( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) >> Stephen: HOW HAVE YOU BEEN?
I'M BLESSED, BLACK AND HIGHLY FAVORED.
I'M JUST OUT HERE TRYING NOT TO SWEAT.
>> Stephen: THERE IS JUST TOO MUCH GOING ON.
>> I DON'T WANT TO LOOK MORALLY UNFIT, YOU KNOW.
( LAUGHTER ) I WANT TO LOOK LIKE I BELONG
HERE.
>> Stephen: NOW, YOU DEFINITELY DO.
WE'RE BOTH FROM SOUTH CAROLINA.
>> ABSOLUTELY.
803-864-WHAT'S HAPPENING.
>> Stephen: THAT'S RIGHT.
SINCE THE LAST TIME YOU WERE ON, WE WERE TOGETHER RAISING MONEY
TO GET SOMETHING BUILT IN SOUTH CAROLINA.
THIS IS YOU AND ME AND THE FORMER MAYOR OF CHARLESTON,
SOUTH CAROLINA, MAYOR JOE RILEY.
>> YES.
>> Stephen: AND WE'RE TOGETHER AT A FUNDRAISER FOR THE
INTERNATIONAL AFRICAN-AMERICAN MUSEUM BUILT IN CHARLESTON.
>> HOW MUCH IS THAT THING WORTH?
>> Stephen: THEY'RE RAISING $75 MILLION FOR IT AND THEY'RE
ALMOST THERE.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) >> NO THANKS TO ME!
>> Stephen: A LITTLE BIT.
NO THANKS TO ME.
>> Stephen: WHAT PEOPLE MAY NOT KNOW AND ONE OF THE REASONS
WHY IT SPEAKS TO PEOPLE, AFRICAN-AMERICANS AND ALL
AMERICANS, THE GADSDEN WHA WHARF THAT SPOT, HALF OF ALL ENSLAVED
PEOPLE WERE ON THAT DOCK AND 99.9% OF ALL AFRICAN-AMERICANS
IN THE UNITED STATES CAN TRACE THEIR ANCESTRY TO SOMEONE WHO
WAS BROUGHT ON TO THAT DOCK.
>> YEAH.
I LEARNED SOMETHING THAT NIGHT.
THEY SAID WHEN YOU STAND ON THAT PIECE OF LAND, IT'S A STRAIGHT
SHOT TO WEST AFRICA.
>> Stephen: YOU'RE LOOKING STRAIGHT OUT AT WEST AFRICA.
>> I DID AN ANCESTRY TEST AND I WAS 97% WEST AFRICAN.
SO I WAS BORN IN CHARLESTON, MAKES SENSE.
>> Stephen: WHAT'S THE 3%?
EUROPEAN, AND I THINK A LITTLE BIT OF NATIVE AMERICAN,
FIRM CORRECTLY.
>> Stephen: ALL RIGHT.
O 97% WEST AFRICAN.
I'M REALLY BLACK.
THAT'S GREAT.
EVERY DAY OF MY LIFE, I'M THINKING HOW CAN I BE MORE BLACK
TODAY, YEAH, YEAH, YEAH, YEAH.
>> Stephen: I'M REALLY WHITE.
YEAH, FIGURED THAT.
>> Stephen: I HAD MY DNA DONE BY SKIP GATES, YOU KNOW, FOR
FACES OF AMERICA, AND HE HAD THE LITTLE PIE CHART OF HOW MUCH YOU
ARE OF ANYTHING, AND NINE WAS A LITTLE CIRCUMSTANCE AND IT
SAID -- >> ONE BIG WHITE PIE!
( LAUGHTER ) >> Stephen: YEAH.
YOU WERE HERE THE NIGHT DONALD TRUMP WAS ELECTED.
>> YES, MAN.
>> Stephen: THAT WAS A HELL OF A NIGHT.
>> IT WAS.
>> Stephen: HOW DO YOU THINK WE'RE DOING SINCE THEN?
WE'RE A YEAR, 450 DAYS, SOMETHING LIKE THAT, IN.
>> YEAH, I THINK IT'S GREAT FOR, LIKE, A PRISON SENTENCE.
LIKE YOU'RE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE PRISON STNS, I'VE GOT A COUPLE
MORE YEARS, I'LL READ AS MANY BOOKS AS I CAN.
>> Stephen: GET ATA TOO.
TRY NOT TO GET RAVED IN THE PROCESS: IT'S GREAT.
IF YOU'VE GOT TO BE LOOKING AT THE BRIGHT SIDE, AT LEAST YOU
HAVE CONTENT, IT'S VERY ENTERTAINING.
>> Stephen: THAT'S WHAT YOU MEAN, WE'RE ON A REALITY SHOW.
>> I CAN'T TELL IF WE'RE IN A REALITY SHOW OR IF THIS IS REAL
LIFE.
>> Stephen: IT MIGHT BE A DIGITAL SIMULATION CREATED BY AN
ARTIFICIAL SPHWOADGES DECEIVE US ABOUT THE TRUE NATURE OF THE
UNIVERSE.
>> NOW, LISTEN.
>> Stephen: BLOWING YOUR MIND?
