New Rory & MAL: Best of Rory & Mal – Week of 8/11

Date: August 17, 2025
Podcast: New Rory & MAL
Hosts: Rory, MAL
Producer: iHeartPodcasts and The Volume

Episode Overview

This "Best Of" episode features highlights from a week in August 2025, with Rory and Mal diving into the rapid pace of today’s music industry, the challenges of true music appreciation, thoughts on artist strategies, and reflections on live experiences from concerts such as Chris Brown’s “Breezy Bowl.” The episode also features an in-depth guest segment—likely with Chance the Rapper—discussing media scrutiny, viral moments, and relationships in the music business, particularly with Kanye West. The tone is candid, humorous, and introspective, punctuated by real-life anecdotes and unfiltered hot takes.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Overload of New Music

(02:08–07:38)

• Mal expresses concern about the sheer volume of weekly music releases, referencing new albums by JID, Gunna, and Bryson Tiller.

  • "I do think that it's bad that we get this much new music...when do we have the time to really, like, listen to all of this?" (02:08)

• The hosts reminisce about deeper past connections to music, highlighting distractions of modern listening (listening on phones, social media, multitasking).

• Rory reframes it as an entertainment industry-wide issue; music is now one piece of a larger content firehose.

• Discussion on the profanity of "conveyor belt" listening, loss of patience, and reduced emotional attachment.

  "There's like a wall in between us and really connecting to the music, it feels like." – Mal (03:55)

• The duo recall the old days of physical CDs, standing by the radio, and how streaming changed the cadence of music enjoyment.

2. Artist Strategy: Serving the Core vs. Chasing the Masses

(07:38–11:48)

• Rory and Mal debate how artists should navigate today's climate: whether to labor over an album for years only for listeners to skim through.

• Emphasis on the importance of building and serving a core fanbase rather than "chasing viral moments."

  "At the end of the day, it's still the core that's really going to matter and return. And that's the only people you really should feed." – Rory (08:36)

• JID’s new release is cited as an example of an artist making music for devoted fans rather than chasing trends or mass appeal.

3. Changing Relationship with Music Discovery and Consumption

(11:48–17:36)

• The duo continue reminiscing on old-school music discovery methods: taping radio, carrying CD booklets, and the anticipation for album releases.

• The contrast between nostalgia and technology: delight at instant access, but lament for lost communal, memorable moments.

• Reflection on radio culture—waiting for specific songs, feeling forced to engage with only a handful of hits, and how scarcity once created real moments.

  "Had I had the ability to just listen to Country Grammar every five minutes, I probably would have moved the. On the fact that we sat around the radio waiting for that song, even if it played every hour, like, it made it resonate more." – Rory (16:24)

4. Deep Dive Review: JID’s ‘God Does Like Ugly’

(18:26–28:29)

a. First Impressions and Standout Tracks

(18:26–21:31)

• Mal and Rory both praise the JID album as a creative, detail-oriented project with standout lyrics, flows, and production.
  • Mal: "Like, this feels like an album that would have came out in the 90s. Yep. Like, it has that energy." (20:18)
• Specific shoutouts for tracks like “G’s” and “For Keeps.”

b. Atlanta Influence and Features

(21:32–24:37)

• Discussion of Atlanta’s legacy—Dungeon Family, Goody Mob, Outkast—and how JID and Earthgang modernize that sound.
• Praise for features: Clips, Malice ("might have another verse of the year" – Mal, 23:50), Pastor Troy, Vince Staples, Don Toliver.

c. Dreamville’s Artist-Friendly System

(25:47–27:48)

• The hosts credit Dreamville (J. Cole's label) for fostering creativity without commercial or stylistic pressure.
  • "I think the system that Even and Cole have with their artists is the best way." – Rory (26:36)

d. Challenges of Music Saturation for Both Listeners and Artists

(28:04–28:29)

• The hosts note the impossibility of properly digesting quality albums before the next “big drop” comes along.

5. Live Show Adventures: Breezy Bowl Recap

(31:05–44:49)

• Rory describes attending back-to-back sold-out Chris Brown stadium shows (w/Bryson Tiller and Summer Walker). Mal recounts aborting the mission mid-transit due to rain and infrastructure headaches.
• Humorous asides about male fans prepping (“putting on cologne... I felt kind of gay that I went home, showered, put on cologne, and then I looked in the mirror. I said, I'm going to see a talented man singing the Rain. Like, what am I doing with my life?” – Mal, 35:35)

a. Chris Brown’s “Breezy Bowl” as the Super Bowl He Never Got

(37:17–38:32)

• They wax poetic about Chris’s three-hour, stadium-level sets as a self-made Super Bowl halftime.

