Charlamagne Tha God, whose real name is Lenard Larry McKelvey, has been accused of raping a 15-year-old girl in 2001. Though the radio host has spoken on his controversial past before, he thought it wise to clarify his previous statements about the issues surrounding rape culture and expand upon the subject.
The public figure shared a message through his Twitter, an audio clip featured on The Brilliant Idiots podcast.
“I posted this today because I wanted to address some clips that have been floating around from the podcast, as well as VladTV, where I failed to have productive mature conversations around issues that demand respect"
One of these conversations involves his recalling of using "spanish fly" with a sexual partner. Charlamagne insists that both parties were equally engaged in the decision to take the aphrodisiac. The other is linked to his being violent towards a woman when he was 16-years-old. Although the radio host refrains from making excuses about either situation, he offers his stories with more nuance and maturity than before.
His decision to be open about these sensitive subject clearly comes from his fans, some of which have suffered because of society's rape culture:
"I was looking at some comments from rape survivors who were triggered by that conversation, and I have to apologize to y’all because that was not my intention. I’ve told people on this podcast numerous times to avoid any gray areas...If she is incoherent in any way, leave her alone. I want to stress that I didn’t take advantage of anyone, and I want to apologize to anyone who was triggered by that story"
[via]
