Everything Underground

There was a time when Lauryn Hill was the biggest name in music worldwide, widely viewed as a musical innovator and one of the few contemporary performers able to forge a style that seamlessly merged elements of hip-hop culture and classic soul/R&B. But Hill's had a number of personal and professional setbacks over the years, and she describes her response to them and many other things in Joan Morgan's revealing, often compelling interview that serves as the cover story for the Jan. Essence. Hill explains why she's now utilizing the "Ms. Hill" title, talks about how she's changed from being overly friendly and giving to more guarded and introspective, and also describes in sometimes rather painful fashion her own views about some of the situations that have kept her in the news since the late 90s. It's one of two searing stories examining issues of self-esteem and difficulty of maintaining it under fire, the other one being author Zane's equally frank discussion about her divorce and new life. The comic magic of the late Richard Pryor is examined in the Feb. issue of Ebony, which uses the Valentine month as the backdrop for a look at celebrity couples. These include Rev. Kirk & Tammy Franklin, Janet Jackson and Jermaine Dupri, Bow Wow and Ciara and LisaRaye and the Honorable Michael Misick. Gerald Levert gives his side of the story regarding his recent arrest and many other things in the Feb. issue of Sister 2 Sister.

There's also a good profile/interview with actor Hill Harper, one of
the few
good things about the otherwise dreary television show CSI: NY,
the
weakest of the CSI entries. Letoya talks about the demise of 
Destiny's
Child and the arrival of her own solo project, plus her recent car
crash.
The most unexpected and enjoyable feature is a look at still active
dance
and soul legend Chubby Checker, continuing to perform and teach the
Twist to
millions around the world. Checker's so identified with the song and
the
dance only the old-timers realize that it was actually Hank Ballard who
initially debuted the tune. But Checker's various versions turned it
into a
classic, and it remains one of the greatest party tunes of all time.

Black Issues Book Review celebrates its 7th anniversary with the Jan./Feb. issue, one that looks at some of the top Black editors and publishers in the book industry, the people behind the scenes responsible for getting titles into stores and out to the public. There's also a very informative, sometimes controversial article by Alvelyn J. Sanders that examines the question of "Just How Christian is this Christian fiction," and other worthy stories about intriguing new books from Thulani Davis and Steven G. Fullwood, with Davis' discussing the discovering of a Confederate branch of her family tree and Fullwood looking at the demise of the Clark-Atlanta library school and the problems with maintaining collections at historically Black colleges and universities. The New Yorker has recently had several vital stories on key issues affecting African-Americans. The Jan. 9 issue included two stories on the aftermath of Katrina in New Orleans, with Dan Baum¹s look at what happened when some of the city's police went AWOL especially damning, but also invaluable. The Jan. 23/30 issue included David Levering Lewis' review of the final installment in Taylor Branch's series of autobiographies on Dr. King, with a focus on the tenuous alliance established between Dr. King and LBJ during the final three years of Dr. King's life.

There aren't many tougher, more hard-hitting and tough websites than the Black Commentator (available online at Blackcommentator.com). They don't mince words and they aren¹t afraid to go after anyone, including established and venerable African-American institutions. But their stories, essays and columns are always extremely thoughtful, well written, passionate and thoroughly researched, whether they're taking Ebony Magazine to task, ripping the New York Times or going toe-to-toe with The Wall Street Journal as they did in the Jan. 26 issue. It's available weekly and also free. There's really nothing like it anywhere in the standard magazine world, sort an online version of Emerge with even edgier topics.

Everything Underground's Media Column By Ron Wynn February 2006

`Everything Underground's Media Column By Ron Wynn February 2006`