The Kid Mero is taking over the airwaves of New York City.
On Monday (Jan. 12), Hot 97 announced that Mero will become one of the faces of the station and the host of the station’s morning show starting on Tuesday (Jan. 13) with “Hot 97 Mornings with Mero.”
“Hot 97 is the station—it’s been the voice of NYC hip-hop and culture for decades,” Mero said in a press statement. “I grew up listening to Hot 97, so to get the morning slot here isn’t just a job—it’s a responsibility to continue that legacy while bringing it into this next era of media. We’re gonna laugh, we’re gonna get into it, but it’s always gonna be real, and a real good time!”
“HOT 97 has always been about representing the culture of New York, and Mero is New York,” Kudjo Sogadzi, EVP of Content & Growth at MediaCo added. “He’s authentic, hilarious, fearless, and deeply connected to the community. HOT 97 Mornings with Mero is going to set the tone for the city every morning and create must-listen moments for our audience.”
Mero, who hosts the “Victory Light with The Kid Mero” podcast and co-hosts “7PM In Brooklyn” alongside Basketball Hall of Famer Carmelo Anthony, succeeds “Ebro In The Morning,” Hot 97’s long-running morning show that was canceled last December. On his last day with the company, the show’s eponymous host, Ebro Darden, criticized the station’s ownership for its decision-making and accused it of removing him from the air due to his opinions on certain subjects.
“You look around at all the major media outlets… they all gotta fold up because they’re all trying to renew their deals and their licenses,” he said.
He continued, “Bro’s a casino owner. You know the three licenses they got in NY for the casino? The guy that owns the sh-t owns one of the casino licenses. He gotta raise half a billion dollars. They need my sh-t talking, anti-Netanyahu, anti-government, progressive sh-t out of the way, bro. They need me out of the way.”
Darden & Co.’s exit led to mixed reactions in the hip-hop community, with some praising the show and others blaming it for the decline of New York hip-hop. Drake, who has feuded with Darden over several topics, notably the Canadian rapper’s beef with Kendrick Lamar, taunted Darden and his co-host, Peter Rosenberg, for their show’s demise.
Darden, Rosenberg, and Laura Stylez have since launched a daily YouTube show since departing from New York’s longest-running hip-hop station.
