Charlamagne Tha God Announces the 2023 Black Effect Podcast Festival with iHeartMedia

Media maverick, Charlamagne Tha God has partnered up with iHeartMedia to host the 2023 Black Effect Podcast Festival in Atlanta, Georgia.

The one-day event will take place on Saturday, April 22, at Pullman Yard – and will introduce exciting new podcasts and panel discussions celebrating Black culture and experiences. 

The network, led by Charlamagne Tha God, has curated a tasteful set of emerging and well-established Black artists and aims to inspire a new generation of listeners who seek entertainment and inspiration in experiences that are Black-led and Black-focused. 

Some of the podcasts being showcased at the event include:

The 85 South Show

The 85 South Show gathers three of the most talented Southern comedians in a bid to shock, entertain and educate listeners. With over two million subscribers on YouTube and over half a billion independent views, the podcast has revolutionized the way comedy is showcased online. 

Checking In with Michelle Williams

Michelle Williams hosts celebrity interviews in her brand-new podcast, to discuss intimate experiences with depression and anxiety during their mental health journeys. The discussions explore ways to empower people to manage mental health hardships and even offer coping strategies for emotional well-being.

WHOREible Decisions

This racy podcast has fast become one of America’s most notorious podcast setups ever. Reviewed by VICE as, “one of the hottest…. raciest, rawest podcasts on the internet”, the show, hosted by Weezy WTF and Mandii B is a showstopper. 

Big Facts

Big Facts has blown up into an all-out frenzy recently. Atlanta legends Big Bank, DJ Scream, and Baby Jade welcome the biggest names in hip-hop culture on “Big Facts” for unfiltered conversations you won’t hear anywhere else. Into its second season, popular guests have included Kevin Gates, Kodak Black, and Jerrika Karlae.

Black Effect Podcast Network

Launched in September 2020, the Black Effect Podcast Network is revolutionizing the digital media space – amplifying Black voices and Black artists across the world. It’s the first podcast network built specifically for Black listeners, bringing together the most talented and trusted voices in culture for conversations on social justice, pop culture, and more. 

“In 2023, Black creators are at the forefront of a movement reverberating across today’s cultural landscape, and we’re excited to bring this to life for the community at The Black Effect Podcast Festival in Atlanta this spring,” said Charlamagne. “With this festival, we want to inspire and uplift new and aspiring podcasters while also showcasing the incredible voices on The Black Effect Podcast Network.”

The collaboration between iHeart Media and Charlamagne Tha God looks to “shift the narrative from Black creators signing transactional deals, to instead forming legacy partnerships that build generational wealth while allowing each creative to have an equitable stake in their future.”

“The Black Effect Podcast Network was created to amplify Black voices for new and

established content creators and storytellers, giving them a space to showcase their creative vision in the ever-growing podcast game,” Charlamagne Tha God said in a statement to Variety.

The festival’s lineup also includes iHeartMedia Atlanta’s very own DJ Loui Vee and boasts plenty of exciting features and activities to offer attendees – including a pop-up marketplace showcasing merchandise from Black-owned businesses, a family game room, a gaming tournament hosted by The Trap Nerds, a photo booth, and a career corner. 

The event’s sponsors, including AT&T, Molson Coors, Nissan, and State Farm, will also be present on-site, providing engaging activations for festival-goers.

Tickets for the festival can be purchased at blackeffect.com/podcastfestival from Wednesday, March 1, 12 p.m. EST. For students in the Atlanta area, a special ticket offer is available.

Charlamagne Tha God

The last two decades have witnessed Charlamagne’s meteoric rise in media and entertainment. Known for co-hosting hip-hop’s most celebrated radio show, ‘The Breakfast Club’, Charlamagne has come a long way from his humble beginnings in Monck’s Corner, South Carolina. The award-winning radio host is notorious for his blistering interviews and tongue-in-cheek style – having put the likes of Kanye West, Travis Scott, Hillary Clinton, and even Vice President Kamala Harris on the hot seat. 

A cultural architect and executive producer, Charlamagne is also the driving force behind shows such as “Hell of a Week with Charlamagne Tha God,” on Comedy Central and the Brilliant Idiots podcast.

Having realized several of his ambitions through radio and television, in 2017 Charlamagne entered the world of print when he released his New York Times best-selling book, Black Privilege. The deeply personal account of Charlamagne’s life shares his success story and outlines how embracing one’s ‘truth’ is a fundamental key to success and happiness.

In 2018, he followed up Black Privilege with an endearing account of his lifelong struggle with anxiety and depression, called, Shook One: Anxiety Playing Tricks on Me. The global best-seller has paved the way for Charlamagne’s adoption of a title he proudly exhibits today – that of a mental health advocate. 

In the last 5 years, the hip-hop trendsetter has spearheaded several initiatives to uplift members of the Black community in America. In 2021, he announced the launch of the Mental Wealth Alliance (MWA) – his forward-thinking foundation created to destigmatize, accelerate, and center state-of-the-art mental health outreach and care across the U.S. while building an unprecedented long-term system of generational support for Black communities.

Charlamagne has also collaborated with Atria Books at Simon and Schuster to kickstart Black Privilege Publishing. Atria Book stated that the initiative will “focus on opening new doors in the publishing marketplace by amplifying Black and brown narratives, rethinking traditional approaches to the industry, and engaging with the audiences Charlamagne knows best: cutting-edge, connected, and culturally aware.”

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