An interview by Summer Stanley. At the respective ages of 15, not too long ago for high school graduates Darius Persons and Victor Stephens, the two teenagers who had bonded over a respect for one another’s style and drive, joined forces in an effort to “go get dough.” Bread Cheese and Doe, the brainchild of that effort, is now a start-up clothing company with wares displayed on the racks of such popular Atlanta boutiques as Vinnie’s in Little Five Points.

By Camillia Harris. Torn, written by Tiffany Brown & Lynnette Roberts, Executive produced by Ex- NFL player and Super Bowl champion Dorsey Levens. Torn features a cast of accomplished actors and former professional athletes who have successfully transitioned to stage performances.

Torn will hit the stage on July 14^th and be shown till the 18^th at the 14^th Street Playhouse in Atlanta.

By Camillia Harris. Who is Arle? Derived from Arletha, she is the next best thing hitting the online airwaves.

For those that don’t have a visual, in my opinion, Arle mirrors the actress by the name of Stacey Dash with an Ethiopian appeal signifying grace and beauty. This phenomenal woman has her own unique flawless identity. The Bay Springs, MS native, describes herself as an entertainers’ entertainer. Being a nurturer by spirit, she engulfs the melodies of others’ happiness. In speaking with Arle about her home town, she says, “I love home, it’s peaceful and its my hideaway for total rejuvenation”.

By Camillia Harris. Please join me in welcoming, Atlanta’s own country music artist, Leslie Christian. Leslie is country music’s latest Black female vocalist. Leslie comes from a family of vocalists, which are her biggest supporters. Her mother and father initially met singing for various bands. So it doesn’t surprise you where Leslie’s musical talents derived from. She has been singing all her life. Leslie states that she always participated in talent shows and was always singing background for her sister in shows.

By Camillia Harris. Saila better describes herself as an, “Urban soul gospel recording artist”. You may wonder, what is urban soul in the gospel lime light? She describes her sound more like neo-soul and funk mixed together. She has a wonderful personality a hidden treasure of beauty and a testimony to acknowledge it. She released her first unsigned CD, “A Changed Soul”, in 2004. In 2005, she released yet another unsigned CD “Free to Be”, which earned her many tour dates in the US. She was featured within the TD Jakes MegaFest, where she was able to inspire, inform, and introduce to her audience that her sense of being free speaks through her music.

An Interview by Nikki D. Bosompem. When you hear the words “Grave Yard Shift” the first thing that probably comes to mind is that late night stretch dreaded by most employees. In some sense that’s the concept behind the six member hip hop clique, who call themselves Grave Yard Shift. I recently caught up with a few of “The Yard” members to talk about their concept of “individual collectivism.”

An Interview by Nikki D. Bosompem. Atlanta native Laurah Norton Raines is pretty busy these days. Having achieved such accomplishments as writer, teacher, as well founder/editor of her own on-line literary magazine to boot, it is a wonder that she has the time to write such compelling, award winning short stories, such as Old Scratch and Medicine. Both of these stories won first place in the Creative Loafing fiction contest

By Nikki D. Bosompem. Despite the fact that a substantial snowfall blanketed Atlanta on Friday, February 12^th, the originally scheduled date for the Goodie Mob concert, the legendary Hip Hop quartet “made it rain” at 9 PM on Saturday, February 20^th to a packed Tabernacle Music Hall. Fans old and new came out and represented

By Nikki D. Bosompem. Authors of urban literature, also known as street literature, have steadily made a formidable presence on bookshelves since its humble beginnings in the early 1970’s. The pioneers of urban literature boast such authors like Iceberg Slim and Donald Goines who opened the doors to a world of survival on the streets by doing whatever was necessary. For them, that meant unabashedly writing stories about what really went on in their lives as hustlers.

By Nikki D. Bosompem. This was my first visit to the High Museum of Art since I was a small girl and it’s been 20 years since I stepped over its threshold. I have always wanted to go back to the High (as we Atlantans call it) because my experiences were enthralling but as adulthood ensued, I never made the time. I was born in the 70’s, raised during the 80’s. I was bathed in culture