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By Veronica Fields
Editor-In-Chief
The Native Tongue, comprised of
artists such as De La Soul, The
Jungle Brothers, A Tribe Called
Quest, and Black Sheep, has a new
voice among them, “The Fabulous
Chi-Ali.”
He is a 15 year-old new-comer
to the rap scene attemptingto make
a mark in the hip-hop world with
his first release, "Age Ain’t Nothin’
But a #." The first cut off the self-
titled album is a playful tune that
says even if you are physically ma
ture, you still need to grow up if the
mind is immature.
The Bronx native started hang
ing out with rappers at the age of 13
and said that being with them and
watching them perform made him
want to become a part oftheirworld.
The Native Son of The Native
Tongue, as he is often called, at
tends Cardinal Spelling High School
and said he likes it. The newjack on
the scene hasn’t let success go to
his head. He said his friends still
treat him normally and they along
with his family are very supportive.
Chi plans to go to college so that
he can have something to fall back
Photo by Linda Covello
on. He isn't involved in extra-cur
ricular activities such as sports
because it would interfere with his
homework and his already tight
schedule. The rapper did admit to
going out and shooting ball with the
fellas occasionally.
He estimated that he writes about
45 percent of his lyrics and he pre
fers raps that tell stories. “Ijust get
a feeling and then start writing but
I don’t think of everything at once,”
he added.
Although the 10th grader enjoys
being in the music business he
believes that in this field you have
to watch your back. “Everyone may
be looking out for you, but people
and money are funny,” Chi said.
He’s made guest appearances on
De La Soul’s “Saturday’s” video and
Black Sheep’s first album, “A Wolf
In Sheep’s Clothing.”
The video of his first solo release
"Age Ain't Nothin' But A #," can be
seen on Yo! MTV Raps and BET”s
Rap City. The song was produced
by Mista Lawnge of Black Sheep.
His advice to other youth is to
stick to their guns because society
is not built for black kids and rap
is all that black people have right
now.
By Chandra R. Thomas
Lifestyles Editor
Ellis “Skeeter” Williams, Boy
Willi, in the play “The Piano Les
son,” visited Clark Atlanta
University’s Mass Media Arts de
partment last February.
“I love him. I love his drive. I see
a lot of him in myself,” Williams
said when describing the character
he portrayed in the August Wilson
play. Williams said prior to ‘Lesson’
he hadn’t played a character like
Boy Willi but he thought the role
enhanced his acting skills. “Boy
Willi is a challenge because of his
enormous energy level. He’s super
loud! It takes a lot to maintain his
energy throughout a two and a half
hour show,” he said. Prior to the
first show, Artistic Director and
ClarkCollegegraduate, Kenny Leon
told him to begin his performance
at an 8 level and work his way to 10
for emphasis. “Boy Willi is a light
force.”
Williams described his fellow
cast members as all around and
wonderful. He found it especially
amazing that they began the play as
strangers before emerging into a
close knit family. “That’s just ter
rific,” he added. Williams was hon
ored to work with people he re
garded as talented actors.
He described his acting ability
as ’God given.’ The 15 year acting
veteran and graduate of Boston
University accredited his interest
in acting to participation in church
plays and being the class clown.
However, his acting career truly
took off when his friend David
Wheeler invited him to audition for
an off-broadway play in which he
was eventually cast. “Acting, tome,
is reacting. As an actor, Ijust make
the reactions come to life.”
Williams has starred in numer
ous off-broadway productions and
had a small role in another Wilson
play, the Broadway hit “Fences.”
He chose acting as a career for
several reasons. “I wanted to meet
people and to travel Williams,” he
said. He also candidly admitted
that he chose acting for the money.
“It’s usually taboo to talk about the
money, but the name of the game is
money.”
The veteran actor challenged
CAU students to get involved in the
arts, “Because when you under
stand the arts you get so much in
return.”
The cast of August Wilson’s play, "The Piano Lesson"
WCLK Rated Number One College Station
By Terrance Kelly
Contributing Writer
Although WCLK is not as popu
lar among young music listeners as
it is to older audiences, the latest
facts and figures show that it reigns
as the number one college station
in Georgia and it is the number
two non-commercial station in the
metropolitan Atlanta area.
The radio station, located at 91.9
on the FM dial, began operating in
1974 as a training facility for mass
communication students in the
Haven Warren building, with a
dominate jazz format. The format
has since expanded to include a
variety of music styles.
“WCLK offers a potpourri of jazz
that appeals to a variety of audi
ences." said CAU junior, Lisa
Hopkins, who works at and listens
to the station. “I enjoy choosing the
type of music I listen to and WCLK
gives me that choice,” said jazz en
thusiast Darralynn Hutson, who
added that she has kept her radios
tuned to 91.9, since her relocation
to Atlanta from Detroit. Shelia
Tenney, WCLK Membership coor
dinator said, “It [the station] plays a
variety of music and appeals to the
young and old with contemporary,
mainstream, oldies, blues and
gospel music.
“WCLK plays soulful music and
has relevant community shows. It’s
relaxing and professional,” said
CAU graduate student Ural Hill.
Another CAU student, Honoree
Jeffers said, “WCLK is real peace
ful. You can listen to it, study to it,
and unlike the other radio stations,
it doesn’t interrupt my thoughts.”
WCLK’s listeners have a lot to
choose from, including top rated
shows like “Spotlight Gold,” “At
lanta Olympic Blues Show," “Good
Morning Gospel,” “Soft Favorites,”
“Hot Ice in the Afternoon,” “Ser
enade to the City,” and special pro
gramming like “Week’s End Maga
zine,” which add to WCLK’s diver
sity.
To reach an even wider listening
audience some new items are now
on WCLK like “News & Information”
on Friday mornings and “Sports
Billboard.” Kamali Williams, Pro
motion/Marketing Intern at WCLK
said, “though WCLK is housed at
CAU, it reaches far beyond the met
ropolitan area and has a diverse
listenership.”
Williams enjoyed listening to
Morning Jazz-News with Ken Rye
and Tony Phillips and Natural Mys
tic (Reggae) with Glen Simmonds,
long before starting her internship
with WCLK. “I appreciate the pro
fessionalism of the station and its
closeness with the university and
community,” she said. Tenney also
enjoys working at the station with
fellow Clarkites Amy Wright and
Phillips and celebrates WCLK for
giving “CAU graduates a chance to
come back and give to the school.”
On every wall of Tenney’s busy of
fice, autographed pictures testify
that WCLK is no stranger to famil
iar stars like L.A. Reid and Babyface,
Nancy Wilson, Earl Klugh, Kadeem
Hardison, Diane Reeves, Larry
Fishburne, and others.
As a non-profit radio station,
WCLK depends on support from
CAU, Corporation for Public Broad
casting, grants, businesses and lis
teners.
Volunteers are welcome to gain
hands on experience at the station
and Tenney stressed “all maj ors are
welcome to volunteer at WCLK; it’s
here for the students.”