“Power 105, survived an RV, sexy in the city, it’s going down lockdown love baby,” is a phrase familiar to late-night radio in New York City. If you haven’t guessed it by now, this is the legendary Radio Mogul and Grammy-Award Winning Publisher Cherry Martinez. Blazing the airwaves for years, Cherry has given listeners access to her vibrant spirit and comforting words. However, she has evolved so much after parting ways with Power 105. Now she heads many businesses including CherryOnTop, a marketing platform, Code Media, a music publishing company she started with her son D’Anthony Bly, and FMHipHop.com, a digital radio station. Most famously her company, Code Media, published the Grammy-winning song “Focus” by H.E.R. and lent a hand to Fetty Wap by contributing to his radio version of the seven-time Grammy nominated song “Trap Queen” which sold 10 million units which are certified Diamond now. It does not stop there, in addition, she has also appeared in films such as Butter, Love Lockdown, Reverend Do Wrong Ain’t Right, Mob Wives, and 3 Strikes.
So we made it happen. The opportunity to have a great chat with Cherry to recount her experience, talk about the life lessons she learned and see what is in store for her presence and the future.
You are known as the legendary radio mogul, New York DJ, media personality, and philanthropist. But how did you get your start in the music and radio industry?
So I started in my hometown of Boston, as a singer. In my high school years, I wanted to really pursue it (singing) but it was not working out for me. Then I stumbled upon an internship at a radio station in my first year of college. So I just went ahead and did it, then I fell in love with the whole entire industry. Music has been my foundation but when I stumbled upon that internship in college, that is what really solidified what I wanted to do in terms of media. Being able to mesh the two, media and music, it went hand in hand and it was just a no brainer. So that is really what my start was.
What advice will you give to young persons wanting to get into radio, podcast, or streaming?
Okay if you are trying to get into radio, I would say internships. Unless you really are driven or have a personality that just oozes out of the speakers, then you can go and start your own podcast. You need to do some studying, you need to listen, you need to be reading but for the most part, I feel that a lot of people don’t value internships anymore. Internships are what did it for me. You get to go in and you get to work with seasoned veterans. You get to learn right there, right under their wing. You even get to become one of their favorites. So for me I would say try to get mentored by someone who is very experienced and if you can do that through internships that’s a plus too.
Do you believe streaming will put a damper on the radio?
Yes, and I think it has but I don’t think the radio is going to go away. I just feel like there are more options. And I think that a lot of the old school people that appreciated radio and will continue to listen to the radio and then when it comes to the new generation, they’re just going to have to really split up between radio and streaming. You are going to have some people that will be listening to the radio and some people that will be listening to streaming platforms depending on what some people want to do. Some people are lazy and they want the music being chosen for them and then there are some people who prefer to put it together for themselves.
You seem to always have a smile and great energy within you. How do you do it? Especially in these times.
I was trained to talk with a smile. That was the first thing they said, make sure you are talking with a smile because if you are talking with a smile people are going to hear it. I attribute that to my training.
You are at the head of a few businesses, but FM Hip-hop is close to your heart. What would you say FM Hip-hop offers to the hip-hop industry?
We are developing. It is a multimedia platform, that’s what we are building, that’s the goal. We are curating it to be a multimedia platform.
In all your years in the business, what will you say is your most valuable moment and the most bizarre?
The most valuable moments I would say are the moments that I moved on from the radio. I was probably at the ten, top ten stations, and all of those moments were valuable to me because what I learned was priceless. To be able to go into these different markets, learn, grow and the experience was just like I said priceless. It’s what I believe got me my job at Power105 New York City.
My most bizarre moments will be broadcasting through Hurricane Irene. That was a crazy moment for me. That was really sad. For Hurricane Irene, we were summoned, all of the radio personalities, they were like we don’t care if there is a hurricane, you need to come to work. We’ll pay for your hotel. So we went to the hotel and we had to stay there for at least three days in complete darkness. That was a completely depressing lonely moment for me. I would say that was like whoa. A lot of the radio people in that cluster IHEART Radio were at Soho hotel or Tribeca hotel. And we were all in the dark and it was a lonely moment where we all had to kind of rely on each other for strength.
You are well known in the music industry but we know you have dabbled in the film industry with a few productions under your belt. Do you plan on being in and/or creating more films or television productions for platforms?
Absolutely, and I will love to be featured in more films or TV series. I mean 50 Cent if he could cast me. I’m Cookie. He needs to have me on one of his segments and that will just set everything off. But Yes I am definitely working on some productions you can absolutely look out for.
Cherry Martinez has shown she will continue to blaze a trail to keep pushing to do what her heart is set on. We will be on the lookout for her.
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