New York radio hosts The Kid Mero and Kazeem “Kaz” Famuyide have criticised the leadership of Hot 97 during a 15-minute on-air rant, despite continuing to work for the station.
The presenters of “Mornings with Mero” accused the owners of failing to support the station’s talent, while also complaining about outdated technology and the treatment of freelancers.
Famuyide described Hot 97 as “the worst place I’ve ever worked at”, a view Mero appeared to agree with during the broadcast.
The pair also raised concerns about talented personalities leaving the influential hip-hop station amid contract disputes. They claimed that some freelancers had not received payments they had been promised.
Mero compared the station’s talent to a strong basketball team that could not win a championship because its ownership group did not know how to run it. The hosts also said their ratings were better than those of “The Breakfast Club”.
The criticism comes after former longtime Hot 97 morning hosts Peter Rosenberg, Ebro and Laura Stylez left the company. Ebro said in December 2025 that the departures were linked to efforts to pursue venture capital money by cutting costs, including salaries.
During their broadcast, Mero and Famuyide also questioned the structure of the station’s management, referring to meetings where senior figures were paid substantially more while their roles were unclear.
Their criticism was broadcast on Wednesday. As of Saturday, neither presenter appeared to have left Hot 97.
The station had not responded to the criticism.
