Angie Martinez

Angela Martinez (born January 9, 1971) is an American radio personality, podcaster, entrepreneur, former rapper, and actress.

Nicknamed "The Voice of New York", she was prominently known for her twenty-eight year run at New York City station Hot 97 (WQHT).

Martinez was born on January 9, 1971 in Brooklyn, a borough of New York City.

Her father is Puerto Rican and her mother is of Puerto Rican, Cuban and Dominican descent.

She was raised by her single mother in Brooklyn as well as Washington Heights.

As a teenager, she would often drink with her friends, smoke marijuana, and listen to music.

She was often absent from school.

As such, her mother decided to move her to Miami to live with her aunt.

Her mother later moved as well where she became the programming manager for radio station WPOW.

Martinez later gained an internship at the station.

The film itself was based on the 1980s crack epidemic in New York City and its war on drugs, as well as the partnership between Azie Faison, Rich Porter and Alpo Martinez.

Martinez got her first break in FM broadcasting in 1986, at the age of 15, answering hotlines at the urban radio station WQHT, known publicly as Hot 97.

While there, she met popular DJ Funkmaster Flex, and began working as his protégé.

Martinez quickly picked up on the craft of running a successful radio program.

She hosted the Afternoon Drive weekdays, alongside fellow comrade DJ Enuff, where she interviewed the biggest names in music such as Jay-Z, DMX, and Mariah Carey.

During her tenure, she worked alongside Wendy Williams, with whom she reportedly clashed with.

In 1996, Martinez was encouraged to give rapping a shot by friend KRS-One.

She appeared on his track, "Heartbeat", from his 1997 album I Got Next.

After the song gained a strong fan following, another friend, Lil' Kim, offered her a spot on the "Ladies Night" remix of her song, "Not Tonight" for the soundtrack to the action buddy comedy-drama film, Nothing to Lose.

Along with Missy Elliott, Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes and Da Brat, the performers enjoyed one of the most successful singles of 1997.

It peaked on the Billboard Hot 100 chart at number six, reached number three on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and number two on the Hot Rap Songs charts respectively.

The single sold over one million copies and was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America that November.

All four artists were invited to perform the song live at the MTV Video Music Awards.

The song was also nominated for a 40th Annual Grammy Award for Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group in 1998.

A major label battle began to sign Martinez to a recording contract.

She later released two albums, Up Close and Personal (2001) and Animal House (2002), before retiring in 2003 to pursue her radio and entrepreneurial careers.

In 2002, Martinez appeared in a cameo on the Damon Dash-directed comedy, Paper Soldiers, which starred Kevin Hart.

That October, she appeared in Brown Sugar, starring Taye Diggs, Queen Latifah and Sanaa Lathan.

Martinez was also noticed in an uncredited appearance as a drug dealer's car girl in the film, Paid in Full.

In 2005, Martinez reunited with Dash for State Property 2, the sequel to the 2002 film, which starred rapper Beanie Sigel.

She also appeared in Video Girl, with actress Meagan Good in 2011 and Generation Um... in 2012, respectively.

She left the station in 2014 to join crosstown competitor Power 105.1 (WWPR).

As a rapper, she received attention for her appearance on the remix for Lil' Kim's "Not Tonight".

She resigned from Hot 97 on June 18, 2014, but confirmed that she was on good terms with former comrades Ebro Darden, Funkmaster Flex and Cipha Sounds.

Shortly thereafter, it was announced that she had signed on with Hot 97's main New York radio competitor, Power 105.1 (WWPR-FM) on June 19, 2014.

In November 2014, Martinez was signed to a management deal with Jay-Z's Roc Nation.

Martinez was one of the few Hot 97 personnel to appear on the VH1 reality docu-comedy television series, This Is Hot 97, which premiered in 2014, but was later cancelled after one season.

The show was produced by Mona Scott-Young, co-founder of Violator Management, founder of Monami Productions and creator of Love & Hip Hop.

Martinez won the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) Marconi Radio Award for "Major Market Personality of the Year" in 2018, and was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 2020.

As an actress, Martinez received a small role in the independent hip hop film, Blood Is Thicker Than Water.