Radio Host Charlamagne tha God Crafted His Stage Name With Personal and World History in Mind

Radio host and television personality Lenard Larry McKelvey, better known by his stage name Charlamagne Tha God, has risen in popularity thanks to his interviews with figures like Ye (formerly known as Kanye West) and even Vice President Kamala Harris. While Charlamagne started his career in radio, by 2014, he had been dubbed "hip-hop's Howard Stern" by Rolling Stone.

Throughout his long career, there's something fans have always been curious about: Why does Charlamagne tha God call himself "tha God"? Where did his stage name originate?

In an interview with The New York Times, the radio host said the stage name "Charlamagne tha God" originated from several different ideas.

He summarized, "I called myself Charles because I didn’t want the people who bought crack from me to know my real name. And then when I was in night school, I was reading in the history book about Charlemagne, which is French for Charles the Great."

Why "tha God?" The answer is simple: He thought it sounded cool.

Additionally, his misspelling of 'Charlemagne' was not a deliberate choice — "I think I just spelled it wrong," The Breakfast Club co-host admitted.

Much like his self-declared title, Charlamagne appears to be omnipresent, not only as a radio host but as a parent, author, podcast host, and late-night talk show host.

In the past, Charlamagne has used his given name for work sparingly, like his 2021 TV series Tha God's Honest Truth with Charlamagne tha God, which was reportedly originally titled Tha God's Honest Truth with Lenard 'Charlamagne' McKelvey. Charlamagne's current Instagram account also uses his given name, Lenard.

It's unclear if at any point Charlamagne would switch to using his given name full-time, but in the meantime, we can always appreciate someone with creative flair.