Hey everyone listening to the podcast. This is Ari, and this week we have something a little different for you.

You ever feel overheated from all the politics? Well, politics sort of infuses everything,

and it is part of what you're about to hear, but not only politics, because we get into art, law, and fashion.

And I've got some pretty amazing guests. If you've seen anything I've been doing online or The Beat at The Beat with Ari on Instagram or Twitter,

you've probably noticed we were pretty excited about having the Harlem fashion icon dapper Dan on.

So what you're about to hear is not only my in-depth report on his work and my interview with him,

but also a discussion with the legendary Vogue editor, André Leon Talley.

And it is no small thing in the rarefied world of fashion, which has battled all kinds of criticism

about discrimination, that both of these men represent groups that have been historically

marginalized, especially in fashion. You're going to hear them talk about that and a whole lot more on this special edition of the Beat with Ari Melburgh podcast.

Now we turn to something different and very special.

It's a story decades in the making that sheds light on the politics of today in the broadest sense.

I've been working on parts of this for the last few weeks, and I believe it will interest

you a lot.

It begins as a story of crime and drugs, politics and fashion in 1970s, Harlem, with shootouts,

dice games, and a drug epidemic that sparked a national crackdown in policing.

On the streets of New York, it's called crack, and the deals go down quickly.

With crack so cheap and accessible on inner city streets, and with a waiting list for drug treatment program so long,

no one is even guessing at how widespread the epidemic of crack babies will be.

This squad of cops, all but one white, is heading for patrol duty in New York's predominantly

Black Harlem.

There have been charges of abuse and brutality.

...