Comedian Kevin Hart and radio host Charlamagne tha God have signed a multi-year deal with Audible to amplify Black voices.
According to Forbes, the men will collaborate with actors, writers, singers, and storytellers for projects on the audio platform under their entertainment companies Hartbeat Productions and CTHAGOD World Productions.
Hart said the goal of the project is to “give people of color a better start. We’ve been starting at the bottom for quite some time and we’re just saying, ‘Let’s try to even out the playing field with a fair start out the gate.’”
Charlamagne told Forbes, “Kevin and I are two Black men from two different spaces. Same culture, but two different spaces. He’s comedy and I’m in the audio business and just the fact that both of us are coming together and forming this company, this vertical, this platform together, I think that says a lot. One thing that we have to continue to do as Black people is to move with unity and group operation.”
As far as the project details, they aren’t revealing their collaborations just yet, but Hart said that he and Charlamange are partnering with people of all different backgrounds who will appeal to different groups.
“We know who you listen to, and we know why you listen to them,” Hart said. “And we know that if we attach those people to some of the material that’s out here to date or we give those people a chance to do their biographies and be the narrator behind it … there’s an opportunity to create and produce an audio space like never before. We feel that we can be the first to the table to do it.”
Charlamagne said the projects are going to be “very Black”.
They both said they’re confident their ideas will be picked up for movie and TV adaptations.
“I really can’t wait to announce some of our first projects. I wish we could do that now, but you know, all the t’s aren’t crossed and i’s aren’t dotted yet,” Charlamagne said. “I really can’t wait for people to see what Kev and I present to the world and I’m just excited, honestly, that two Black men are coming together to create this great company to empower more Black voices. At this point in my life, that’s all it’s about for me.”