By Alondra Bodden
Radio host, television personality and now debut author talks black privilege and opportunity at the Biscayne Bay Campus.
Charlamagne Tha God, most notable for being a co-host of the nationally syndicated morning talk show “The Breakfast Club,” sat down for a lecture as part of the lecture series hosted by the student government association of Biscayne Bay Campus on Feb. 22.
Photo by: Brea Jones/PantherNOW
The New York Times bestselling author of “Black Privilege: Opportunity Comes to Those Who Create It” offered candid advice, the thought process behind black privilege and shared his career story with a room almost filled to the brim with students.
“I was one of those kids that didn’t have to get in any trouble, but I started going down the wrong path,” said Tha God.
In 1998, Tha God wanted to be a rapper. During a studio session, he met Willy Will, a local radio host in Charleston, and asked him how to get into radio. Will told him to get an internship at the station.
“Mind you this was 1998, in Charleston South Carolina, things are a lot different now,” said Tha God. “Literally that was the weekend and on Monday I was at the radio station. That’s how I got my foot in the radio door.”
Charlamagne met his co-host Angela Yee on Twitter after getting fired from a radio job. She mentioned him asking if he wanted to make a guest appearance on her show at the time. He met co-host DJ Envy by wanting him to play one of his artist’s songs on the radio.
“I judge people based off how they treat people who can’t do anything for them,” said The God “I couldn’t do anything for Envy, and I remember one Saturday he played the song. I just thought that was respect.”
The Breakfast Club, even at its infancy stage, was not garnering the amount of listeners executives thought it would.
“We didn’t know if [The Breakfast Club] was going to work, the first year they wanted to fire us that’s something people don’t know,” said Tha God. “They thought [the show] was gonna have instant results, but nothing in life is instant.”
Tha God also co-hosts a popular weekly podcast called “Brilliant Idiots” with comedian Andrew Schultz.
“I wanted a platform that I own, I wanted there to be a safe space for unsafe people,” said Tha God. “I think people need to have public conversations that may be uncomfortable but have to be had.”
In a world where anyone can make their own podcast, Youtube video, or social media post Tha God had this to says to simply be yourself to stand out.
“I think especially in this social media era, everyone is trying to literally be something that they are not,“ said Tha God.
Charlamagne explains his love for reading inspired black privilege.
“I wanted to get tips on the keys to success as it pertains to the radio world, and learn new things that I may not learn sitting inside a classroom,” said Shaunte Thomas, senior and broadcast media major.
The title came to him after a conversation with Steve Harvey who told him that he needed to tell his story.
“What gives me purpose? My blackness,” said Tha God. “[I thought] what would be a dope way to claim blackness? Black privilege.”
An obvious play on white privilege, Tha God says that Black Privilege represents the honor and privilege it is to be black despite everything this country has and continues to throw at the black community.
“This black skin is not a burden, or a liability, there is power in my blackness,” said Tha God.
Charlemagne had some advice for African-American students pursuing careers in journalism.
“Be yourself, be inspired but don’t mimic, I think a lot of times people see other radio personalities and what works for them and try to mimic what that person is doing, but you never find your voice that way,” said Tha God.
Christine Masseus, director of lectures of SGA-BBC, wanted this semester’s lecture to be geared towards the college of communication and journalism.
“I wanted a speaker who I felt was honest and open with his voice,” said Masseus.
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