The first time I saw Charlamagne on TV was on MTV’s The Guy Code where he was one of the panelists that dissected Pop Culture’s masculine constitution. Charlamagne stood out for his sharp wit, humor, and often brutal takes. From that rather modest beginning, he has steadily evolved into a media powerhouse. I asked him what kept him motivated to keep pushing and aiming for the top and he tells me that the more access he sees, the more he realizes that there’s more he can do. For him, putting himself in a position and not limiting himself helped him to rise in the media industry.
“The more access you get to things, the more you see that the sky is the limit. And a lot of these things, I’m not pushing for. I’m only always putting myself in a position to level up,” he shares.
One of the defining points in the early days of Charlamagne’s career was after he infamously lost his job after an interview with Hip Hop legend Beanie Sigel. For many individuals starting on Radio, such termination could have brutally checkmated their confidence, however, Charlamagne was not a regular media personality. I asked him if that experience gave him the confidence to go on and his answer was simple and straight “I didn’t have a Plan B” he tells me.
For Charlamagne, the radio was all he knew and there was nothing he could turn to so he was always going to keep coming back. “What most people called perseverance is just me not having a Plan B. I was a kid in South Carolina who wanted to do something positive. The internship with the radio was the most corporate thing I have ever done.”
Unbent and unbroken, not even getting fired could change his love for the radio. After getting fired, he was always eagerly waiting for the next opportunity to take his career to the next level. “I didn’t know anything else except the radio so there was nowhere else to go. I loved radio and just kept waiting for the next opportunity,” Charlamagne says.
Perseverance does come with success and Charlamagne would go on to become a top media personality who is famous for butting heads with the high and mighty in entertainment. His celebrated The Breakfast Club is an important part of American Pop Culture and its success isn’t without some heavy indictments, especially from the Black communities. I asked Charlamagne what he thinks of the criticisms from the primary consumers of his show. “That comes with the territory,” he tells me.
“There’s nobody on this planet doing something of note that doesn’t get some form of criticism. If they weren’t talking that would have bothered me but as long as they are talking then it’s fine.”
During his illustrious career, Charlamagne has butted heads with some of the biggest names in entertainment. While he made a name for himself as a hardball, in the past couple of years, Charlamagne has increasingly become more agreeable and less dismissive. I asked him if this subtlety comes with age and he confirms it does.
“Therapy made me more empathetic to people and when you get older you get to know most of the things you hear about people are mostly false. Also when I started, most of the folks I met were my age mates or older but now I get to deal with young folks trying to figure it out so I get to be more patient and want them to grow just as I was assisted to grow when I was younger.”
Charlamagne is a man who has experienced the toxicity that comes with working in the media. His experience led him to seek help and therapy and he’s now offering similar assistance to young black men through his initiative Mental Health Alliance. Charlemagne tells me losing friends to suicide and his conversation with the people close to late rapper Nipsey Hustle inspired him to seek help. The sobriety and realization that comes from therapy helped him to decide to assist other black men to deal with their emotional and mental difficulties.
For an individual who is categorically vocal about his thoughts, Charlamagne is reaching greater heights in his career at a time when public comments are heavily subjected to the leanings of different groups. I asked Charlamagne how he has been able to navigate this and he tells me it’s all about emotional intelligence.
“Intention matters and my intention is never to offend. The reality is that you can’t control what might be offensive to people. I might say something that I consider harmless but it might offend others. So it’s all about intentions.”
With his Comedy Central Show A Hell Of A Week getting a second installment, I asked Charlamagne what the viewers should expect and he tells me lots of great content.
“More conversation. We have changed the show to a panel format so it’s me having great conversations and exchanging ideas with other individuals.”
Charlamagne has hosted some Nigerian music stars on his previous shows and I asked him if Nigerians should expect some of their Superstars on The Hell of A Week. He replies “Absolutely!”
“I love Nigerians. In my MTV Base show ‘CHARLAMAGNE AND FRIENDS’ which evolved into ‘UNCOMMON SENSE’ my DJ was a Nigerian DJ Cuppy. Before then I didn’t even know who she was but we met at the Roc Nation office and we vibe. It has just been amazing to see the things she has gone on to achieve.”
The second season of Charlamagne Tha god’s Hell of A Week on Comedy Central is set to further offer another rich experience with the media personality who knows how to offer unique perspectives in educating and entertaining viewers.
Add Comment