Angie Martinez
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| Angie Martinez
|
|
|---|---|
| Birth name | Angela Martinez |
| Also known as | The Voice of New York |
| Born | January 9, 1971 Brooklyn, New York, United States |
| Genres | Hip hop |
| Occupations | Radio personality, rapper, actress |
| Years active | 1996–present |
| Labels | Elektra Records |
| Website | TheAngieMartinezShow.com |
Angela "Angie" Martinez (born January 9, 1971, Brooklyn, New York) is an American Radio Personality and Actress and Rapper. Known as “The Voice of New York”, her afternoon radio show has consistently been ranked #1 with more young listeners than any other radio station in the country. Angie is a multi-media personality, having appeared in several movies, videos, television and on her own albums. Angie is best known for her celebrity interviews. Her laid back demeanor and popular style have been instrumental in securing exclusive interviews with the biggest names in music, film, comedy and politics.
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[edit] Radio career
Angie Martinez got her first break in radio at the age of 16 answering hot lines at the urban radio station WQHT ("Hot 97"). There she met popular DJ Funkmaster Flex, and began working as his protégé. Martinez quickly picked up on the craft of running a successful radio program. Executives at the station decided to give her a chance, even though she lacked on-air experience. With over 15 years on the radio, Angie is a trustworthy voice to multiple generations of music fans. Her radio show on New York's Hot97 has proven to be a rite of passage for many of today’s and tomorrow’s most iconic figures.
[edit] Acting
She caught the attention of television producer Simon Fuller. Fuller thought that Martinez would become an excellent addition to American Idol. Martinez signed a contract to be the fourth judge alongside Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul and Simon Cowell for seasons 2, 3 and 4 of the Fox network's ratings giant. After only four days on the audition trial, Martinez admitted to being unable to crush the dreams of hopefuls. She said watching the aspiring singers leave in tears and breaking down with their families comforting them was too much for her to take. Martinez asked the Fox Network to remove her from the program. Throughout the remainder of that season, she was replaced with different guest judges such as Clive Davis, Stevie Wonder, Elton John, Quentin Tarantino, Brandy, and Mark McGrath of rock band Sugar Ray. When HBO decided to branch from one channel into 8 sub channels that would concentrate on a certain demographic, scheduling conflicts while filming Stretch ensued. With the new taping schedule cutting into her time with her radio show and promotions, Martinez stepped back from the program at that point.
As an actress, Angie received small roles in independent hip hop films such as Blood is Thicker Than Water and Paper Soldiers. She then appeared in Brown Sugar starring Taye Diggs, Queen Latifah and Sanaa Lathan.
[edit] Music career
In 1996, Martinez was encouraged to give rapping a shot by friend KRS-One. She appeared on his track "Heartbeat" from his 1997 album I Got Next. After the song gained a strong fan following, another friend, Lil' Kim, offered her a spot on her song "Ladies' Night" for the Nothing to Lose soundtrack. Along with Missy Elliott, Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes and Da Brat, the ladies enjoyed one of the most successful singles of 1997. It peaked on the Billboard Hot 100 chart at #2, and reached #1 on the Hip-Hop / R&B charts and the Rap charts respectively. The single sold over 1,000,000 copies and was certified Platinum. The ladies were nominated for two Grammy Awards that year, and were also invited to perform the song live on The MTV Video Music Awards. A major label battle began to sign Martinez to a recording contract. Her appearance on other rapper's material was in high demand. She recorded songs with Mary J. Blige ("Christmas in the City"), Terror Squad ("Freak Out"), N.O.R.E. ("Oh No Remix"), Beenie Man ("Tell Me Remix") and Funkmaster Flex & Big Kap's compilation album The Tunnel ("Wow"). 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 "Guilty Until Proven Innocent".
On April 17, 2001, she finally issued her oft-delayed debut album, Up Close and Personal. The album included production by DJ Clue, Salaam Remi, Knobody and RocWilder among others, and featured guest appearances by Jay-Z, Snoop Doggy Dogg, Mary J. Blige, Wyclef Jean, Busta Rhymes and Kool G. Rap. The first single, "Dem Thangzzz" was produced by The Neptunes, and also featured background vocals by Pharrell Williams and Q-Tip. The track failed to make a strong impression at radio, but the album enjoyed strong first week sales[clarification needed]. It debuted at #32 on the Billboard 200 Albums Chart, and #10 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Charts selling 69,000 its first week. The second single, "Coast 2 Coast" (Suavamente) featuring rapper Wyclef Jean re-sparked interest in the album[citation needed]. She promoted the album with magazine posters, in-store signings, club appearances and television appearances with MTV and BET. The record received mixed reviews from critics, but like Martinez herself, was strongly accepted in the hip hop community. The album sold a low 325,000 units.
Following her first album's release, Angie began work on a second record Animal House. In order to build anticipation for the record, she appeared on BET's Rap City and began a nation-wide radio tour. She recorded a verse for the remix to her Artist Sacario record "Live Big". It became the number one record in the tri-state area and coincidentally coincided with the release of Martinez's first single from her second album, "If I Could Go" which also featured Sacario and singer Lil' Mo. "If I Could Go" became a huge crossover hit on pop radio, climbing into the top 10 on The Billboard Hot 100 Chart. It became the #1 played on urban radio in 2002. The album, Animal House (named after Martinez's own production company and recording posse), was released on August 21, 2002. It entered the Billboard Hot 200 Albums Chart at #11, and the Billboard Hot Hip-Hop / R&B Charts selling 92,000 units in its first week. The follow-up single, "Take You Home" featuring R&B singer Kelis didn't receive as much attention, but it did become a minor hit that winter. The album was more strongly received by critics and fans. Following the release of the album, she was featured on a remix for labelmate Lil' Mo's track "Gangster", and Nina Sky's hype single "Time to Go". Following this she announced she was retiring from the recording industry to concentrate on her other projects.
[edit] Personal life
She has a son Niko Ruffin (born June 12, 2003)[1] with Tamir "Nokio" Ruffin[2][3] of Dru Hill.
[edit] Awards and nominations
- BET Awards
- 2002, Best Female Hip-Hop Artist (Nominated)
- Grammy Awards
- 1998, Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group "Not Tonight" (Nominated)
[edit] Discography
[edit] Studio albums
| Year | Album | Peak chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. | U.S. R&B | ||
| 2001 | Up Close and Personal
|
32 | 7 |
| 2002 | Animal House
|
11 | 6 |
[edit] Singles
| Year | Song | Peak chart positions[4][5] | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | U.S. R&B | U.S. Rap | |||
| 2000 | "Mi Amor" (featuring Jay-Z) | — | 51 | — | Up Close and Personal |
| 2001 | "Dem Thangs" | — | 80 | 24 | |
| "Coast 2 Coast" | — | — | — | ||
| 2002 | "If I Could Go" (featuring Lil' Mo & Sacario) | 15 | 26 | 11 | Animal House |
| 2003 | "Take You Home" (featuring Kelis) | 85 | 62 | — | |
| "—" denotes a title that did not chart, or was not released in that territory. | |||||
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- 1971 births
- Living people
- Actors from New York City
- American female models
- American female singers
- American film actors
- American people of Puerto Rican descent
- American people of Native American descent
- American radio personalities
- American rappers
- Female rappers
- Hispanic and Latino American actors
- Hispanic and Latino American rappers
- People from Brooklyn
- People from the Bronx
- Rappers from New York City
