After 17 years on the Hot 97 team, Cipha Sounds has revealed that his future with the radio station is “up in the air." The New York DJ vented his frustrations about the latest programming shakeups since Angie Martinez left for Power 105.1 on the latest episode of the Juan Epstein podcast he hosts alongside Peter Rosenberg. 

Coincidentally, Cipha said that he was offered a gig with Power 105 as well, which he turned down out of loyalty to Hot 97. For the last three months, Cipha has held down Martinez’s old weekday afternoons spot, although Rosenberg noted that he didn’t seem excited about having the show.

“I never knew if it was mine if I could make it mine, I would’ve loved it,” Cipha replied. “One boss told me one thing, another boss told me another thing, they then fired one of those bosses, another boss came in an told me one things, and then a boss of another station came in and became our boss and told me another thing. All nice people, all different opinions on what the show should be and how it should run.” 

Earlier this month, Hot 97 announced that Bay Area-bred radio host Nessa will fill Martinez’s time slot. The move leaves Cipha hanging in the balance. Despite having no beef with Nessa (he reached out to her before the podcast), he feels Hot 97 could’ve handled the swap differently.

“The girl who got the show, oh they’ve wanted her for a long time they have a hard on for her. So then why didn’t you tell me?” 

Had he been informed, Cipha would’ve welcomed Nessa into the fold with a three-month “countdown” that would’ve been “f***in’ hilarious," but regardless of what comes next, he wants Hot 97 to prosper. “Even if I leave, I want the station to win.”  

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