Decrackerfication is the new word of the day on Chalarmagne Tha God’s new Comedy Central late night show Tha God’s Honest Truth with Lenard ‘Charlamagne’ McKelvey. On the first episode that premiered on Sept. 17, the South Carolina native is aggressively unapologetic about ripping off the sordid band-aid that conceals America’s tragic history of oppressing Black people.
In a side-by-side analysis, the host compares American slavery and aftermath to that of Germany’s Adolf Hitler devised Jewish Holocaust. The half-hour talk show is riddled with hip hop nuances and the word “cracker” — mentioned 30 times, to be exact — to describe racist bigots and is only balanced by the antithetical label of “good white people,” a brief acknowledgement that not all white people are bad.
Segment after segment, Charlamagne schools viewers on how Germany handled the fallout of the Holocaust as it reckoned with its horrible past by expelling Nazis, distributing reparations, and preserving the memory of victims. He goes the extra mile to make his own suggestions on how America can parallel the country’s actions and come to terms with its past.
At one point, actress and television personality Amanda Seales made a satirical cameo during a rap segment titled “Decrack Commandments”, a teachable moment parodying Notorious B.I.G.’s infamous hip hop classic “Ten Crack Commandments.” A dripped up and draped out Seales playfully condemns the cardinal racist sins of white counterparts as she breaks down 10 things they should do to “Decrackerfy” America, including ending cultural appropriation, refraining from saying the “N-word,” and mitigating voter suppression.
Charlamagne is so brutally honest and unfiltered that even a Black person may become uncomfortable with the content. Not because it’s possibly offensive to white people — moreso because it’s partially supported by white people. Knowing that a show is so unapologetically Black but is backed by a white-owned company, such as ViacomCBS, on a predominately white ran network, Comedy Central, would raise any rational person’s suspicions. What’s the agenda? It’s a valid concern. But, then again, Comedy Central is the same network that brought us Dave Chapelle’s Chappelle’s Show.
Another concern, in a world full of real-life issues, many people tend to take the edge off by consuming mind-numbing, shock-value entertainment that doesn’t require too much thought or action. As a result, sometimes the more wholesome and informative content is overlooked. The format of the show is presented in such a way that it borders scholarly religion, coming off a bit preachy and overly educational.
For the intellects, Tha God’s Honest Truth may be just another opportunity to banter back and forth with enlightened discourse amongst each other. But, for those on the frontlines of America’s trauma, who don’t have wealth, prestige, popularity, or even the privilege of education to protect them, Charlamagne’s message could possibly be curtailed by its haughty racial overtones and by-the-book history lessons, with some reducing the show to pure propaganda and reverse racism.
In other words, Tha God’s Honest Truth is a quality and much needed program that serves to speak for the ignored — let’s just hope that America has the attention span and tolerance to continue to watch.
Charlamagne sums up the show with a hard-hitting outro that ties up the loose ends just in case someone tries to gaslight or distort the meaning of his message.
“The white stripes on the flag [are] supposed to represent purity and innocence, but to Black people and anyone who has studied American history, we know America was built on violence,” said Charlamagne. “And to all my GWPs, good white people, we got a lot of things that needs to be decrackerfied, from the financial system to the justice system, to the medical system. So, we need you not just as allies…We need you to be an accomplice. Let’s heal this racial divide. If you watch this show and you’re madder at me for using the word cracker than you are over all the racist s— that I explained that makes someone a cracker, then guess what, you’re probably a cracker a– cracker, too. And that’s tha god’s honest truth.”
Tha God’s Honest Truth with Lenard ‘ Charlamagne’ McKelvey airs every Friday at 10 PM PST on Comedy Central and Paramount+.
