IDKMYDE: From Audioblogs to Black Effect: 5 Years of Changing the Podcast Game

Summary

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Podcast Summary: The Breakfast Club – “IDKMYDE: From Audioblogs to Black Effect: 5 Years of Changing the Podcast Game”

Date: October 5, 2025
Podcast: The Breakfast Club (iHeartPodcasts)
Featured segment: “I Didn’t Know, Maybe You Didn’t Either” with Nordalls Bdot

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Overview

This special bonus episode of “I Didn’t Know, Maybe You Didn’t Either,” featured within The Breakfast Club, marks the five-year anniversary of the Black Effect Podcast Network. Host Nordalls Bdot dives deep into the evolution of podcasting, with a particular focus on the journey, impact, and future of Black podcast creators. The episode’s main theme celebrates how Black voices have shifted podcasting from a niche hobby into a dynamic, influential ecosystem, thanks to innovations and the game-changing presence of the Black Effect Podcast Network.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Early Roots of Podcasting (02:19 – 04:20)

• Origin of MP3 players and podcasting:

  • The first MP3 player debuted in 1997, marking an early moment in audio technology.
  • The term “podcast” itself is a merger of “iPod” and “broadcast.”

• Birth of Internet radio:

  • In 1993, Carl Malamud launched one of the first Internet radio shows, allowing users to download and listen on-demand—a concept dubbed “asynchronous radio.”

  Quote:

  “He’d interview experts, upload the audio, and listeners would get the files one at a time. Now, what made it revolutionary was you could listen to it whenever you wanted. You could pause it, you could rewind it, you could skip.”
  — Nordalls Bdot [04:27]

The Dawn of Black Podcasting Culture (04:27 – 06:50)

• Pioneers and cultural impact:

  • Combat Jack Show (2010): Served as both a podcast and a “hip hop history class,” providing artists with “space to tell their stories unfiltered.”
  • The Read (2013): Created a sense of community and served as “cultural therapy” for millennials navigating identity, race, and pop culture.

  Quote:

  “The early Black podcasts, they wasn’t just shows. They were archives, oral history, barbershops and your headphones.”
  — Nordalls Bdot [05:35]

• Monetization struggles:
  While Black creators drove culture in the podcasting space, financial opportunities lagged behind, restricting large-scale impact and profit.

The Black Effect Podcast Network: A Transformative Force (06:50 – 08:10)

• The Game-Changer:

  • Launched five years ago by Charlamagne tha God in partnership with iHeart, the Black Effect Network became the first major network aimed at amplifying Black voices.

  Quote:

  “That was the very first large scale podcast network dedicated to amplifying black voices, us telling our stories. And it worked. 40 plus shows signed on, hundreds of millions of downloads.”
  — Nordalls Bdot [07:15]

• Notable shows and ecosystem growth:

  • “Drink Champs,” “All the Smoke,” “Trap Nerds,” among others, saw huge audiences and impact.
  • Nordalls Bdot himself highlights his personal journey from social media uploads to over 10 million downloads on the network.

  Quote:

  “Before I got blessed with the opportunity to be on the Black Effect Podcast Network, I was just putting videos on Instagram, not monetizing a damn thing. Now four years later, over 10 million downloads in and we booming, baby.”
  — Nordalls Bdot [07:45]

• Industry recognition:

  • The network has earned awards, industry accolades, and solidified its cultural significance.

  Memorable moment:

  “I just saw an episode of The Breakfast Club where Nick Cannon was on there and as Charlamagne was giving him his flowers, Nick Cannon had to return it and give Charlamagne tha God his flowers. Because what he’s doing with the Black Effect Podcast network has never been seen before.”
  — Nordalls Bdot [08:00]

The Future: Opportunity and Permanence (08:10 – 08:42)

• The Next Phase:

  • Podcasting is compared to hip-hop in the early 1980s: young, unruly, but full of potential.

  Statistics:

  • Over 100 million Americans listen to podcasts monthly (Edison Research).

  • Industry ad revenue surpassed $2 billion in 2022.

  • New possibilities for Black creators: better monetization, IP ownership, generational media platforms, and narrative control.

  Quote:

  “The future of black podcasting is not just loud. It’s permanent, baby. And I didn’t know. Maybe you didn’t either. I didn’t know.”
  — Nordalls Bdot [08:38]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Podcasting became the culture...At that time, the early Black podcasts, they wasn’t just shows. They were archives, oral history, barbershops and your headphones.”
  — Nordalls Bdot [05:20]

• “The Black Effect shifted podcasting from individual hustles to an organized ecosystem.”
  — Nordalls Bdot [07:30]

• “Podcasting is still very young. This is like the early 80s of hip hop in podcast form.”
  — Nordalls Bdot [08:18]

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Important Timestamps

• 02:19 – Nordalls Bdot introduces the Black Effect anniversary and podcasting history.
• 04:27 – Detailed storytelling of podcasting’s tech roots and early black podcasters.
• 06:50 – Launch of the Black Effect Podcast Network.
• 07:15 – The impact: downloads, show highlights, and personal growth.
• 08:10 – Discussion on the future of Black podcasts and industry trends.
• 08:38 – Closing remarks and salute to Black podcasting pioneers.

