The 50 most intriguing blacks of 2004

When pressed by another reporter at another press Conference on his qualifications to lead a voter's registration group, Combs said: "I don't have a long history of voting. But I do have long history of making things hot and relevant."

WILL Smith

HE WENT FROM THE SMALL SCREEN TO THE BIG SCREEN AND BACK AGAIN. But this time, instead of a teenage-rapper-turned-television star feeling his way through the acting world, Will Smith is now calling the shots. In his first series television appearance since he ended a historic run on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Smith, along with his wife Jada Pinkett Smith, is producing a new comedy series, All of Us. The couple have made appearances on the show--which is loosely based on their family life as have their children. What continues to make Smith one of the most intriguing stars in Hollywood is his continued sense of pride in who he is, and where he came from. When asked by a group of mostly White reporters why he tapped Duane Martin for the lead role in All of Us, Smith replied, "The one thing that we always said is, 'Look, we're in Hollywood, we've got to do like White people do--give each other jobs.'" As he rakes in multimillion-dollar paydays, Smith has also continued to keep a light heart and humble spirit.

JADA Pinkeff Smith

This year, 2004, has arguably been the Year of Jada. It was the year the Hollywood star, mom and wife burst out of mental and/or physical boxes placed on her seemingly unlimited talents. Who is Jada Pinkett Smith? In her own words, she is a "have-what-I-want-one-way-or-another woman." And what does she want? Everything. Fresh off a big box-office run as an action star in The Matrix sequels, Pinkett Smith again graced the big screen in a starring role with Tom Cruise and Jamie Foxx in the film Collateral. While still holding up her family roles as wife to actor/singer Will Smith and mum to Jaden, 6, Willow, 3, and Trey, 11, from Will's first marriage, she embarked on a fresh venture this year, recording a CD, going out on tour and leading her own band, Wicked Wisdom. As if all of this isn't enough to guarantee long days and longer nights, the seemingly indefatigable star wrote and published a children's book, We Girls Hold Up the World, about the power of girls. On the small screen, she and Will's sitcom, All of Us, began its second season this fall to solid reviews. You go, girl!

HALLE Berry

HALLE HAS BEEN HERE BEFORE. Since 2000, she has appeared on this list four times, selected not by the editors but by events, including her Oscar triumph and her breakthrough roles in the Bond series and other films. But this year, us in every other year, she was pre-selected by a question raised by her role in a real-life drama that is, in a way, more interesting than her movie roles: Can a stunningly beautiful woman, the fantasy ideal of billions of men, find real love end happiness despite--or even because of--her beauty, fame, and money? In 2004, Halle gave an uncertain answer, announcing the breakup of her marriage, and saying that she was giving up on the idea of marriage and the love-forever-after thing (EBONY August 2004). But her fans are betting that this is not THE END of the real-life script or the movie.