During a 2019 Drink Champs interview, rapper-turned-podcast host N.O.R.E asked Angie Martinez, “Does it scare you that almost everybody’s top 5 [rappers]… you’ve probably interviewed?” She responded, “Does it scare me? No, I think that’s amazing.” Her resoluteness, humility, and devotion to storytelling are what earned her the title of “The Voice of New York.”
There’s no way to condense Martinez’s legacy into a single introduction. For over three decades, Martinez has solidified her legacy as an on-air radio maven, interviewing music giants like Nas, the late Biggie Smalls, Rakim, Mariah Carey, and Nicki Minaj, to name a few. Her personable interview style has allowed her to navigate the ever-changing media landscape, connecting with both legendary figures and rising stars like the late Panamanian-Jamaican drill rapper Pop Smoke. On the cover of her 2016 New York Times best-selling memoir My Voice, a quote from Jay-Z reads, “[Angie] interviews how she lives her life, openly and honestly…. She is a pioneer.”
“I was a young girl who always loved hip-hop music,” she tells Remezcla. “My mom is the pinnacle of inspiration for me.” Martinez was born in Brooklyn by way of Washington Heights, NY, and raised by a single mother who also worked her way up in radio. At 18, Martinez began interning at WQHT New York (later Hot 97), which at the time mainly played dance, pop, and freestyle music. Eager to understand the business, she dabbled in multiple departments, joining the promotions and research teams—experiences that would later prepare her to run her own show. In October 1993, Hot 97 shifted to an all-hip-hop and R&B format. “We were literally creating a full-time commercial hip-hop radio station in New York as we went,” she says. “We were building something and leading with passion and purpose.”
As Martinez honed her craft, she found herself at the center of hip-hop’s biggest moments—including one of the final interviews with Tupac Shakur. In 1996, 2Pac invited the then-rising radio host to his California home for a conversation she details in her book. Though the full two-hour interview was never released, the 12 minutes that aired remain a piece of hip-hop history. It would go on to be one of the last interviews of the West Coast rapper who was tragically shot and murdered only months later in Las Vegas, Nevada.
After 28 years at Hot 97, Martinez made the tough decision to spread her wings, joining New York’s Power 105.1 for new opportunities and growth potential. Today, she continues hosting The Angie Martinez Show on weekdays from 2 to 6 p.m. EST. In 2023, she launched her podcast IRL, a natural evolution in her media career. Having adapted to every major shift in the industry, Martinez embraced podcasting as it became a dominant form of storytelling. IRL features candid, in-depth conversations exploring life’s magic, fragility, purpose, and complexities. Her first guest was Lauren London, marking London’s first interview since the passing of Nipsey Hussle in 2019. Other notable guests have included Ashanti, Mary J. Blige, and Coi Leray.
When discussing hip-hop history, leaving Angie Martinez out of the conversation would be a disservice—her legacy is undeniable. She remains a cultural staple and an inspiration to women of color across generations, especially having spent decades breaking barriers in male-dominated spaces. Remezcla spoke to the Major Mujer on paying it forward to the next generation, creating with intention, her trajectory, and more.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
Often we see people advancing in their careers, making big moves, especially on social media — but it’s really rare that we see those introspective moments in which a person considers quitting or transitioning. Did you ever have a moment at all where you thought about quitting?
It’s weird because what I do overlaps with my real life, so quitting was never really an option. My career—whether it’s radio, my podcast, or my book—is an extension of who I am. I do get frustrated or feel the need to restructure things when something isn’t working, but [quitting] isn’t something I even spend time thinking about.
Even when you were first starting out? I’m sure there were hardships that occurred but even through that quitting wasn’t an option?
Quitting, no. Hardships, absolutely, even now. When you’re starting out, you’re trying to find your way, your purpose, and grow yourself. You hit tons of bumps in the road, but that inspires me. I never saw challenges as reasons to quit, more like, “This is hard, so how do I figure it out?” Even now, things are hard but I love what I do. I just feel like I am where I’m supposed to be when I’m in my bag. So quitting was never an option for me.
Hardships also build character.
For sure. They shape your knowledge and perspective. Even if something doesn’t go how I wanted, it might still matter to someone else. As you grow, you look around and realize people were inspired by your journey. Somebody tells you, “That inspired me,” or “Now I want to try that.” Sometimes you just have to keep pushing, things land where they land, and then you look up and you’re surprised [by the impact]. That’s an unexpected blessing that comes after you work hard for a long time.
Your resume speaks volumes and as you mentioned, so many are inspired by your work. Do you find yourself being able to live in a lot of these moments that you’re having? It sounds like so much of what you’re working on is happening all at once. Do you ever take a moment to really sit in and look back at everything you’ve done like, “Wow, I really did that.”
