Angie Martinez sent shockwaves throughout the hip-hop industry recently when she was stepping down as a longtime host of pioneering station Hot 97 and moving on to rival station Power 105.1. As a signature industry radio personality, Martinez has interviewed everyone from 2pac to Barack Obama and become arguably one of the most powerful women in hip-hop. 

In a profile by Jon Coscarelli for New York Magazine, Martinez sheds some light about questions she had about her own earning potential as one of hip-hop’s signature female voices:

Still, "nobody saw it coming. I didn’t see it coming," she explains as scattering assistants set the table with fish tacos for the next shot, a family meal including her 11-year-old son, Niko. "I just got to a point where I thought to myself, I’m curious about what my value is in the market, and let me just see what’s out there," she says. Like professional wrestlers (or rap crews), the stations trade taunts and play up their bad blood for entertainment and ratings, but Martinez insists she’s received nothing but support from her co-workers, past and future. "We’re not gangs. Nobody’s gonna hurt each other. That’s never gonna happen," she says. "We’re all competitive people." After the big announcement, Ebro Darden, Hot 97’s former program director turned on-air talent, tweeted, "Angie, I love you and gave my life to protect you. This is a great opportunity to extend your brand!! Get that $$."

Martinez’s move shows that even at the top, women still have to fight for what they’re worth in the entertainment industry. Read more.