MTV2 STARTS THE VMAs PRE-PARTY WITH FIVE DAYS OF "CHARLAMAGNE AND FRIENDS" BEGINNING AUGUST 20 AT MIDNIGHT, LEADING UP TO THE 2013 "MTV VIDEO MUSIC AWARDS"

New Half-Hour Show Features "Guy Code" Star Charlamagne tha God and Celebrity Guests Spouting Opinions on Music, Sports, Pop Culture and the 2013 MTV VMAs

New York, NY (July 30, 2013) - MTV2 today announced that it will premiere a special half-hour, five-episode series, "Charlamagne and Friends," in the run-up to music's most irreverent award show, the "MTV Video Music Awards." Debuting on Tuesday, August 20 at midnight ET/PT and airing nightly through Saturday, August 24, "Guy Code" star Charlamagne tha God will be joined by a variety of friends, including artists, athletes and comedians, as they give their unfiltered opinions on the biggest music and pop culture moments of the week and break down expectations for the 2013 MTV VMAs.

"Charlamagne has a unique comedic voice, a range of interests across the pop culture landscape, and a pretty strong opinion on everything - this all adds up to the perfect pre-party to get our audience ready for the 2013 'MTV Video Music Awards,'" said Paul Ricci, Head of Development and Production, MTV2. "Charlamagne's hilarious, uncut and very candid commentary on the awards show will definitely have viewers laughing."

"I always wanted a chance to express my politically incorrect views and potentially dangerous rhetoric on my own show," said Charlamagne tha God. "I'm extremely grateful that MTV2 is giving me this opportunity and I hope I don't make them regret it."

Charlamagne tha God is a star of MTV2's "Guy Code" and the co-host of the country's No. 1 hip hop morning radio show. He has garnered millions of fans for his light-hearted, straight-forward and passionate approach to everything he discusses. Whether it's professing his love for Katy Perry and Rihanna, calling out his favorite rappers on their ridiculous behavior, or sharing his recent exploits, his fans appreciate his point-of-view and can't wait to hear what he's going to say next.

MTV2 targets young men with smart, funny and relevant content, including comedic, music and action-oriented original programming. The network had its highest-rated total day in network history on Tuesday, July 9, 2013, with the premieres of "Nick Cannon Presents: Wild 'N Out" and "Ain't That America" with Lil Duval" leading the way. Both series are the #1 regularly scheduled shows in their time periods.

In the last two years, the network also scored four of its top five highest-rated original shows of all-time, with brand-defining originals including "Guy Code," "Hip Hop Squares" "Nitro Circus Live" and "Mac Miller and the Most Dope Family." The recently wrapped "Guy Code" season three was the highest-rated and most-watched original season in network history, in addition to being the No. 1 original series in its time period across all TV for male teens. "Mac Miller and the Most Dope Family" was No. 1 in its time period for original cable series among all teens and is the highest-rated first season for an original MTV2 series.

For more information on "Charlamagne and Friends," visit the show's Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/CharlamagneAndFriends.

About MTV2

Available in more than 80 million homes, MTV2 is man's best friend. Since its launch in 1996, the network has reflected the subversive interests and behaviors of young men with a compelling and diverse programming line-up inspired by ordinary guys who do extraordinary things. MTV2 is a unit of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB), one of the world's leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms.