Charlamagne Tha God is boosting the Black podcast business.
According to CNN, the outspoken radio personality, TV host, and podcaster has partnered with iHeartMedia to launch The Black Effect Podcast Network. The aim is to bring together “the most influential voices in black culture for stimulating conversations around social justice, pop culture, sports, mental health, news, comedy and more.”
Currently, the network’s flagship podcast will be “The Breakfast Club.” Also, a curated slate of 18 podcasts — including series by comedian and actress Jess Hilarious, social justice activist Tamika Mallory, and attorney Eboni K. Williams — will be featured.
“Blackness has an immediate, culture-shifting effect on everything,” Charlamagne Tha God said in a statement. “Blackness controls the cool. Blackness is the culture, but Black Voices are not monolithic. The only way to appreciate the diversity of thought and experiences in Black culture is to build a platform for those voices to be heard.”
Charlamagne and iHeartMedia are also set to welcome other podcasts to the Black Effect Network, including “All The Smoke,” “Drink Champs” and “The 85 South Show,” Variety reports.
The news comes on the heels of fellow top podcaster Joe Budden leaving Spotify for — what fans predict — greener pastures and more control for Black creatives in the industry.
For The Black Effect Podcast Network, Charlamagne hopes to “shift the narrative from Black creators signing transactional deals, to instead forming legacy partnerships that build generational wealth while allowing each creative to have an equitable stake in their future.”
In short, he hopes this move makes history.
“As our country’s No. 1 audio company and podcaster, we have both the responsibility and the opportunity to give new voices a massive audience platform for creativity and innovation — and for important ideas that need to be heard,” Bob Pittman, chairman and CEO of iHeartMedia, said in an announcement, according to Yahoo. “Charlamagne tha God is an unparalleled multiplatform creator whose impact extends across radio, digital, social, TV, events and podcasts.”
