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A review by metropolis
Black Privilege: Opportunity Comes to Those Who Create It by Charlamagne Tha God
5.0
tl;dr: skip to The Verdict
“Black Privilege: Opportunity Comes To Those That Create It” is the first book from ‘Charlamagne tha God’ — a notorious Hip Hop radio DJ on the world famous ‘Breakfast Club’ morning show. The book is a memoir with a generous amount of reflective wisdom: it’s brimming with incisive advice for growth and self development — wrapped up in street savvy mantras.
It chronicles his rise from his troubled youth, where crime and possibly prison seemed like it would be his ultimate destiny. It takes us on to his entry into and rise through the entertainment industry, with his many sackings and controversies along the way. He’s renowned as a bold, straight talker, who is never afraid to ruffle a few feathers with his lack of filter, and his honest reality checking approach.
THE CASE FOR
‘Black Privilege’ is sharp, well written and engaging. Charlamagne’s streetwise delivery shines in concert with his direct writing style and no holds barred approach. Charlamagne developed a love of reading from a young age and much of the book displays a strong philosophical clarity which is grounded in this fact. He has a key form of wisdom spawned from conscientious reading and sage advice married to his varied & powerful life experiences.
He’s happy being perceived as raw or blunt. His total lack of prudishness and embarrassment is certainly something which has empowered him in his hustle to the top.
One of the key positives of the book is how Charlamagne addresses some of the most notable cultural issues of our age. In particular he addresses the remedies to: excessive pursuit of instant gratification, obsession toward the superficial, a lack of self reflection and a lack of constructive realism. He manages to tackle these issues in the most relatable manner while also managing to avoid being condescending. His mantras, wrapped in pearls such as “Put the Weed in the Bag!” and “Live Your Truth”, work so well because of the rawness of their presentation and explanation.
Most of all, something that shines through — particularly in light of the difficult path he has traveled — is the powerful undercurrent of positivity that Charlamagne manages to convey. While he could easily be perceived as someone intent on tearing down, his actual frame and approach is inherently built on ultimately lifting people up, and pushing people to a positive end result.
THE CASE AGAINST
Charlamagne for the most part comes across as unbiased and grounded in his perspectives. However, he holds on to some conscious biases in his world view, bias which I feel may occasionally serve to his detriment. Although, in light of the social context in which he serves and the politically / racially charged narratives he’s is often drawn into, his occasional tendency towards a slightly unfair bias is understandable.
He does at times come across as a little: all work and no play. He occasionally touches on a ultra conservative stance implying that fun, partying and casual socialising really isn’t for ‘adults’ who wish to achieve success. This may (to some extent) be a crucial message for many readers of the book. However, the thing that he virtually ignores is that time, frequency, and most of all context are most important. The key is getting the work / life balance right. Too much in any one area is often problematic.
A good example of this is the questionable routine / sleep schedule he upholds. It has far too short a period for sleep for the overwhelming majority of people. Modern science has shown that, longterm, less than optimal sleep duration, is detrimental to physical and mental health. The sleep when you’re dead school of thought, often glorified by some in the past, has no place in modern sleep hygiene teaching. So his approach to this area is an overall shortcoming to his productivity and his philosophy.
Also, while he definitely benefited through the exposure gained via his time on Wendy William’s Radio show. Working for free, for over a year (being employed via her very wealthy husband) meant that he was definitely subject to some serious exploitation — something he should be weary of recommending wholeheartedly.
THE VERDICT
Overall ‘Black Privilege’ is a captivating and well written book. Charlamagne’s approach to exploring his deeper philosophy is worth celebrating. His philosophy could be summarised as — strive to achieve your grounded ambitions step by step — but at the same time it’s infinitely much more than this.
The book is not only an interesting memoir, but also an insightful exploration of the type of wisdom needed to truly flourish. Additionally, it serves as an antidote to many of the problematic pop culture and political narratives that are becoming more popular.