  "Every night he's in the stadium selling it out, doing three hours of hits, performing at a high level." – Mal (37:46)

• Compliment how even after three hours, huge hits still didn't make the setlist (significant flex).

b. Post-Show Social Comedy

(41:08–44:49)

• Funny take on whether Chris Brown is “so talented you’d give your girl a pass” ("He did whisper to me, I totally understand if your girl just fucks Chris Brown, right?" – Rory, 41:08)
• Observations of the afterparty scene—critiquing the plastic surgery look, lack of interesting personalities, and comparing the vibe to a DMV waiting room.
  • "Remember when hoes used to, like, be fun?...They're so uninteresting and gross." – Rory (43:14)
• Continued awkward social run-ins: from exes’ relatives to other parents in the industry.

6. Chance the Rapper Guest Segment: Virality, Relationships, and Kanye

(45:44–55:49)

a. Viral Moments, Marriage, and Media Backlash

(45:44–51:40)

• Likely in dialogue with Chance the Rapper about his viral “carnival wine” video and the public’s reaction.
  • "I think I was tripping because nobody knew that me and my wife was separated." – Chance (46:25)
  • He reflects on not wanting to make his partner look foolish, despite the behavior being part of Caribbean carnival culture.
  • "I do wish that that didn't happen that way...I wish that I was, you know, more protective of her." – Chance (48:10)
• Honest take on how the internet “makes you pick sides” and creates artificial drama for its own entertainment.

b. Kanye West Relationship Update

(51:48–55:49)

• Chance hasn’t spoken to Kanye in a while, despite a close history.
  • "I always love Kanye...but just being honest, I haven't talked to him in a while. I feel like I've been hella busy. I'm working on shit. He's obviously been busy." – Chance (52:45)
• No new Kanye collaborations on his new album, but deep respect for their musical relationship.
  • "I have a different reverence for him or, or just understanding of, like, how my life went and how it influenced things." – Chance (54:30)
• No anticipation for a big “check-in”; friends may not speak for years but that doesn’t diminish the relationship.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On Modern Music Consumption:

"There's like a wall in between us and really connecting to the music, it feels like."
— Mal (03:55)

On Serving Your Core Audience:

"At the end of the day, it's still the core that's really going to matter and return."
— Rory (08:36)

On the Loss of Musical Moments:

"Had I had the ability to just listen to Country Grammar every five minutes, I probably would have moved the. On the fact that we sat around the radio waiting for that song, even if it played every hour, like, it made it resonate more."
— Rory (16:24)

On JID’s Album and Atlanta’s Influence:

"This feels like an album that would have came out in the 90s. Like, it has that energy."
— Mal (20:18)

On Chris Brown’s Live Show:

"Every night he's in the stadium selling it out, doing three hours of hits, performing at a high level, production at a high level. Everybody that goes is saying it's the greatest show they've ever been to."
— Mal (37:46)

On Virality and Public Scrutiny:

"The internet... is going to present your story in a way to make you have to have a hot or cold opinion... Sometimes I think the people that's involved in those stories don't even...realize like, this shit not really about me."
— Chance the Rapper (50:07)

On Kanye and Friendship:

"I always love Kanye...but just being honest, I haven't talked to him in a while. I feel like I've been hella busy. I'm working on shit. He's obviously been busy."
— Chance the Rapper (52:45)

Important Timestamps

• [02:08] — Mal laments the volume of new music and loss of connection
• [04:44] — Rory: double albums vs. short attention spans
• [07:52] — Mal and Rory advise artists: serve your core audience
• [12:20] — Nostalgia for “album moments” and music discovery
• [18:26] — Deep dive into JID’s new album, “God Does Like Ugly”
• [23:50] — Malice's feature praised as "verse of the year"
• [31:05] — Concert stories: Chris Brown’s “Breezy Bowl,” prepping for the show
• [37:46] — Chris Brown’s legacy/“Super Bowl” comparison
• [41:08] — The “let your girl cheat with Chris Brown?” debate
• [45:44] — Chance the Rapper on the carnival viral moment and marriage separation
• [51:48] — Chance on Kanye: no recent contact, but lasting respect

Tone and Closing Thoughts

The conversation is delivered with warmth, wit, and the healthy skepticism of insiders who care deeply about music and culture—even as they make fun of themselves, their industry, and the sometimes absurd nature of hip-hop celebrity life. The episode is rich with honest takes, nostalgia, cultural analysis, and laughs.

For listeners, it’s both a window into the challenges of being a fan (and creator) in today’s landscape, as well as a celebration of artistry, family, and the irreplaceable moments that music can offer—when we slow down long enough to savor them.