Hot 97's troubles have become a running conversation across Hip Hop media, and Fat Joe couldn't resist getting a few jokes off about the legendary New York radio station. Reports of employee frustrations and financial problems got the Bronx rapper talking, and his longtime relationship with Funkmaster Flex made the conversation especially entertaining. During Tuesday's (Oct. 27) episode of Joe and Jada, Fat Joe and Jadakiss discussed the recent controversy involving Hot 97's morning personalities, The Kid Mero and Kazeem "Kaz" Famuyide. Their producer cited reports that employees were allegedly going unpaid and that the station had furloughed staff.
Joe immediately began questioning who was actually getting paid before turning his attention to Flex. He joked that the longtime DJ must be getting paid because he represents the station so fiercely, suggesting he'd tattooed Hot 97's name in a rather unfortunate location. Jadakiss couldn't let that one slide, correcting Joe's description of where the imaginary tattoo would be.
The jokes continued when Joe brought up Hot 97's Summer Jam, admitting that some of what he witnessed at the event left him confused. He recalled attending to perform alongside Yung Miami before deciding he'd seen enough. "I had to run the fuck up out of there," he joked.
Read More: Mero & Kazeem's Hot 97 Rant Leads To More Claims From Scottie Beam
Fat Joe Weighs In On Hot 97's Growing Controversy
The discussion wasn't entirely at the station's expense. Joe pushed back when the conversation suggested Flex was at odds with Mero and Kaz, explaining that he didn't believe the veteran DJ deserved blame for decisions being made by management. He also made a point of acknowledging Flex's influence on his career. "Fat Joe ain't who he is if it wasn't for Funkmaster Flex," he said.
The remarks follow an unusually public dispute involving Hot 97's morning show. During an Oct. 14 broadcast, Mero and Kaz criticized the station's leadership, with Kaz describing it as the worst workplace he'd experienced. Former producer Scottie Beam subsequently alleged that employees had been furloughed and raised concerns about unpaid obligations.
Former Hot 97 personalities Ebro Darden and Peter Rosenberg have also criticized the station's parent company, MediaCo. Rosenberg questioned management's approach to staffing, while Ebro claimed the company had reduced resources that previously supported programming.
The Oct. 14 segment featuring Mero and Kaz was subsequently removed from Hot 97's official YouTube channel, although clips continued circulating online. MediaCo has yet to publicly address the allegations concerning employee compensation or the reported furloughs. With the station's current and former personalities airing their frustrations across multiple platforms, the dispute has drawn attention well beyond its own airwaves.
Read More: Peter Rosenberg Goes After Hot 97 For Recent Layoffs
