Hot 97 is stepping into the middle of the ongoing back-and-forth between Kid Cudi and Jim Jones over the impact of Jones' "Day 'N' Nite" remix, and the iconic New York radio station came with receipts.
During a recent on-air discussion, Hot 97 personalities The Kid Mero, Kazeem Famuyide, and DJ Kast One revisited the timeline of how Cudi's breakout record gained traction, weighing in on claims made by both artists about who helped push the song to mainstream success.
Kazeem, who was covering the rise of early blog-era artists while working at The Source, explained that both rappers may be telling partial truths.
"I was keeping track of all the blog guys, the Cudis, the Wales, the Asher Roths, Charles Hamilton, all those guys," Kazeem said. "I feel like they're both kind of right. I think Jim Jones might have embellished just a little bit of the importance, and I do think Kid Cudi might have understated the impact of how much that 'Day 'N' Nite' remix was played on this very station and how important it was to be played on Hot 97."
DJ Kast One then went a step further by pulling up the station's play history. Kast revealed that he was the first DJ at Hot 97 to spin the original version of "Day' N' Nite" on June 8, 2008, months before Jim Jones jumped on the remix. However, he acknowledged that Jones' involvement did elevate the song's visibility.
"Most people really didn't know about the record or know who Kid Cudi was at the time when I was playing it," he explained. "Five months later, the Jim Jones remix comes out, and it did take the record to a different level… Jim Jones at the time, he was hot as fish grease."
Kazeem echoed that sentiment, saying Jones wasn't the sole reason for Cudi's success, but that played a major role in bringing Cudi attention in New York.
"Is he the sole reason Kid Cudi popped off? I wouldn't go that far," he said. "But is he a big reason why a lot of people in New York…got to know who Kid Cudi was? Absolutely."
Mero also chimed in, recalling how the song expanded beyond blogs and headphones once the remix took off.
"I forgot it's in a video game… that's the first time I heard it repeatedly," Mero said. "But the Jim Jones record took it to another level because now I'm hearing it outside."
The Hot 97 breakdown comes after Kid Cudi fired back at Jim Jones on Instagram, following Jones' claims that he was responsible for launching Cudi's career. Cudi addressed Jones directly in a series of posts, pushing back on the narrative that the remix made him famous.
"'Day 'N' Nite' was already a hit record before you touched it, my n***a," Cudi said. "I put it on my MySpace, it blew up. I had an entire mixtape. I was on my way."
He went on to explain that major industry figures including Kanye West were already courting him, long before the remix surfaced.
"You saw a hit record and jumped on it," Cudi added. "I didn't ask you to do that."