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Tone & Style

Nordalls Bdot’s segment is conversational, witty, and rich with cultural references. The tone is celebratory but grounded, acknowledging challenges while spotlighting triumphs and ongoing opportunities. His narrative is peppered with nostalgia, humor, and pride, making the episode both informative and deeply engaging.

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This celebratory episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in podcasting history, Black media innovation, and the ever-evolving landscape of digital storytelling.

Transcript

[Simone Boyce]

This is an iHeart podcast.

[Alena Sada]

Sacred Scandal is Back, the hit true crime podcast that uncovers hidden truths and shattered faith. For 19 years, Alena Sada was a nun for the Legion of Christ. This season, she's telling her story.

[Simone Boyce]

When I first joined the Legion of Christ, I felt chosen. I was 19 years old when Marcia Almaser, the leader of the Legionaries, looked me in the eye and told me I had a calling.

[Alena Sada]

Surviving meant hiding. Escaping took courage. Risking everything to tell her truth. Listened Sacred Scandal, the Many Secrets of Marcial maciel on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Hunter]

I'm Hunter, host of Hunting for Answers on the Black Effect Podcast Network. Join me every weekday as I share bite sized stories of missing and murdered black women and girls in America. Stories like Erica Hunt, a young mother vanished without a trace after a family gathering on 4th of July weekend 2016. No goodbyes, no clues, just gone. Listen to Hunting for Answers every weekday on the Black Effect Podcast Network, iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Malcolm Gladwell]

Malcolm Gladwell here. This season on Revisionist History, we're going back to the spring of 1988 to a town in northwest Alabama where a man committed a crime that would spiral out of control.

[Nordalls Bdot]

And he said, I've been in prison 24, 25 years. That's probably not long enough. I didn't kill him.

[Malcolm Gladwell]

From Revisionist History, this is the Alabama Murders. Listen to Revisionist History, the Alabama murders on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Hunter]

I just think the process and the journey is so delicious. That's where all the good stuff is. You just can't live and die by the end result.

[Simone Boyce]

That's comedian Phoebe Robinson. And yeah, those are the kinds of gems you'll only hear on my podcast, the Bright side. I'm your host, Simone Boyce. I'm talking to the brightest mind in entertainment, health, wellness and pop culture. And every week we're going places in our communities, our careers and ourselves. So join me every Monday and let's find the bright side together. Listen to the bright side on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Nordalls Bdot]

I didn't know what's really good. Nordalls Bdot here with another episode, a bonus episode, if you will, of I didn't know. Maybe you didn't either. And in September, under that Virgo umbrella, we were celebrating the five year anniversary for the Black Effect Podcast Network. And because this podcast Is all things history. I said, why not take a little deep dive into where black podcasting has come from and possibly where it's even going. Now, before we get into today's topic, of course, I have to give you three of the most useless facts you'll never need. Never. Not a day in life. Your first useless fact. The very first MP3 player came out in 1997. 1997 was a good year. That's when I graduated high school. It was also the year we lost Biggie. A couple months before that, we had lost Pac. Yeah, in the fall of my senior year, we lost Pac. In the spring of my senior year, we lost big. Your second useless fact. Do you even know where the word podcast comes from? I bet you don't. It comes from ipod and broadcast podcast. And your third useless fact. The very first Internet radio show. That was in 1993, long before Spotify. 1993 was the 8th grade dance. I won the dance contest doing the Steve Urkel dance because I wore thick glasses. And you know what? I think sharing that with y' all just now just made me realize why Shalom danced with Q that night and not me. Shalom knew I wanted to dance with her. Those will be your three useless facts. The very first MP3 player came out in 1997. The word podcast comes from ipod and broadcast. And the first Internet radio show was in 1993. Now, my question for you is, do you know how podcasting started? Cause I didn't know. Maybe you didn't know.

[Simone Boyce]

Maybe you didn't know.

[Nordalls Bdot]

Maybe you didn't know.

[Simone Boyce]

I didn't know.

