Angela "Angie" Martinez (born January 9, 1971) is a Puerto Rican-American radio personality, podcaster, and former rapper and actress.[1] Dubbed "The Voice of New York", Martinez is widely known for her 28-year run at New York City station Hot 97 (WQHT). She left the station in 2014 to join crosstown competitor Power 105.1 (WWPR).[2]
As a rapper, Martinez received praise for her bars when she was featured on the remix for Lil' Kim's "Not Tonight" (1996). 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. As of 2024, she also hosts her own podcast through her YouTube channel, IRL (short for In Real Life)[3] in which she interviews various entertainment industry figures, of all ages.
Early life
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.[4]
Radio career
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 and skills of running a successful radio program. She hosted the Afternoon Drive segments, on weekdays, alongside fellow comrade DJ Enuff, where she interviewed some of the biggest names in music, such as Jay-Z, DMX, and Mariah Carey, among others. During her tenure, she also worked alongside Wendy Williams, with whom she reportedly clashed with.[5] 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.[6] Subsequently, 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.[7]
In November 2014, Martinez was signed to a management deal with Jay-Z's Roc Nation.
A major record label battle began, in an effort to sign Martinez to a recording contract; her collaborations with other artists' music was in high demand. She recorded songs with yet another close friend, singer Mary J. Blige ("Christmas in the City"),[16] as well as Cuban Link ("Freak Out"), N.O.R.E. ("Oh No" remix),[17]Beenie Man ("Tell Me" remix)[18] and Funkmaster Flex & Big Kap's compilation album The Tunnel ("Wow").[19] She also recorded interludes for mixtapes by Kid Capri, DJ Clue and DJ Kayslay. In 2001, she appeared in the music video for Jay-Z and R. Kelly's single "Guilty Until Proven Innocent".[20]
Following her debut album's release, Martinez began work on a second record, 2002's Animal House. In order to build anticipation for the record, she appeared on BET's Rap City[25] and began a nationwide radio tour. She recorded a verse for the remix to her artist Sacario's record "Live Big". It became the No. 1 record in the tri-state area, and coincided with the release of the lead single off of her second album, "If I Could Go", which coincidentally also featured Sacario, as well as singer Lil' Mo. "If I Could Go" became a huge crossover hit on pop radio, climbing into the Top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at No. 15.[26] It became the most-played song on urban radio during the summer of 2002. Martinez's sophomore studio album, Animal House (named after her production company and recording posse), was released on August 21, 2002. It entered the Billboard 200 at No. 11,[22] and the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart at No. 6, selling 92,000 units in its first week. The follow-up single, "Take You Home", featuring R&B singer Kelis, became a minor hit, reaching the bottom end of the Billboard Hot 100.[27] Despite its moderate commercial performance, the album was more strongly received by critics and fans. Following the release of the album, she was featured on a remix for former Elektra Records labelmate Lil' Mo's track, "Gangsta", and Nina Sky's single "Time to Go". Following this, in 2003, she announced she was retiring from the music industry to concentrate on her passions as a radio personality and other ventures.[28]
Martinez later appeared in the music video for Ja Rule's single, "New York" (2004), a feature which was somewhat controversial due to the guest appearances of Fat Joe and Lox member Jadakiss in the midst of Ja Rule's feud with rapper 50 Cent. In response, 50 Cent recorded the track "Piggy Bank".[29][30] Luckily, Martinez was not named or considered guilty-by-association on the track.[citation needed] She also appeared in an album intro with La La Anthony for singer-songwriter Babyface's album, Girls Night Out, which was released in October 2022.
In 2002, Martinez was hired to be a judge on the second season of American Idol, but quit after a few days of auditions, citing discomfort with crushing the dreams of auditioners.[32]
In 2008, she became the opening speaker for then-president of the United States, Barack Obama. In 2022, she attended a summit with former first lady, Michelle Obama, whom she later invited to appear on her radio show.[33]
In June 2016, she released an autobiographical novel titled My Voice: A Memoir.[34]
In May 2018, to further promote and support rapper J. Cole's album, KOD, Martinez conducted an in-house interview with him in producer Salaam Remi's house in Miami.[35] It had received over four million views on YouTube, as of September 2023.[citation needed]
Then, in 2019, she hosted a We TV interview series called the Untold Stories of Hip-Hop, but in 2020, the show was cancelled.[36]
In June 2023, in celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of the foundation of hip hop music, she hosted an ABC special titled Soul of a Nation: Hip Hop at 50; she is also the executive producer of the project.[38]
She also appeared in Video Girl, with actress Meagan Good in 2011 and Generation Um... in 2012, respectively. 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.[41] The show was produced by Mona Scott-Young, co-founder of Violator Management, founder of Monami Productions and creator of Love & Hip Hop.
She has a son, Niko Ruffin,[44] born in a New York City hospital in June 2003.[45][46][47] Her son's biological father is Tamir Ruffin, better known as Nokio the N-Tity, the founder and bandleader of R&B boy band Dru Hill.[48]
Martinez's close friend is singer Mary J. Blige, who coincidentally was born two days after her, and is also the godmother of Martinez's son, Niko.[49]
In late 2019, it was revealed that she had sustained major injuries, including a fractured lumbar and shattered vertebrae, in a serious car accident.[50]
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