Dan Charnas: podcast appearances and interviews

Daniel Louis Charnas, born on August 30, 1967, is an American author, radio host, and record company executive. He is recognized for contributing to the development of hip-hop journalism. A native of New York City, Charnas graduated with honors from Boston University in 1989 with a bachelor's degree in communications and earned a master's degree from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism in 2007. His master's thesis was titled Shocked: Birthright Unplugged challenges Birthright Israel in an epic battle for the hearts and minds of American Jews.

Charnas has worked as a radio personality, hosting a segment on KPWR in Los Angeles. He also contributed as a writer for the hip-hop magazine The Source and served as a talent scout for Profile Records. Later, he managed the rap division of American Recordings in a joint venture with Warner Bros. Records. In 2010, he authored The Big Payback, a book chronicling the history of the hip-hop business. His most recent publication, Dilla Time, released in 2022, explores the life and work of hip-hop producer J Dilla.

In addition to his industry work, Charnas is an associate professor at the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University and has acted as a thesis advisor at Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. His contributions to music criticism were recognized with the Virgil Thomson Award for Outstanding Music Criticism from the ASCAP Foundation in 2025.