[Nordalls Bdot]

I didn't know. See, in the 1980s, Tech Nerds was already making audio blogs. Then in 1993, Carl Malamud, he was a computer scientist, a writer, a hustler. He launched an Internet talk radio show. He'd interview experts, upload the audio, and listeners would get the files one at a time. Now, what made it revolutionary was you could listen to it whenever you wanted. You could pause it, you could rewind it, you could skip. The computer chronicles called it asynchronous radio. That's radio on your schedule, not theirs. Now, by the early 2000s, when Nelly was singing about pimp juice and Jay Z was making the blueprint, broadband Internet and stuff like the ipod made podcasting accessible. Suddenly, audio on demand wasn't some nerdy experiment. It had completely crossed over like Flo Rider. Then black voices entered the space. And when black creators entered the space, podcasting became the culture. 2010, the Combat Jack show. That Wasn't just a podcast. It was a hip hop history class with first person stories, man. The host, Combat Jack. And every artist wanted to be on the Combat Jack show because he gave them space to tell their stories unfiltered, man. The Combat Jack show got a legacy that's still stamped across the industry in 2013. The reed with Kid Fury and Krizle. It was like an unapologetic humor that they just turned to community. They wasn't just entertaining us. It was sort of like a cultural therapy session for all us millennials that was navigating life and race and identity. At that time, the early black podcasts, they wasn't just shows. They were archives, oral history, barbershops and your headphones. Here's the challenge though. Podcasting was booming, but it was hard to organize black creators in the networks that could monetize at scale. Folks wasn't making no bank off it, you dig? But that changed five years ago when the boss man Charlemagne tha God announced the Black Effect Podcast network had a partnership with Iheart. That was the very first large scale podcast network dedicated to amplifying black voices, us telling our stories. And it worked. 40 plus shows signed on, hundreds of millions of downloads. I'm a part of that number. Consistently high performing shows. I'm talking drink champs, all the smoke, decisions, decisions, trap nerds. Oh, and let me throw in, I didn't know. Maybe you didn't either. Oh, we eats that first quarter. Now the goal is to maintain them numbers, but that's a whole nother episode. Look, the Black Effect shifted podcasting from individual hustles to an organized ecosystem. Before I got blessed with the opportunity to be on the Black Effect Podcast Network, I was just putting videos on Instagram, not monetizing a damn thing. Now four years later, over 10 million downloads in and we booming, baby. I'm talking about just me. The Black Effect Podcast network, in the five years they've been kicking it, they didn't racked up awards, accolades, and of course recognized in totality by the industry. I just saw an episode of the Breakfast Club where Nick Cannon was on there and as Charlamagne was giving him his flowers, Nick Cannon had to return it and give Charlamagne tha God his flowers. Because what he's doing with the Black Effect Podcast network has never been seen before. Now some people joke about they should raise the damn tariffs on mics cause everybody got one. And yes, I agree. But here's the thing. Podcasting is still very young. This is like the early 80s of hip hop in podcast form. According to Edison Research, over 100 million Americans listen to podcasts monthly, and ad revenue passed $2 billion in 2022. That's scale. That's money on the table. And for us, the black creators, that means more lanes, owning our IP and building generational platforms and telling our stories our way. So as the Black Effect Podcast Network celebrates five years, I want to salute the pioneers who paved the road and point out the opportunities still ahead. Because the future of black podcasting is not just loud. It's permanent, baby. And I didn't know. Maybe you didn't either. I didn't know.

[Alena Sada]

Sacred Scandal is back. The hit true crime podcast that uncovers hidden truths and shattered faith. For 19 years, Alena Sada was a nun for the Legion of Christ. This season, she's telling her story.

[Simone Boyce]

When I first joined the Legion of Christ, I felt chosen. I was 19 years old when Marcia Almasel, the leader of the Legionaries, looked me in the eye and told me I had a calling.

[Alena Sada]

Surviving meant hiding. Escaping. Took courage. Risking everything to tell her truth. Listen to Sacred the Many Secrets of Marcial maciel on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Hunter]

I'm Hunter, host of Hunting for Answers on the Black Effect Podcast Network. Join me every weekday as I share bite sized stories of missing and murdered black women and girls in America. Stories like Erica Hunt, a young mother vanished without a trace after a family gathering on 4th of July weekend 2016. No goodbyes, no clues, just gone. Listen to Hunting for Answers every weekday on the Black Effect Podcast Network, iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Malcolm Gladwell]

Malcolm Gladwell here. This season on Revisionist History, we're going back to the spring of 1988, to a town in northwest Alabama where a man committed a crime that would spiral out of control.

[Nordalls Bdot]

And he said, I've been in prison 24, 25 years. That's probably not long enough. I didn't kill him.

[Malcolm Gladwell]

From Revisionist History, this is the Alabama Murders. Listen to revisionist history the Alabama murders on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Hunter]

I just think the process and the journey is so delicious. That's where all the good stuff is. You just can't live and die by the end result.

[Simone Boyce]

That's comedian Phoebe Robinson. And yeah, those are the kinds of gems you'll only hear on my podcast. The Bright side. I'm your host, Simone Boyce. I'm talking to the brightest mind in entertainment, health, wellness, and pop culture. And every week we're going places in our communities, our careers, and ourselves. So join me every Monday, and let's find the bright side together. Listen to the bright side on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an iHeart podcast.