I HAVE BEEN HAVING CONVERSATIONS WITH PEOPLE WHO
THINK WE'RE IN A BIG SIN GAME AND THERE'S SOMEBODY DIRECTING
US ALL AND YOU HAVE TO MAKE THE RIGHT CHOICES TO GET TO THE NEXT
LEVEL.
I DON'T THINK WE'LL GET THERE BECAUSE WE'VE MADE A WRONG
CHOICE AND IT'S NUMBER 45 IN THE WHITE HOUSE RIGHT NOW.
( APPLAUSE ) ABSOLUTELY.
BUT I DO THINK IT'S A GOOD THING BECAUSE I FEEL LIKE PEOPLE ARE
REALIZING WE'VE GOT TO DEPEND ON EACH OTHER.
IT'S ALMOST LIKE ALL THE GOOD PEOPLE ARE CLICK UP AND ALL THE
BAD PEOPLE ARE CLICKING UP AND THEY DON'T REALIZE THAT AFTER
TWO YEARS EVERYTHING WILL GO BACK TO NORMAL, BUT WE CAN SEE
YOU NOW, LIKE WE CAN SEE WHO ALL THE BAD PEOPLE ARE.
YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN?
>> Stephen: YEAH.
PEOPLE ARE MORE AND MORE PICKING TEAMS, AND THAT'S A TERRIBLE
THING TO SAY BECAUSE WE'RE ALL AMERICAN.
>> NO,ATES GOOD THING.
>> Stephen: WHY?
GOT TO MAKE SURE YOU'RE ON THE RIGHT TEAM.
I LOOK AT THE WAY -- YEAH, IT'S REALLY THAT SIMPLE.
I LOOK AT THE WAY WOMEN HAVE RISEN OVER THE PAST YEAR.
>> Stephen: THAT'S INTERESTING.
>> AND I ALWAYS THOUGHT HILLARY CLINTON BEING IN THE WHITE HOUSE
WOULD HAVE CAUSED THE RISE OF WOMEN.
>> Stephen: ALL RIGHT, THAT WAS A MOMENT OF EMPOWERMENT.
>> YEAH, BUT I DON'T KNOW IF THAT WOULD HAVE ACTUALLY BEEN
THE CASE BECAUSE I THINK SOMETIMES WE GET SO CAUGHT UP IN
THE SYMBOLS BECAUSE WHEN YOU GOT BARACK OBAMA IN THE WHITE HOUSE,
PEOPLE ARE, LIKE, HEY, YOU'RE IN IN -- BARACK OBAMA'S IN THE
WHITE HOUSE, BUT THEY HAVE TO WORK.
HILLARY, GREAT, NO ONE'S WORKING.
THERE WERE'S IN THE WHITE HOUSE BUT YOU STILL HAVE TO DO THE
WORK AND THERE ARE ALL THE MOVEMENTS AND IT'S A GREAT
THING.
>> Stephen: THAT'S A GOOD WAY OF THINKING ABOUT IT.
( APPLAUSE ) YOU HAVE YOUR PAPERBACK VERSION
OF CHARLAMAGNE THA GOD BLACK PRIVILEGE.
>> U.S. TIMES BEST SELLER.
PAPER BACK OUT NEXT WEEK.
>> Stephen: YOU'RE CHARLAMAGNE THA GOD.
DO YOU BELIEVE IN GOD?
>> WHOLEHEARTEDLY.
I GREW UP JEHOVAH WITNESS.
MY GRANDMOTHER WAS A BAPTIST.
MY FATHER WAS A WITNESS BUT GOT DISFELLOW SHIPPED.
HE STUDIED ISLAM AS WELL.
SO I'VE HAD A SPIRITUAL FOUNDATION.
WHEN I WAS YOUNG, I WOULD HAVE A PICTURE OF MICHAEL JACKSON ON
THE WALL AND I WOULD PRAY AND THINK MICHAEL JACKSON AND HIS
BROTHERS WERE OVER ME.
SO THE PRESENCE YOU ACTUALLY FELT WAS GOD.
( LAUGHTER ) I'M SORRY, THAT'S WHAT I GET FOR
TELLING YOU HOW I REALLY FEEL ABOUT MY LIFE.
>> Stephen: AT THE LAST MINUTE, IT TURNED INTO SOMETHING
MEANINGFUL.
I THOUGHT IT WAS HEADED TOWARD A JOKE.
>> NO!
( LAUGHTER ) >> Stephen: IT WAS BETTER THAN
A JOKE!
>> I REALLY THOUGHT MICHAEL AND HIS BROTHERS WAS LOOKING OVER ME
BECAUSE I ALWAYS FELT THAT PRESENCE.
I'M A PRAYING MAN, I WOULD ALWAYS PRAY BEFORE I GO TO BET.
>> Stephen: ALL OF THEM?
TITO?
>> WELL MAYBE NOT HIM, BUT MICHAEL WAS THERE, HE WAS RIGHT
IN THE MID.
>> STILL IS.
CHARLAMAGNE, THANKS SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
>> THANK YOU.
>> Stephen: >> STEPHEN: "BLACK PRIVILEGE" IS
AVAILABLE IN PAPERBACK NEXT TUESDAY.
CHARLAMAGNE THA GOD, EVERYBODY!
WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK WITH COMEDIAN NELL SCOVELL.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE )