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March 22, 2024
Funkmaster Flex is making a time shift on Hot97 that reportedly has PM drive host Nessa Diab “very upset.”
Funkmaster Flex is making a time shift on Hot97 that reportedly has PM drive host Nessa Diab “very upset.”
Insiders revealed changes coming to the famed New York-based hip-hop radio station, which includes a move for DJ Funkmaster Flex to the 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. weekday slot that’s been occupied by Diab for some time now. Diab will be moved back to the 7 p.m. to midnight time slot that Flex has held down for decades.
Sources say Diab is “very upset” about the move and how the news was relayed to her, Page Six reported.
“Hot97 executives didn’t even respect her enough to call her directly about the changes, but informed her team of the change, leaving Nessa feeling blindsided,” the insider shared.
Since her Nessa On Air show became nationally syndicated back in 2015, Diab has become the number one rap host among the 18-34 demo. Meanwhile, Flex has been a staple at Hot97 since the early 90s when he helped transition the then-pop station into a rap and R&B station with its first hip-hop show in 1992.
The Bronx native is highly respected in the hip-hop industry and aided in the rise of the culture with his early mixtapes like The Tunnel, which featured hip-hop legends like Tupac Shakur, Biggie Smalls, Nas, Eminem, Lil Kim, Jay Z, and more. A freestyle on Flex’s radio show is still regarded as a way of earning respect in the rap game.
Diab sees it as a “step back” in her career if she has to move her show to the late-night spot, insiders said. On top of that, she’s a mother to a child she welcomed with NFL alum Colin Kaepernick in 2022 and thinks the time change will impact the time she gets to spend with her little one.
“Nessa has accomplished a lot [broadcasting] so to move her to nights is not only disrespectful but it would totally interrupt spending time with her child,” the insider said. “She is really upset about the time switch and is looking into ways to keeping her schedule as is after all it is what she signed up for.”
However, considering Flex’s power at Hot97, it’s likely his decision will be the final one.
“Funkmaster Flex is the face of Hot 97 and has been an influential force within the hip hop community for over three decades. So he will always take precedence when it comes the time slots,” the source explained.
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