Ebro Darden is speaking out after Fat Joe accused him of behaving like a “dictator” during the intense rivalry between New York’s Hot 97 and Power 105.1.
On a recent episode of The Ebro & Laura Rosenberg Show, Ebro didn’t dodge the criticism. He admitted he came in strong during that era, directly addressing Fat Joe’s claim that he pressured artists to stay loyal to Hot 97 instead of aligning with its competitor, Power 105.1 — which is backed by media giant iHeartMedia. According to Ebro, it wasn’t about control; it was about loyalty and protecting his team.
“I was on that type of time,” Ebro said. “We was up against a behemoth and we was always there first for artists… So what was our other mode to be? We was just going to fold up, roll up and act like it was cool for y’all to run down the street and kiss ass to them and not do nothing for us?”
He made it clear he stands by how he handled things. “I definitely was on my BS 1,000%. Had to be. Had to protect my team. I had to ride for my team. You guys thought we was just going to gladhand, be happy to be here while y’all just run around with these corporate behemoths.”
Ebro also pointed out what he believes many people overlook — that Hot 97 operates independently and on a much smaller scale compared to its corporate-backed rival.
“A lot of people don’t even know Hot 97 is really an independent small flagship,” he explained. “It’s one station. There’s no partners all across the globe.”
Fat Joe initially made the “dictator” comment during an appearance on Joe & Jada, where he reflected on the tough spot artists were in at the time. While he credited Hot 97 with helping launch his career, he acknowledged that Power 105.1’s wide-reaching network created pressure to stay connected there too.
“You got dictators like Ebro on Hot 97,” Joe said. “‘You don’t come here, we running the show.'”
Joe also highlighted how Power 105’s corporate backing gave it national reach, making the decision even more complicated for artists.
“What they didn’t realize is that that station came with 40 other stations,” he said. “So it was like, do you want to be the hottest on Hot 97… or you want to get played in 40 other stations?”
