Okay, can we talk about how Love Island USA Season 7 gave us one of the biggest glow-ups in the show’s history? 

Because even though Olandria Carthen didn’t win, she somehow became the name everyone remembers. 

From her Tuskegee pride to her real-life hustle, Olandria basically walked into that villa as the underdog and left as the main character. The cameras may have stopped rolling, but her story’s only getting started.

From Alabama Hustle to Reality TV Spotlight

Before Love Island, Olandria wasn’t sipping mimosas by the pool, she was out there grinding. Born and raised in Decatur, Alabama, she’s a Tuskegee University alum who worked her way through college, literally. I’m talking long shifts at a plant with her mom, cleaning rentals for $200 a pop, and still managing to keep her grades up.

When she couldn’t afford tuition, she wrote letters to donors and alumni asking for help, explaining her story and attaching her transcript. So when she walked into that Love Island villa, smiling, confident, and unapologetically herself, she wasn’t just another contestant. She was a woman who’d already overcome way harder things than a TV dating show.

#NicOlandria: The Couple Everyone Can’t Stop Talking About

Now let’s get into the fun part: the “Nick and Olandria Love Island” storyline. Because whew! 

the villa wouldn’t have been the same without them. From their first flirty conversation, fans were invested.

The chemistry was immediately electric. But as Love Island fans know, paradise is temporary and drama is eternal. Things didn’t quite go as expected between the two at first, but then, everything changed and now, they’re regarded as the power couple of the season (I know that’s right!) 

From the Villa to the Boardroom

While most Islanders return home to figure out their next steps, Olandria came back to a full-blown business empire waiting for her and I’m not even exaggerating. During a talk at the Her Conference “Butterfly Tour” at Texas A&M, she shared that her friends had basically turned into her PR team while she was in the villa. They managed her socials, handled brand emails, and kept things running like she was Beyoncé on tour.

“My friends even made a professional email for me for brands to contact me while I was in the villa,” she said. “They were emailing them back, handling all of that. I came back to an inbox with thousands and thousands of brand partnerships.”

Let’s just say she didn’t waste a second. With her manager onboard, she started signing deals with heavy-hitting brands like Microsoft, NYX Cosmetics, Aveeno, Vaseline, and Sweetgreen. Not bad for someone who left a reality show just a few months ago.

Still Repping Her Roots

What’s really refreshing about Olandria is that she never forgot where she came from. While some reality stars get lost in the influencer sauce, she’s still grounded, still proud of her HBCU story. In fact, she recently returned to Tuskegee for a Back 2 School Kickoff event with Amazon, giving back to the same community that helped make her into the person she is today. 

She’s open about her journey, about what it means to be a first-generation college graduate, to struggle financially, and to still chase your dreams no matter what. Just by looking at the way she lives her life, it’s easy to tell that Olandria is the kind of person that shows that success can come from hard work, a strong support system, and a little bit of faith.

And I’ll be real; seeing someone go from cleaning rentals for tuition money to partnering with global brands? That’s the kind of storyline that deserves its own season.

Why Everyone’s Still Obsessed with Her

Like clockwork, a lot (and I mean a LOT) of reality stars come and go. We root for them for a few episodes, maybe follow them for a bit, and then move on to the next shiny thing. But Olandria Carthen? She’s stuck with people.

All of this is because she’s ambitious without being arrogant, she’s beautiful without being fake, and she represents something we don’t see enough on reality TV—an authentic, hardworking woman who actually stands for something beyond the screen.

Her Love Island journey may have started as entertainment, but it turned into inspiration. She made young women, especially those from HBCUs or small towns, see that their stories matter too. That they can go from “no one’s heard of me” to “everyone’s talking about me” without compromising who they are.

So yeah, Olandria Carthen didn’t get the cash prize. But she walked away with something way more valuable: her independence, her platform, and her purpose. She’s using her fame to inspire, to represent, and to show that being the “it girl” doesn’t mean losing yourself, it means leveling up while staying true to who you are.

