New Rory & Mal: Best of Rory & Mal: Week of 12/15

Podcast by iHeartPodcasts and The Volume
Release Date: December 21, 2025

Overview

This episode is a "Best Of" compilation, but centers primarily on a handful of lively, in-depth conversations around hip hop culture, radio shifts, music criticism, and personal anecdotes with special guest Ghostface Killah. The hosts jump between incisive takes on industry news (like the end of Hot 97’s Ebro in the Morning show), critical reviews of recent anticipated albums (notably Nas & DJ Premier, and Conway), and humorous and insightful stories from the hip hop world. The tone is candid, irreverent, battle-tested, and always in conversation with the culture’s current and historical context.

Key Topics and Insights

1. Hip Hop Beef & Internet Culture: Drake, Ebro, and DMs

[02:59 – 09:40]

• Discussion:
  The hosts kick things off debating the controversy around Drake allegedly sending threatening DMs to Ebro, with messages like "die slow, pussy." The conversation is both playful and analytical, interrogating if such hostile language is a genuine threat or just bravado, especially coming from an artist at Drake’s level.

• Main Points:

  • Drake responded to radio personality Ebro’s public criticism with unusually sharp words.
  • There’s disagreement on how seriously to take such language in the rap world versus “real life” threat levels.
  • The panel reflects on the changing climate of internet and drill culture, where violent language gets normalized online.

• Quotes:

  • Music Critic 1: “Sometimes he want to play Petty. Sometimes he going, he gonna be Petty sometimes. So sometimes I'm gonna say, die slower, pussy.” [06:20]
  • Music Critic 2: “Everyone is speaking like they're all drill rappers, no matter who you are. People feel like that's just acceptable vernacular now.” [07:20]

2. The End of an Era: Ebro in the Morning & Hot 97 Shakeup

[09:44 – 21:11]

• Discussion:
  With Hot 97’s legendary morning show coming to an end, the crew unpacks why the change happened, what it means for radio, and how media gatekeeping and personalities have shifted.

• Main Points:

  • Praise for Ebro, Peter Rosenberg, and Laura Stylez’s contributions and chemistry.
  • Analysis of why traditional radio is waning — changes in listening habits, audience fragmentation, and competition from festivals and digital.
  • The reality of industry turnover, especially as companies pivot or downsize.
  • Rumors and speculation about who might take over the slot, with teases of a "perfect" new host.

• Quotes:

  • Music Critic 2: “Radio needs to adjust and pivot to the times…when we were growing up, they treated radio like clubs. Like, we're changing the name every year.” [10:55]
  • Music Critic 1: "It can box you in and keep you from growing and other opportunities… So to have something like Ebro in the morning for so many years and that team to be dedicated to doing that for so many years, it's not a small thing, man.” [24:03]

3. The Future of Radio – Is It Dead?

[16:13 – 20:16]

• Discussion:

  • Reflection on changing patterns in music consumption — playlists replacing programmed radio.
  • A generational split: older listeners still value radio’s one-click simplicity, but younger folks want curation.
  • Anticipation about how radio must evolve ("shifts for the next 40, 50 years now").

• Notable Segments:

  • "What is the next move for Hot 97?" [20:26]
  • “All the new blood that would be good may not want to go at radio. Like, they have their own thing, whether it be podcasts and streaming like Twitch.” [20:38]

4. Album Reviews: Nas & DJ Premier, Conway

[31:55 – 43:14]

Nas & DJ Premier: Highly-Anticipated, Hotly-Debated

• Discussion:

  • Debate over the long-awaited collaboration album being 'underwhelming' for some due to subdued production, though Nas’s lyrics remain intricate and dense.
  • Discussion of how recent Hit-Boy collaborations may have raised fans' expectations for Nas's sound.
  • Respectful, nuanced takes on why the album isn’t designed for instant satisfaction, but as a "slow burn."