This is a book I would happily recommend to people of all races, and I can honestly say it was a Privilege to read.
Rating: 4.5 Stars
“Black Privilege: Opportunity Comes To Those That Create It” is the first book from ‘Charlamagne tha God’ — a notorious Hip Hop radio DJ on the world famous ‘Breakfast Club’ morning show. The book is a memoir with a generous amount of reflective wisdom: it’s brimming with incisive advice for growth and self development — wrapped up in street savvy mantras.
It chronicles his rise from his troubled youth, where crime and possibly prison seemed like it would be his ultimate destiny. It takes us on to his entry into and rise through the entertainment industry, with his many sackings and controversies along the way. He’s renowned as a bold, straight talker, who is never afraid to ruffle a few feathers with his lack of filter, and his honest reality checking approach.
THE CASE FOR
‘Black Privilege’ is sharp, well written and engaging. Charlamagne’s streetwise delivery shines in concert with his direct writing style and no holds barred approach. Charlamagne developed a love of reading from a young age and much of the book displays a strong philosophical clarity which is grounded in this fact. He has a key form of wisdom spawned from conscientious reading and sage advice married to his varied & powerful life experiences.
He’s happy being perceived as raw or blunt. His total lack of prudishness and embarrassment is certainly something which has empowered him in his hustle to the top.
One of the key positives of the book is how Charlamagne addresses some of the most notable cultural issues of our age. In particular he addresses the remedies to: excessive pursuit of instant gratification, obsession toward the superficial, a lack of self reflection and a lack of constructive realism. He manages to tackle these issues in the most relatable manner while also managing to avoid being condescending. His mantras, wrapped in pearls such as “Put the Weed in the Bag!” and “Live Your Truth”, work so well because of the rawness of their presentation and explanation.
Most of all, something that shines through — particularly in light of the difficult path he has traveled — is the powerful undercurrent of positivity that Charlamagne manages to convey. While he could easily be perceived as someone intent on tearing down, his actual frame and approach is inherently built on ultimately lifting people up, and pushing people to a positive end result.
THE CASE AGAINST
Charlamagne for the most part comes across as unbiased and grounded in his perspectives. However, he holds on to some conscious biases in his world view, bias which I feel may occasionally serve to his detriment. Although, in light of the social context in which he serves and the politically / racially charged narratives he’s is often drawn into, his occasional tendency towards a slightly unfair bias is understandable.
He does at times come across as a little: all work and no play. He occasionally touches on a ultra conservative stance implying that fun, partying and casual socialising really isn’t for ‘adults’ who wish to achieve success. This may (to some extent) be a crucial message for many readers of the book. However, the thing that he virtually ignores is that time, frequency, and most of all context are most important. The key is getting the work / life balance right. Too much in any one area is often problematic.
A good example of this is the questionable routine / sleep schedule he upholds. It has far too short a period for sleep for the overwhelming majority of people. Modern science has shown that, longterm, less than optimal sleep duration, is detrimental to physical and mental health. The sleep when you’re dead school of thought, often glorified by some in the past, has no place in modern sleep hygiene teaching. So his approach to this area is an overall shortcoming to his productivity and his philosophy.
Also, while he definitely benefited through the exposure gained via his time on Wendy William’s Radio show. Working for free, for over a year (being employed via her very wealthy husband) meant that he was definitely subject to some serious exploitation — something he should be weary of recommending wholeheartedly.
THE VERDICT
Overall ‘Black Privilege’ is a captivating and well written book. Charlamagne’s approach to exploring his deeper philosophy is worth celebrating. His philosophy could be summarised as — strive to achieve your grounded ambitions step by step — but at the same time it’s infinitely much more than this.
The book is not only an interesting memoir, but also an insightful exploration of the type of wisdom needed to truly flourish. Additionally, it serves as an antidote to many of the problematic pop culture and political narratives that are becoming more popular.
This is a book I would happily recommend to people of all races, and I can honestly say it was a Privilege to read.
Rating: 4.5 Stars