The Kid Mero and Kazeem “Kaz” Famuyide have taken aim at Hot 97’s leadership on their own radio show, criticizing the station over reported payment disputes, staff departures and outdated technology.
During a roughly 15-minute on-air rant on Mornings with Mero, the co-hosts questioned how the legendary New York hip-hop station is being managed, despite the talent working to keep it competitive.
One of their biggest complaints involved personalities leaving the station amid reported contract disputes. They also raised concerns about freelance workers allegedly not receiving payments they had been promised and criticized the station for continuing to use outdated technology.
Mero used a basketball analogy to make his point, comparing Hot 97’s talent to a strong team that cannot win a championship if its ownership group does not know how to manage it.
Kaz was even more direct, describing Hot 97 as “the worst place” he had ever worked. Mero agreed with his co-host’s assessment.
The criticism comes after several longtime Hot 97 morning-show personalities departed the company. Peter Rosenberg, Ebro Darden and Laura Stylez have all recently left the station, according to the source report.
Ebro had previously argued in December 2025 that Hot 97 was pursuing venture-capital money by cutting costs, including salaries. That explanation reflects Ebro’s account of the situation, rather than an independently established explanation for every departure.
The latest criticism puts the station’s internal challenges in the spotlight, with Mero and Kaz publicly questioning the decisions of the management team they work under.
Their comments are particularly notable because they are current employees criticizing their own workplace on air. As of Saturday, according to the report, neither host appeared to have left Hot 97.
It remains unclear whether the station will respond to their remarks. The outlet that reported the story said it had contacted Hot 97 but had not received a response at the time of publication.
For now, the dispute has created a public conversation about management, compensation and talent retention at one of New York’s best-known hip-hop radio stations. Whether the criticism leads to any changes inside Hot 97 remains to be seen.
