As an established media personality since the early ’90s, Charlamagne Tha God, born Lenard Larry McKelvey, has created or been a part of some unquestionably iconic moments in Black radio history. The establishment of “The Breakfast Club,” which he has co-hosted alongside Angela Yee and DJ Envy since 2010, is easily one of the most recognized, watched and talked about shows on the air. The exclusive content therein is invaluable, to say the least.
Take the interview with Cash Money Records head honcho Bryan “Birdman” Williams, for instance. Aside from the fact that the heralded New Orleans music exec appeared upset before a word was said or a question was asked, the takeaway was classic, providing content like, “Y’all finished, or y’all done?” and a now essential urban idiom: “Put some respek on my name.”
Then there was the interview he landed with then-candidate for president of the United States Joe Biden, who brazenly told The New York Times bestselling author in the summer of 2020, “… if you have a problem figuring out whether you’re for me or Trump, then you ain’t Black.”
His ability to unearth the truth is remarkable and a testament to his staying power in what is known to be a volatile industry. Even after being fired multiple times from different radio stations and admittedly moving back home to live with his mother at a seasoned 32 years old, Charlamagne Tha God has risen above the turmoil, stepping firmly and confidently into his greatness. It goes without saying: his voice is necessary.
As such, the acclaimed radio personality recently landed a partnership with iHeartMedia, which will help him amplify Black voices through his own Black Effect Podcast Network. He also joined forces with Kevin Hart and Audible, landing a multiyear development, production and audio licensing deal. In the spirit of celebrating Black authors, he founded Black Privilege Publishing with Simon & Schuster’s Atria Books, which made a thunderous debut with the release of Tamika D. Mallory‘s State of Emergency: How We Win in the Country We Built. He also has a late-night talk show in the works, fittingly titled “Charlamagne Tha God Talk Show,” which is slated to debut on Comedy Central later this year.
Over and above all of his recent accomplishments and partnerships, though, the soon-to-be Radio Hall of Fame inductee (he will be inducted this October) formed the Mental Wealth Alliance, an initiative that grew from his own mental health issues, which came to a head just before he landed “The Breakfast Club” gig.
“I remember driving down I-26 in South Carolina, feeling that same feeling that I’ve always felt my whole life, like ‘I’m having a heart attack,'” he recalls during an exclusive interview with rolling out CEO Munson Steed. “… heart palpitations going crazy, shortness of breath. I got to pull over, drink some water, take some deep breaths and I’m going to the hospital tomorrow.”
When he got there, the doctor ruled out a heart attack after a thorough examination. In fact, he told Charlamagne that he had the heart of an athlete and, upon further evaluation, determined that anxiety was the cause of his uneasiness. It seemed like a simple fix for the rising star: Get a new gig, move out of mom’s house and everything will be all right. Unfortunately, after four to five years of colossal success that included the radio show reaching nationally syndicated status and more money than he’d ever seen in his life, the panic attacks continued. At that point, he knew it was high time to make a change.
“It came through a moment of peace,” he discloses. “I was on vacation. I was sitting by the pool, and I was watching all my family and all my friends. And that was the first time in a long time I didn’t have any anxiety. No depression. I felt free and light. And I was like, ‘Man, how do I feel like this all the time without having to take vacations all the time?’ And so I was just like, ‘You know what? I’m gonna go to therapy. I’m going to just start going.’ That’s what I did. I just started going once a week, every Friday.”
After getting a handle on his emotions and the psychological warfare that comes with anxiety and panic attacks, Charlamagne decided to share what he learned with similarly suffering people, and the Mental Wealth Alliance was born.
“I call it ‘mental wealth’ because I really do feel like it’s an investment into your mental wealth,” he explains. “We say, ‘Health is wealth,’ right? So mental wealth and our three pillars for the organization and Mental Wealth Alliance [are] train, teach and treat. We want to prepare thousands of Black people to become research and clinical service providers in psychology, social work or other related fields.”
Written by N. Ali Early
Photos by Keith Major
