NYC Radio: Must-Stop For Dem Hopefuls Is The Breakfast Club

Eight years ago, The Breakfast Club, the “world’s most dangerous morning show” started in New York with a focus on hip-hop, pop culture and the black community.

Now, hosts Charlamagne Tha God, born Lenard McKelvey, Angela Yee and DJ Envy (born Raashaun Casey) reach more than 8 million monthly listeners and have more than 3.5 million subscribers on YouTube.  The show' home-base if iHeartMedia's WWPR Power 105.1 in NYC;

This year, they've hosted almost a third of the Democratic field, including Sen. Cory Booker, Sen. Bernie Sanders and Sen. Kamala Harris, according to MSNBC.


But it's not just the size of the audience that draws political candidates.

According to Nielsen data, 77 percent of the show’s audience is African American or Hispanic, a demographic that makes up nearly a third of the Democratic primary electorate, according to one Brookings Institution study.

There’s also the authenticity factor.

The crew, known for asking personal questions that aren’t typically broached on the Sunday morning political talk shows, inquired about Harris' past use of marijuana ("I did inhale. It was a long time ago," she told Charlamagne) and whether Booker is dating anyone ("I got a boo," he answered).

"I think here, we just want them to be real. Like just a real person, not just an answer that they say 365 thousand times,” DJ Envy said. "Even with Kamala Harris, we asked her what she listened to. What does she do if she has a day off? What do you do?"