• Quotes:

  • Music Critic 2: “That's like the most rapping I think I've ever heard…This was like a book…a TED Talk. And I mean that in a good way.” [34:46]
  • Music Critic 1: “For years people have given Nas slack. Like, you know, his production is lackluster…The music on a lot of the tracks didn't carry Nas's lyrics as much as they could have.” [36:03]
  • Music Critic 2: “If Nas had all this to say, then you're gonna get a clean canvas, not a Nas is like type of canvas.” [35:47]

Conway: Evolution and Consistency

• Discussion:

  • Universal praise for Conway’s new album, noting both consistent rapping skills and production growth.
  • Special highlights for taking more control (less features, doing hooks), and working with producers like Justice League.

• Quotes:

  • Music Critic 1: “This is one of Conway's best albums…On the production side, the music side, getting more into…he's not. Not too many features. A lot of the songs is just him by himself doing the hooks, everything.” [41:56]
  • Music Critic 2: “These are some of my favorite beats that comp it…they find new ways to make straight rapping interesting again and again.” [43:08]

5. Hip Hop Storytime: Ghostface Killah & the Slick Rick Jewelry Story

[43:20 – 50:37]

• Discussion:
  Ghostface Killah tells the hilarious and nerve-wracking story of borrowing Slick Rick’s jewelry before a legendary Madison Square Garden performance with Beyoncé. The tale is full of behind-the-scenes anxiety, comedic timing, and a look at the respect and camaraderie between legends.

• Highlights:

  • Ghostface nearly forgets his opening lines under the weight (literally and metaphorically) of Slick Rick’s jewelry.
  • Dame Dash’s "oh shit" reaction seeing Ghost with all the bling.
  • Appreciation for performing that remix only once.

• Quotes:

  • Ghostface Killah: “He had his little bag, and he just started throwing me…Like, I just got heavier and heavy and heavier. It was like, yo, I can't rap this way.” [45:16]
  • Ghostface Killah: “That might have been one of the best times or probably the best time without the clan that I ever had, like, on stage…hearing the raw from the crowd.” [47:56]

6. Candid COVID Memories: Confessions and Laughs

[50:48 – 52:31]

• Ghostface recalls ultra-cautious COVID anxiety and refusing in-person contact to protect his health, adding his own comedic spin to early-pandemic behaviors (“holding my breath every five minutes").

Memorable Quotes

| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote | |---|---|---| | 06:20 | Music Critic 1 | “Sometimes I'm gonna say, die slower, pussy.” | | 07:20 | Music Critic 2 | “Everyone is speaking like they're all drill rappers…People feel like that's just acceptable vernacular now.” | | 10:55 | Music Critic 2 | “Radio needs to adjust and pivot to the times…when we were growing up, they treated radio like clubs. Like, we're changing the name every year.” | | 24:03 | Music Critic 1 | "It can box you in and keep you from growing and other opportunities…So to have something like Ebro in the morning…that's not a small thing, man.” | | 34:46 | Music Critic 2 | “This was like a book…a TED Talk. And I mean that in a good way.” | | 43:16 | Music Critic 2 | “I love that he put Yayo on the though.” | | 45:16 | Ghostface Killah | “He had his little bag, and he just started throwing me…Like, I just got heavier and heavy and heavier. It was like, yo, I can't rap this way.” |

Key Timestamps for Segments

• Drake, Ebro, and Internet Threats: [02:59 – 09:40]
• Hot97 / Ebro’s Show Ends: [09:44 – 21:11]
• Radio’s Future: [16:13 – 20:16]
• Nas & DJ Premier Album Review: [31:55 – 41:12]
• Conway Album Review: [41:21 – 43:14]
• Ghostface & Slick Rick Jewelry Story: [43:20 – 50:37]
• Ghostface COVID Paranoia: [50:48 – 52:31]

Tone & Style

The tone is conversational, opinionated, sometimes hilarious, and always deeply rooted in hip hop culture’s past and present. The hosts balance humor and insight, and even the critiques are rooted in love for the culture rather than empty hot takes.

Conclusion

This "Best Of" cuts to the heart of what makes New Rory & Mal magnetic: honest debates about music old and new, industry insight, and legendary hip hop storytelling. Whether unpacking heavyweight album drops or the impacts of industry change, the hosts and guests keep it real — and really entertaining.