What Does Angie Martinez's Departure Mean For Hot 97 and New York Radio?

The resignation of Angie Martinez from Hot 97 shook up the rap radio. We look back at the history she made and the reasons as to why she may've left.

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For not only a rap fan growing up in the NYC area, but a Puerto Rican rap fan, the news of Angie Martinez resigning from Hot 97 left me with the feelz. We tolerated her rap career, even bought her albums because she had slappers like “Mi Amor” and “If I Let You Go”—these will get the bbq jumpin’, do not front. We cape for her and will until the very end. She held down that 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. afternoon slot for nearly two decades, gave us classic interview after classic interview. Her laugh annoyed my mother on those rides after school but I always shushed her as I turned the volume up because I wanted to hear what Jigga, Pac, Biggie, etc. had to say.

Yesterday’s resignation came out of nowhere and shook up the terrestrial radio world. Her statement left Hot 97, “the station where hip-hop lives,” without its face. But wait. In that same statement there were no words that said she was retiring from radio or moving on from it. The only logical place for her to go was up the dial at Power 105.1. People denied the signs shown yesterday on Twitter. Signs like Power’s emoji retweet, Ebro’s subtle hints, and Gee Spin’s teaser right before he retweeted Angie’s statement.

Yesterday’s resignation came out of nowhere and shook up the terrestrial radio world. Her statement left Hot 97, 'the station where hip-hop lives,' without its face.

Power 105.1’s Breakfast Club is the best morning show in town and one of its stars is becoming a household name with MTV’s Guy Code and his 810K Twitter followers: Charlamagne’s pop culture endeavours have HOT 97 doing things like making former program director Ebro a personality via the station’s reality TV show This Is Hot 97 on VH1. Now with Angie jumping ship to the competition over at 105.1—news that was officially confirmed this morning—Hot 97 has to figure out a way to relevant in a market they’ve owned since the early ‘90s.

This is a tremendous coup by a station that has always played the little brother role given HOT’s legacy in NYC. Which makes WQHT’s spat with rap immortal Chuck D troubling. Peter Rosenberg and Ebro’s decision to dismiss the Public Enemy frontman as just some senile senior citizen drew ire from the Twittersphere, most notably, from former Hot 97 "Morning Show" personality Star. Maybe the events that have transpired in recent months pushed Angie out the door for greener pastures. We’ll never truly know. One thing is for certain: the Hot 97 brand is diminished without her. They’ll have to figure out a way to make way for new legends as opposed to recycling personalities. They already have two on staff in Funkmaster Flex and Miss Info. Along with Angie, Flex and Info are now the brand. It will be interesting to see who they'll tap to fill Martinez's role.

One can also contend that Power throws money at talent to steal them away. Angela Yee made a name for herself on Shade 45's Lip Service radio show, Charlamagne bounced around various radio markets until he found a home at Power, and now they managed to poach a legend.

The “Voice of New York,” as President Obama and so many New Yorkers refer to her, made her name by interviewing rap’s biggest artists during some of the biggest moments of her career. She held us down for 15 years, giving us unforgettable moments that have been frozen in time on cassette tapes all over the tri-state. Moments like when she interviewed 2Pac after he came home in the midst of his rivalry with Biggie. Moments like when Jigga came back from his vacation to the news of Nas’ tirade on Power 105.1 after Hot didn’t let him lynch a replica doll of Jay Z at Summer Jam. Moments like when Puffy called in after the Lox went into detail about their Bad Boy deal and why they left for Ruff Ryderz.

Maybe she sees the signs of Power rising to prominence. While Hot battles the never-ending fight of old rap vs. new rap, Power is just talking about the now while slaying them in ratings.

It was and still is a right of passage to be interviewed by her. Angie’s style is very easy going which in turn makes her subjects comfortable. She’s never contentious with her questions but still manages to ask what fans want the answers to. She has this uncanny ability to make artists open up—that’s what makes her a legend.

Decisions like this don't happen in a day. They must've been on the table for a while and maybe, just maybe, the queen of radio didn't like the direction Hot was going in. Maybe she sees the signs of Power rising to prominence. While Hot battles the never-ending fight of old rap vs. new rap, Power is just talking about the now while slaying them in ratings. That's the problem when you have a legacy to uphold in an ever changing landscape of music. The business is digital now. Rap fans can get their tunes from various platforms like podcasts, websites, and anyone in the world can stream a local station.

Maybe they’ll get lucky and bounce back, either way Angie Martinez is irreplaceable. Her laugh is too familiar, her voice made too much history, her voice raised a generation and they will go where she goes. She is hip-hop royalty and her kingdom is NYC rap radio.

Angel Diaz is a Staff Writer for Complex and "Mi Amor" is his wedding song. Follow him on Twitter.

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