Cipha Sounds Is Leaving Hot 97
After 17 years at the station, Cipha Sounds will no longer host at Hot 97, it was announced today (Jan. 27). After having previously voiced his frustrations with the station brass, the longtime DJ has made it official that he will be pursuing opportunities elsewhere.
The nexus of Cipha's frustration seems to be Hot 97 management's refusal or failure to communicate with him regarding his role as Angie Martinez's replacement. He took over Martinez's timeslot after she left for Power 105.1 over the summer. Rather than give Cipha Sounds the spot permanently--or communicate that he would be filling the role on an interim basis--Hot 97 allegedly kept the Puerto Rican pioneer in the dark. “I would have been more happy if I could say ‘Guys, I got this show for 3 months. Rock with me,” Cipha recently told Peter Rosenberg.
Instead, he was left hanging before Hot 97 eventually tapped MTV personality Nessa for the job, which Cipha conceded "makes sense"--further cementing his claims that his problem was with the company's lack of communication.
In a statement that was also posted to his Instagram account, Cipha Sounds thanked the historic station for the "amazing ride" that his career thus far has been, saying that his experiences at Hot 97 have been enough to fill "five lifetimes." Cipha's first major DJ gig was manning the tables as Lil Kim's tour DJ. He is credited as being the first DJ to break many artists, such as Rick Ross and Rihanna, on New York radio. His statement promised that "The next move is already underway, and I promise it's going to be huge."
Related: Cipha Sounds Replaces Angie Martinez On Hot 97
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