Danyel Smith

The birth of a pioneering Black dance company comes alive in Karen Valby’s “The Swans of Harlem.”

When more people are watching the Hallmark Channel than CNN, you know we’ve reached a new level of interpersonal isolation.

Her renowned shape was sculpted for public consumption, but she ultimately reclaimed it for herself.

Biggie. Tupac. DMX. We pay tribute to 63 stars who died too young.

Her moody, enigmatic music made her a megastar. Can she learn to live with success?

Naughty by Nature's lead rapper, Treach -- short for the treacherous M.C. -- held himself above the crowd at the Coca-Cola Summerfest's stop at Madison Square Garden on Thursday night like some glowing, hypnotic talisman. The crowd's loving response to him and to Naughty by Nature's string of hits was undying. He has what fans refer to as "mad skills." Treach is a personification of urban truisms and stereotypes: he wears naughty b-boy style like a halo. Treach has a pointed disregard for things politically correct and his amplified obscenities are just sporadic enough to still be thrilling. Unlike so many rappers who fall into the category of gangsta, Treach conveys a multi-dimensional persona. His every gesture speaks to the wary coolness of ghetto authenticity. In the hip-hop nation's quest for the real -- the ability to retain street mannerisms and sensibilities in the face of popular success -- Treach rises to the constant challenge of a young, jaded public.