For all the controversial things Power 105.1’s The Breakfast Club co-host Charlamagne tha God has said over the years, we couldn’t meet him without asking about the “platform” statement.
On May 25, Charlamagne visited the ESSENCE office for our Yes!Girl podcast to talk about his career, social media and new book, Black Privilege: Opportunity Comes to Those Who Create It.
“I’m going to use whatever platform I have,” he said about building his career in radio, coming from rural South Carolina. “I want to be a multimedia mogul.”
The use of the word “platform” was a natural segue to ask about his tweets from December 2016 that got him dragged by Black Twitter.
“If you don’t like the narratives people are painting of you create your own platforms to control your own narratives,” he tweeted after conservative political commentator, Tomi Lahren visited The Breakfast Club. “Would be dope if a young black or Hispanic ‘WOKE’ woman used social media to create a Platform to be a voice like Tomi Lahren did.”
Immediately, women of color called him out for the uninformed statements that casually negated the work of Black women with platforms using their voice to create positive change.
In addition to acknowledging his wrongdoing to us, he also spoke to the power Black women possess and his need to be checked by them, every now and then.
“I feel like women of color don’t understand the power they have on social media. They’re getting people fired,” he said. “I’m always receptive to growth. You don’t want a hundred Crissles on you. You don’t play with Black women.”
Listen to Yes!Girl with guest Charlamagne tha God above.
