Urban Shock Jock and MTV2 Host Charlamagne Tha God Steps Up For His Community with "Black Privilege: Opportunity Comes to Those Who Create It"
Laurean
D. Robinson MA
In the age of
Trump and an unsure sense of purpose in the minds of young people of color in
the United States, it has been the added responsibility of media and public
figures like MSNBC’s Host of AM Joy Ms. Joy Reid, Anchor and
Editor of TVOne’s NewsOneNow Mr.
Roland S. Martin, and political strategist Ms. Angela Rye to fill in the gaps of
current news with insightful analysis that speaks to the black and brown demographics.
A new voice in
this movement is Mr. Charlamagne Tha God, Co-Host of the popular Breakfast
Club radio show in New York City and Host of MTV2’s weekly cultural
commentary show “Uncommon
Sense.”
His new book, Black
Privilege: Opportunity Comes to Those Who Create It, continues the
tradition of Hill Harper’s Letters
to a Young Brother and Letters
to a Young Sister that offers pragmatic advice to millennials
and Generation Z who admire his unapologetic critique of hip hop culture and
current news from the radio.
But there is a
solemnness and depth to this “shock jock” in his first book – Charlamagne
relaxes the controversial rhetoric to reveal his South Carolina roots that made
him the man that he has become. His birthplace of Charleston and pastoral
childhood in Monicks Corner sets the stage for his values of African/Gullah
origins and the eight important principles he addresses throughout the book.
Each principle
outlines a chapter that spotlights a paramount lesson he relays to his reader:
“It’s Not the Size of the Pond but the Hustle in the Fish,” “There Are No
Losses, Only Lessons,” “PYP (Pick Your Passion, Poison, or Procrastination)”
and the provocatively honest “F@#$ Your Dreams” about being realistic with
overly lofty dreams. He interjects insightful exposition with straightforward
narration that leads the reader to the principle’s lesson.
For me, the first
chapter was probably the most influential, offering insight and background that
we rarely get to hear about from the overly critical yet entertaining radio DJ.
More importantly, you learn that he comes from truly humble beginnings,
alluding to his blueprint that brought him success as well as a determined work
ethic that helped him overcome many setbacks in his life.
Another insightful
life lesson comes from Principle 5: “Put the Weed in the Bag”. Despite its
inflammatorily vague title choice, the principle addresses the issue of
embracing opportunities that may not pay you upfront. Taking internships during
school and college may seem like a thankless requirement to graduate but you are
really getting the ground floor apprenticeship to becoming an entrepreneur in
your own right, no matter what career you choose to pursue in the future.
In a world of
either silence or hateful speech, Charlemagne Tha God steps up for his national
community using his urban music platform to inform more than just entertain and
his listeners and viewers are fortunate for this new development.
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