Funk Flex is reportedly moving from the afternoon/early evening slot to take over the morning show slot on New York’s Hot 97 on December 15th, replacing “Ebro in the Morning” after its abrupt end.
Sources report that Funk Flex will shift from his recent move to a partial afternoon drive slot that started at 5pm until 10pm to take over mornings at Hot 97. Flex was the long‑running night host at the station and at an appearance from earlier this year he said, “And I’ma keep it a buck, too. That Hot 97, I built that motherf***a.” Now it appears it will be Flex’s job to keep the station relevant. Expect Flex to be joined by one or two of the other part time/weekend staffers at Hot 97. [See update below. Flex says he will only be replacing Ebro for one day.]
Here’s Funk Flex’s (formerly known as Funkmaster Flex) iconic on air world premiere release of Jay-Z and Kanye’s “Otis.”
Maybe Hot 97 putting Flex in the morning will finally appease the social media crowd that’s spent years dragging Ebro in the Morning with cries of “gatekeepers!”
This is the same crowd convinced Hot 97 “doesn’t play new hip-hop,” and expects brand-new, unproven artists to get spins the exact moment they flip on the radio—no matter the daypart. Never mind that 99% of listeners are commuting, at work, or heading home.
What gets lost in all the noise is a simple reality: radio is a business. Stations survive by keeping listeners tuned in. For a hip-hop (technically rhythmic) station like Hot 97, that means music + commercials + content that engages the largest possible audience.
What the loudest critics are really saying is: because me and my hangers-on want Hot 97 to play new artists so we can generate buzz and money in the industry, we don’t care if the core audience tunes out.
And that’s the disconnect.
The elephant in the room is this: Ebro in the Morning wasn’t cancelled due to ratings.
Let’s see how much different Funk Flex’s night show is compared to what he is about to do in the mornings? Kind of hard to be here out in these streets and wake up to do a morning show playing the artists you heard in the club the night before.
(Here are some clueless takes. A bunch of dudes just talking!)
So we are clear! I’m only covering tomorrow only! (One day)
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