Cipha Sounds is one of the longest-tenured personalities at New York City’s hip-hop mainstay, Hot 97. The oddball with the love for party rap has seen a lot of change over the years since he joined the popular station in the late 90s, and he knows that some fans have been critical of the changes at the most well-known hip-hop station in the world.
“I think the biggest misconception is a lot of the underground and street rappers think we hate on them and don’t play their records because we don’t like them. But technically, we work for a corporation that’s about getting the most listeners possible in order to have the most listeners listen to advertising during commercial breaks. That’s how we make money, that’s the business.”
“People think radio stations are in the music business, but technically, we’re in the advertising business,” he adds. “We just use music to get advertising.”
Hot 97 is Cipha Sounds comfort zone, and he has tremendous love and respect for his team, from longtime Programming Director Ebro to Cipha’s opinionated morning show partner, Peter Rosenberg.
“Lately, we’ve been discussing it as a family,” says Cipha. “Ebro is the old mean stepdad. Laura [Stylez] is the hot older sister—even though she’s younger than us. She’s motherly. She’s helping raise us. Rosenberg is Mr. Talk-a-lot—he thinks he’s a politician. I’m supposed to be like the weird brother that’s always in his room, with a lock on the outside.”
“If we all thought the same things and sounded the same, it would be boring,” Cipha explained. “There’s always friction with our opinions and stuff.”
“Angie [Martinez] and [Funkmaster] Flex battle it out for insanity,” says Cipha with a laugh. “Flex speaks his own language. You have to really know how to translate Flex-talk. Rosenberg is in need of psychiatric help. You could be talking about Antarctica and he will find a way to put himself in that story.”
The familial atmosphere is what keeps Cipha going. He considers Hot 97’s offices his home away from home and his coworkers are like family, but he acknowledges that not everybody sticks around. The group is so close-knit that sometimes new faces don’t quite match the dynamic.
“We don’t kick nobody out — they just don’t fit in,” he explained. “In the beginning, everybody who starts here gets welcomed with open arms. But over time, it gets weird.”
For all of the personalities he deals with on a daily basis, from his colleagues to the celebs they interview; Cipha still chuckles at one pop diva’s over-the-top antics before interviews.
“Mariah is insane,” he says with a laugh. “You know how when the president goes somewhere, three days earlier, the Secret Service goes and checks it out? That’s how she was.”
