Key Takeaways
- Funkmaster Flex, born Aston George Taylor Jr. in the Bronx, has hosted a rap show on Hot 97 since spring 1992 and now airs weekdays at 5 p.m.
- Funkmaster Flex premiered Kanye West and Jay-Z's "Otis" on July 20, 2011, restarting the song 25 times and setting off his bomb drop 63 times over more than 22 minutes.
- Funkmaster Flex has drawn pushback from Kid Capri, who told him "You talk too crazy," and from fans who noticed he never played two unreleased songs he listed in April.
- Funkmaster Flex answered Conway the Machine's 2022 "old gatekeeper" criticism with Instagram posts, jokingly calling himself "grandpa" and trading shots with Pete Rock as the feud grew.
Funk Flex has once again drawn criticism for his rather talkative nature on the airwaves.
In an Instagram post, Flex shared a DM from a listener which read, “When you DJ on the radio, can you please not talk so much? You ruining the vibes lowkey.”
The iconic Hot 97 DJ replied in the caption, writing, “I TALK TOO MUCH? YOU HATE ME IN THE CAR? I RUIN YALL VIBE? SHOULD I SHUT UP?”
The bomb drop sound effect is his signature. When he premiered Kanye West and Jay-Z's "Otis" on July 20, 2011, he restarted the song 25 times and set off the bomb 63 times, so the song ran more than 22 minutes.
In April, Flex said he was premiering an unreleased Drake song and an unreleased Ye song featuring Ty Dolla Sign on his Instagram Stories. Listeners then noticed he never played either one.