Honestly, I don’t normally do that, but I have periods where I do. I like to look forward, but certain projects force me to reflect. When I wrote my book, I had to look back, and I felt proud seeing everything on paper—realizing I pushed through those moments. When I got into the Radio Hall of Fame, watching highlight videos of my career made me step back and take it all in. Reflection is important, but I don’t like to sit too long on past accomplishments.
Who were some of your mentors or other women that inspired or helped you to get where you are today?
I didn’t really have mentors coming up. I didn’t even know to ask for one. But I was inspired by women like Queen Latifah. I come from hip-hop and so does she. She’s a rapper that went on to do so many different things: music, talk shows, movies, which showed me you don’t have to stay in a box.
My mom is the pinnacle of inspiration for me. She was a single mom finding her way, started her career in radio also, and she’s just one of the most morally grounded human beings on the planet. In entertainment, that kind of moral grounding is important to help you navigate without losing yourself. I got that from her for sure.
What’s one of your favorite parts of where you are now in your journey?
Feeling like the world is changing. With AI, evolving consciousness, and new opportunities, everything is changing, and that excites me. I also love seeing the response to my podcast—creating with real intention and putting out content that resonates with people in a meaningful way.
What’s one piece of advice that you would share with someone who is trying to find their footing in storytelling?*
You have to come into your conversations with intention and not an intention of “how can I get likes, how can I get views?” Your guest feels that. Sometimes you think you have an idea of what a guest [is going to say], but if you are not listening when they talk, you could absolutely miss something. It’s really important to listen to your guests so that you can follow them and stay with them in the moment. Come to the table with “what’s our purpose here?” “What does our conversation have to offer the world?” I think that’s where you have to start.
For the next generation of women in creative spaces like radio and podcasting, what are you hopeful for?
I think what women are doing now is amazing. There are all types of organizations, events, communities where there are open forums for transparency. There’s mentorship programs. We’re doing way better than we have been and I’d like to continue to see that. We need to keep growing, lifting each other up, holding each other accountable, and supporting one another. I also want to see more women in leadership roles because we need to be [in the room] making the decisions to protect us.
When was that one moment in which you felt you were in the right space?
It’s hard to say and it’s probably a series of things. When you have your head down with your blinders on and are working towards something — you’re not really counting your wins. I’m barreling through trying to reach one goal after the other. I don’t really take inventory of “This is amazing, right now” and I probably need to do that more.
I had a 30-year career before I put my book out, but when I put it out and saw how many people had a real deep emotional connection to my life and story that really made me feel like I did something good in the world. It wasn’t necessarily early in my career, that was later in my career, but it was a moment for me and I really cherished that moment. Even little things—like when someone on the street greets me like a friend and asks about my life—that makes me feel like I’m doing what I’m supposed to be doing. There’s different moments along the way. Honestly, there’s still a lot that I want to do.
When you were first starting out, did you always see yourself doing what you’re doing now?
No, because it didn’t exist yet. I was a young girl who loved hip-hop and radio because my mom worked in it, but hip-hop radio wasn’t even a thing at the time. We were literally building a full-time commercial hip-hop radio station in New York as we went. I just knew I loved music and talking to people, and I was ready. I never turned back.
As a Latina navigating the spaces that you are in, were they any specific hardships that you dealt with?
I’m proud to be Latina, the version that I am, because it is authentic to me. Ultimately, we all have to be authentic to who we are, what our experiences are. Staying true to yourself and not trying to be another version or what somebody thinks you’re supposed to look like, I dealt with that a lot coming up. “Oh, you’re Latina, so you should look like this,” or “you should talk and dress like this.” I always kind of resented that coming up because I was this New York kid that came from hip hop culture and that wasn’t true to who I was.
I talk about this story in my book but I never was [intentionally] trying to be impactful to young Latinas, I just was being me. I remember going to the Puerto Rican Day Parade and being surrounded by girls who grew up just like me. They looked at me like, “You see me, I see you.” That’s the thing about representation, right?
What do you hope to personally change about the music industry, especially for the next generation of women in this space? Talk to us about your legacy of making space for others while on your journey.
The people who have come up under me—whether they were my assistants, interns, or coworkers—I hope they walked away more informed and armed for success. When I look at my accomplishments, that’s honestly my favorite thing about my career — watching people that I’ve mentored and pushed along, watching them succeed is amazing.
I’m so proud of Nyla Symone and so many others. There’s young women throughout the industry that they know they can call me. Jazzy’s World, we’ve had conversations before, she knows she can call me any time. If I see talent and hard work, it’s my responsibility to share any knowledge I have to help them along the way. That always makes me the most proud; watching them thrive is a dope experience. That’s how you pay it forward, and it’s one of the most rewarding parts of what I do.
