Black Privilege: Opportunity Comes to Those Who Create It is a book by popular radio host Charlamagne Tha God, which explores different principles and serves as a self-help guide. Charlamagne shares his life story, from growing up in Moncks Corner, South Carolina population 8,000, to his career as a radio host, up to the present day. As a frequent listener of his radio show “The Breakfast Club” and his podcast “The Brilliant Idiots,” I have heard many of these stories before. However, in the book, Charlamagne frames these stories around his principles and emphasizes the lessons learned from each experience.

One principle Charlamagne discusses is living your own truth, exemplified by an incident where he went on the radio to address being jumped by a group of individuals. By openly discussing it, he prevented others from creating false narratives about him when video footage eventually surfaced. It’s clear that sharing these events over the years made writing this book easier for him.

The other principles include:

• Don’t be afraid to fail
• Be confident
• Be authentic
• Be a hustler
• Be a leader
• Be a giver
• Be grateful

One aspect I appreciate about the book is how Charlamagne quotes influential people from his life, not just authors. Given his profession and background, he often cites rappers and singers. However, he does reference Robert Greene and his book The 48 Laws of Power, which is highly influential in the hip-hop world.

Overall, Black Privilege offers insights into Charlamagne Tha God’s journey and provides valuable lessons based on his experiences. It combines personal anecdotes, principles, and quotes from various sources, creating an engaging and thought-provoking read.

Originally written in 2019.