Growing up on the South Side, a young Kyra Kyles never knew that being opinionated would someday pay. So imagine her surprise when she joined RedEye in 2005 and got an official forum to spout off on issues including the CTA, pop culture, race relations and local personalities. As a former album reviewer for publications including Rap Sheet, Vibe.com and the Sun-Times, Kyra also focuses on the continuing evolution of hip-hop, her favorite musical genre.

If you're not fed up with her every-other-Friday general interest columns on Page 4 of RedEye, catch her on the "Stan & Terry Show" (105.9 FREE-FM) on Fridays at 11 a.m. She also talks to viewers during the "According to Kyra" segments airing weekdays on CLTV at 7:45, 8:45 and 9:45 p.m.

E-mail your thoughts and questions directly to Kyra at kkyles@tribune.com.

Recent Columns:

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August 22, 2008
New Facebook: It's not me, it's you
Call me two-faced, but my once-fave social networking site and I are on a break.

August 8, 2008
Horn honking: It's all the rage
Earlier this week, I committed a cardinal sin on the streets of Chicago.

June 27, 2008
Settling battles with the rap referee
Whistle. Check.

June 13, 2008
Facebook vs. MySpace in a duel to the death
A cyberspace civil war is heating up, and it's time to choose sides.

May 2, 2008
Once the cool Big Bro, VH1 turns trashy
If VH1 were a person, it would be the cool, big brother I never had.

April 18, 2008
Can hip-hop be saved from its own demise?
Come on, now.

March 28, 2008
Racist or harmless? You make the call
The appearance of LeBron James on Vogue's April issue is nothing to e-mail home about, even if he is the first black man to grace the magazine's cover.

March 14, 2008
Nobody wins when political race turns racial
This could have been our shining moment.