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Astro Changes His Name and Calls Out Ebro on Hot 97

The 18-year-old rhymer says New York artists don't get support.

Brooklyn rapper Stro (fka Astro) went on Hot 97 to announce a name change and premiere his new single, “Mighty Healthy ’16.” Throughout his interview with Ebro, the 18-year-old rhymer was outspoken about New York’s lack of support for new artists in the city, calling out the gatekeepers at radio and DJs who have the power to co-sign talent that’s bubbling out of the underground.

The 20-minute discussion went into detail about how a rapper coming up gets hot enough to get played on radio. Stro, who has singles like “Champion” making noise online, went at Ebro for the fact that New York artists don’t get radio support. In Ebro’s counterargument, he strongly believes that a street buzz needs to happen, as well as selling out local venues in order for radio to take notice. Simply put, rappers need to put in the work to get a shot.

Later on, Stro fires back with another scenario about other markets in LA and Atlanta that consistently break new artists on radio. We’ve heard this argument before a lot of times in hip hop, so is one side right over the other?

Watch the full interview below and stream Stro’s “Mighty Healthy ’16” here, which pays homage to Ghostface Killah’s Supreme Clientele cut.

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(Photo: Tommaso Boddi/Getty Images for DCP)

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