Hip Hop/ Rap
Drake’s Axe Emoji Reaction to ‘Ebro in the Morning’ Cancellation Ignites War of Words
The cancellation of Hot 97’s long-running morning show, Ebro in the Morning, has triggered one of hip-hop media’s messiest public fallouts, with Drake, Ebro Darden, and Peter Rosenberg trading shots across social media. What began as a single emoji has now spiraled into accusations, leaked DMs, and renewed scrutiny of an already bitter feud.
The Axe Emoji That Set Everything Off
After Ebro in the Morning officially ended on December 12, 2025, Drake reacted to a clip of Ebro explaining the show’s cancellation by dropping a single axe emoji in the comments. The minimalist response was immediately interpreted as celebratory — and deeply disrespectful.
Former co-host Peter Rosenberg, who was let go after a 19-year tenure at Hot 97, responded sharply on X (formerly Twitter), accusing Drake of mocking their “demise.” While Rosenberg wished the rapper well, he also claimed that leaving the station would ultimately make the team “much bigger,” arguing that Hot 97 had been “lost” since being acquired by corporate ownership.
I used to think of Drake fans as attractive women who liked to party … now it’s like weird twitch commenters who are absolutely virgins
— Peter Rosenberg (@Rosenbergradio) December 15, 2025
Rosenberg Takes Aim at Drake’s Fanbase
Rosenberg didn’t stop there. In subsequent posts, he escalated the rhetoric by attacking Drake’s fanbase, claiming it had shifted from “attractive women who liked to party” to “weird Twitch commenters” and “virgins.” The remarks quickly went viral, adding fuel to an already inflamed online discourse around Drake’s cultural influence and celebrity persona.
Ebro Responds With Political Accusations
Ebro Darden also fired back, alleging that Drake is “right wing” and aligned with conservative media figures — claims the rapper has never publicly addressed. In a video explaining the show’s cancellation, Ebro suggested his outspoken progressive, anti-government, and anti-Netanyahu views played a role in Hot 97 pushing him out.
According to Darden, major media companies are increasingly prioritizing licensing, fundraising, and corporate access over challenging voices. “They need my progressive s—t out of the way,” he claimed, framing the cancellation as politically motivated rather than ratings-driven.
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Leaked DMs Push the Feud Further
The conflict escalated further when Ebro revealed alleged Instagram DMs from Drake, sent at 3:30 a.m., on his new YouTube platform, The Ebro, Laura, Rosenberg Show. The messages reportedly included explicit insults, prompting Rosenberg to jokingly suggest legal action. Ebro, however, downplayed the exchange, responding to Drake by urging him to relax and referencing his recent loss to Kendrick Lamar.
A Feud Years in the Making
The tension between Drake and Ebro dates back to 2018, when Darden criticized Drake for avoiding conversations around Black social issues. Since then, clashes in 2023 and early 2025 — including Ebro calling Drake a “sickness in the game” — have kept the rivalry simmering.
Now, with Ebro in the Morning officially off the air after more than a decade, the axe emoji may have marked not just the end of a show, but the beginning of an even louder media battle.
