program.
After graduation, Oluade has plans to become a model, or performer as she desires any career that aligns with her love of the arts. She also plans to move to New York to persue a double major in women/gender studies and law.

Jessica Faith Swindle, Miss Alabama A&M University, is from Clanton, Ala., and is the daughter of Dwight and Madeline Swindle. In Clanton, she attends the World’s Church of the Living God, where Pastor Elijah Good presides.  She comes from a background firmly grounded in faith, and she uses her faith to propel her towards her desires. Jessica has had the honor of holding various pageant titles, including 2010 Chilton County Miss Peach (1st African American recipient), 2011 Miss Sophomore, and 2012 Miss Black and Gold.
Jessica is a senior majoring in communication arts with a concentration in performance and a minor in English. She has been involved in various organizations while at AAMU, including AAMU Great Debaters, Film Club, Spanish Club, Bulldog Pride Committee, and the Gamma Mu Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. In addition to her involvements, she has also maintained a 3.6 grade point average. After graduation, Jessica plans to attend graduate school to receive a master’s degree in broadcast meteorology.

by Jessica Jones
Prepping for the Game    

The ASU cheerleaders and Stingettes aren’t the only ones who are in prep mode for the Magic City Classic. The Honeybeez are also sharpening their skills and perfecting their moves for the big day.
“As of now the team has been working out to get our stamina up for that day because the band has the parade that morning then the game,” Jassmin Oliver, a returning Honeybee, said. “For the parade we have been coming up with different cute sequences that will please the crowd, as well as show off some skills. And for the big halftime show all of the girls come up with two eight count moves, and we try and see which dance move looks cute where. When we figure that out we drill, drill, drill until everyone has the routine down.”

The Importance of Beez
As a plus sized woman, the Honeybeez dance team is especially important to Oliver who has been dancing most of her life. But being a part of a team wasn’t always an option for her.
“Dancing has always been a thing I loved to do, so as far back as I can remember I’ve been dancing. I just wasn’t always a part of a team because of my size,” Oliver said.
For Oliver, and other dancers, a plus size dance team means size doesn’t matter.
“I think it’s very important to have a plus size dance team because everywhere else people say it’s wrong or “we” can’t do or it doesn’t look good to do the same moves as the smaller girls,” Oliver said. “Dr. Oliver (the dance instructor) and the Honeybeez say that they’re wrong, it‘s ok and it is possible for full-figured women to dance however they want to. And we encourage everyone big, small, short, or tall to go out and do whatever it is that they love to do whether it is dancing, modeling, or some kind of sport. Don’t let society keep you from doing what it is you love to do.”
The Pressure is on
Even though some might argue that it’s “just a game”, there’s still the pressure of wanting to execute the perfect dance routine.
“It’s always pressure for the Honeybeez to do well every game, but especially for Magic City Classic,” Oliver said. “There is always the pressure of us outdoing our routine from the previous year. So we have to work even harder to come up with bigger and better moves so that we can continue to be the crowd pleaser.”
The expectations are high, but she isn’t worried. In fact, she finds the thrill of performing in front of a large crowd exciting.
“The feeling of dancing in front of such a large audience is amazing. Like I stated before, my first game was a Classic,” Oliver said. “I was very nervous that game, but now it’s like my favorite game to perform. I’m more comfortable in front of huge crowds like that. And as far as their expectations, we try our best to please everyone and we work very hard to be better than our previous years. And from my years of being a Honeybee the routines get better and better each year. So I’m very confident that we will exceed the crowd’s expectations.