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Charlamagne Tha God Joining HBO For Interview Series ‘The Gray Area’

Charlamagne Tha God Joining HBO For Interview Series ‘The Gray Area’

 

Author, radio and TV personality Charlamagne Tha God, 39, (he’ll be 40 on June 29) has teamed up with HBO for a series of interview specials set to debut later this year.

The series of four conversations is being billed as “The Gray Area.”

Why “gray”?

“The reality is, when it comes to people’s stories, it’s not black or white, it’s always an area that’s a shade of gray and that’s usually where the lies end and the truth begins,” Charlamagne said in a prepared statement for HBO. “This show will give those people an opportunity to share their truth.”

The series will “provide a safe space for ‘unsafe’ people to curate their stores and control their own narratives,” Charlamagne said.

A New York Times bestselling author, Charlamagne co-hosts the nationally syndicated hip-hop iHeartRadio program, “The Breakfast Club”.

“The Breakfast Club” bills itself as the “world’s most dangerous morning show.” It’s broadcast live on New York City-based hip-hop station Power 105.1 FM, and is known for “raucous and controversial discussions with high profile celebrities and artists.”

In 2017, Charlamagne’s book, “Black Privilege: Opportunity Comes to Those Who Create” ranked No. 6 on the New York Times list of best-selling hardback non-fiction.

His latest book, “Shook One: Anxiety Playing Tricks On Me,” deals with his lifelong anxiety about not being good enough, and how he coped. He interviewed Kanye West for nearly two hours and asked him about his mental breakdown, according to Monsters & Critics.

“Charlamagne Tha God has been doing the damn thing on ‘The Breakfast Club’ for close to a decade. He’s established himself as one of the top, most well-known music heads in the industry and his recent solo-led Kanye West interview really put him on the map even more,” wrote Chantilly Post on Hot New Hip Hop.

https://twitter.com/VAsSuperior1/status/1009554253323567104

Charlamagne took his stage name from European history, inspired by Charlemagne the king, who ruled much of Western Europe in the late 700s and early 800s. He said he added “Tha God” because it “sounded cool”, according to a New York Times report.

Nina Rosenstein, executive vice president of HBO Programming, said “Charlamagne brings a provocative, thoughtful and always honest voice to all of his interviews. We think these specials will be surprising and enlightening and we look forward to seeing who he brings to the table.”

Charlamagne Tha God stole the show on a recent Bill Maher panel on HBO, according to Raw Story. Trump’s “creeping autocracy and complete disregard for the truth featured prominently” during the discussion. The Breakfast Show host gave a silver lining to the Trump era:

“It’s going to be easier after this presidential term is over, because so many people have been exposed,” he said. “That’s the beauty of this presidential term. Nobody’s being covert with their racism bigotry no more. Now they’re being overt. So now we know who’s who.”

“The Breakfast Club” has had its share of controversy, including being accused of “casual tolerance of violent rhetoric targeting cis and trans women.”

In July, Patrisse Cullors, a co-founder of Black Lives Matter, and Ashlee Marie Preston, editor-in-chief of Wear Your Voice magazine, called for a boycott of “The Breakfast Club” after Charlamagne’s guest, Lil Duval, made a slur about trans women.

“The Gray Area” is executive produced by Charlamagne Tha God and Karen Kinney.

“I feel extremely blessed to be able to announce my official partnership with HBO,” Charlamagne said. “Thank you to my new television home, HBO and all praise is due to God!”

Charlamagne Tha God
Charlamagne Tha God. Photo: HBO.com