'Where Hip-Hop Lives' is not a slogan Hot 97 takes lightly. WQHT at 97.1 FM launched its famous format in New York on 22 September 1988 as a rhythmic-dance station and had pivoted to hip-hop and R&B by 1993, becoming the genre's most influential platform. Funkmaster Flex joined in 1992 with the city's first hip-hop show, Angie Martinez became the 'Voice of New York' from its studios, and its Summer Jam festival, first staged on 21 June 1994, remains hip-hop's defining live showcase.
