Charlamagne Tha God Reflects On The High Points Of His Radio Career
By Tony M. Centeno
August 13, 2025
Charlamagne Tha God is taking a look back at the highest points of his radio career ahead of National Radio Day.
The South Carolina native, born Lenard McKelvey, has been more than open about his 27-year run on the air. Charlamagne began his career in radio in the promotions department for Z93 Jamz in Charleston, S.C. After hopping on the air with Willy Will, the program director offered him his first voice-tracked slot on Sunday mornings before he moved to Saturday nights. The rest is history.
"I absolutely positively remember that feeling of first going live on the radio on a Saturday night at 10 p.m.," Charlamagne said. "There was nothing like it."
On Wednesday, August 13, iHeartRadio shared its exclusive conversation with Charlamagne Tha God, where he revisits all of his accomplishments since he first cracked the mic. The radio host, podcaster and author couldn't pinpoint just one moment because he's constantly reaching high points. Since leaving the "Wendy Williams Experience" in 2006, Charlamagne appeared on multiple TV series from MTV2's "Guy Code" to "Uncommon Sense." He began hosting The Breakfast Club with DJ Envy and Angela Yee in 2010.
The 47-year-old personality has spent the past 15 years shocking the masses with his "Donkey of the Day" segment and stirring up viral conversations within the Hip-Hop/R&B space. His enticing commentary on cultural issues and groundbreaking interviews with artists, politicians, and other public figures earned him numerous awards and landed him on countless lists within the media industry. In 2017, Charlamagne Tha God became an author and released his first self-help book, Black Privilege: Opportunity Comes to Those Who Create It. He's released two other books since then, including Shook One: Anxiety Playing Tricks on Me (2018) and Get Honest Or Die Lying: Why Small Talk Sucks (2024).
2020 was a revolutionary year in Charlamagne's radio career. While the pandemic plagued the world, Charlamagne teamed with iHeart Media to launch the Black Effect Podcast Network, featuring podcasts like the 85 South Show, Decisions, Decisions, and more. That same year, he was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame with DJ Envy and Angela Yee.
Watch Charlamagne Tha God open up about all his accomplishments and more below.