At this point, calling her a Love Island contestant feels outdated. She’s a brand, a storyteller, and the kind of woman you can’t help but root for.

You know hip-hop’s gone full soap opera when Drake ends up suing his own record label. 

Yep, you read that right—and now, the Drake lawsuit against Kendrick and Universal Music Group (UMG) has officially been tossed out. 

Wait, Drake Sued His Own Label?

Earlier this year, the Nokia singer filed a federal lawsuit against Universal Music Group (the same people who release his albums, by the way) claiming they helped promote Kendrick Lamar’s mega-viral diss track “Not Like Us.”

According to Drake’s team, the song wasn’t just lyrical shade. It supposedly spread “false and defamatory” claims that hurt his reputation and even put him in danger. He blamed the track’s popularity for break-in attempts at his Toronto home and for an incident where his security guard got shot.

To make things worse, the single’s artwork showed a satellite image of his mansion with fake “sex offender” markers all over it. 

Drake said UMG knew it was misleading but pushed it anyway for views and engagement. And so, the lawsuit was born.

The Judge’s Verdict Didn’t Take Drake Seriously

A Federal Judge in charge of the case, Judge Jeannette A. Vargas officially dismissed the case and her reasoning was basically: nobody takes rap beef literally.

She ruled that Kendrick’s lyrics were opinions, not facts, and that the “heated rap battle” context made it obvious to any listener that the accusations weren’t meant to be believed.

But what about the fake sex-offender map? 

Well, the judge called it “obviously exaggerated and doctored.” In other words: no, no one thinks law enforcement labeled Drake’s home. 

So yeah, safe to say the court wasn’t buying what Drake was selling.

Drake’s Team Isn’t Done Yet

Right after the ruling dropped, Drake’s lawyers came out swinging with a promise to appeal. They’re still arguing that UMG crossed the line by promoting a track they say led to real-world harm.

That means this isn’t over and (knowing how hurt Drake was by this whole thing), we can expect another Drake lawsuit update soon. 

UMG’s Clapback Was Pure Corporate Shade

Meanwhile, Universal Music Group’s statement could’ve been a diss track of its own. They didn’t just celebrate their win, they took the petty route and dragged him a little in the process.

UMG’s lawyers said Drake should “accept the loss like the unbothered rap artist he often claims to be.” 

Oof.

They went on to call the lawsuit “an affront to all artists and their creative expression” and said it “never should have seen the light of day.” Still, they ended their statement by saying they “look forward to continuing to promote Drake’s music.” 

Translation: we’ll keep cutting the checks, but please chill with the lawsuits.

Drake vs. Kendrick: The Feud That Won’t Die

At this point, the Drake-Kendrick saga might just end up being one of the most interesting rap beefs in Hip-Hop culture. “Not Like Us” became one of the biggest cultural moments of 2025. It broke records, inspired TikTok dances and had fans declaring Kendrick the new king of the diss track.

Drake fired back with his own responses, but this time, most of the public sided with Kendrick. And now that the case has been dismissed, Kendrick’s “W” just got even bigger.

It’s wild, though, because Drake’s no stranger to feuds—from Meek Mill to Pusha T, he’s been through this before. Which is why a lot of fans found it ironic that he was the one saying the other guy went too far.

In hip-hop, everyone knows the difference between bars and reality. And if you’re going to step into the lyrical ring, you can’t call foul when the punches land harder than expected.

What’s Next for Drake?

Drake’s camp says they’re appealing, so technically, round two is coming. But public opinion might already be decided. The court threw out his case, UMG dropped their statement, and Kendrick’s fans are somewhere quoting “Not Like Us” like scripture.

Maybe Drake will drop another diss track. Maybe he’ll take UMG’s advice and “accept the loss like the unbothered rap artist he often claims to be.” Either way, this feud just became part of hip-hop history, and we’re all just here for the entertainment.