Contributors

MARTA DORION has spent her last Saturday at the office, and though she may feel a sense of relief, the rest of us are feeling somewhat forlorn. In her 38 years with Time Inc., the last four as chief of reporters for TIME, Dorion stayed late on Fridays, arrived early on Saturdays and could be counted on the rest of the week to dole out assignments, advice and M&M's. Her efficiency and omniscience lent order to an often chaotic office. "Marta was involved in every step we took each week, from the reporting to transmitting pages to the plants. We're holding our breath to see if we'll get out our next issue," says managing editor Walter Isaacson. "I had a great run," says Dorion. "I've been exhausted, thrilled and cranky, but never bored. I'll miss the wonderful friends I've made, but there are books to read, flowers to plant and trips to take."

CHRISTOPHER JOHN FARLEY and DAVID THIGPEN are indispensable in keeping colleagues and readers plugged into musical trends and personalities. This week they turn their attention to hip-hop. Farley says hip-hop is what you turn on "to feel the beat of the time." As a measure of the genre's success, he points out that singer Lauryn Hill, whom he profiles in this issue, received more Grammy nominations this year than any other female artist. While Hill is lauded for her musical talent, producer Sean ("Puffy") Combs is known for his business savvy. "He's one of the most driven people I've ever met," says Thigpen, who spent two days with Combs in the Bahamas for this week's profile. Thigpen says he's been listening to hip-hop for years but didn't anticipate its dominance. "It seemed it might kill itself off with bad publicity, but it has saturated the culture."