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| Charlamagne Tha God |
“It’s a bit surreal, and it’s a bit scary,” Charlamagne tells PolicyMic about his recent ascent — which includes national syndication for his hip-hop radio show The Breakfast Club and a renewed season of MTV2’s Charlamagne & Friends. “I say it’s scary because I believe your thoughts become things, and I always used to say that I wanted to do a late-night talk show. When you realize that your thoughts become things, you’re terrified of what you let come into your head.”
It’s easy for Charlamagne to think positive right now. Charlamagne & Friends debuted last August as a week-long lead-up to MTV’s Video Music Awards, garnering strong viewership with the help of guest spots from 2 Chainz, Big Sean, Nick Cannon and New York Knicks guard Iman Shumpert. The show’s first full-length season, which kicks off Wednesday with Ride Along stars Ice Cube and Kevin Hart, will undoubtedly be buoyed by the celebrities that stop by, but Charlamagne knows the show’s success rests mostly on his shoulders.
“The best piece of advice I got a long time ago from Wendy Williams and Howard Stern is that if you have to rely on your guests, then you won’t have a show,” he says. “For Charlamagne & Friends, you have to tune in to see me. If you’re not entertained by me, you won’t care who the guest is.”
An unconventional personality with a serpentine broadcast background, Charlamagne grew up worlds away from the MTV office he meets me in near Times Square. Born Lenard McKelvey, Charlamagne was raised in Moncks Corner, a small town in South Carolina, where he and his relatives would find themselves in and out of trouble with the law. After a third spell in jail, Charlamagne cleaned up his act and went to night school, eventually taking an internship with a local radio station.
He currently is hosting The Breakfast Club on CCM+E's WWPR Power 105.1 FM in NYC. The show is also syndicated via Premiere Radio.
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