New Rory & MAL – “Checking In With De La Soul”
Date: November 21, 2025
Podcast: New Rory & MAL (iHeartPodcasts and The Volume)
Guests: Posdnuos and Maseo of De La Soul
Episode Overview
This episode features a vibrant and heartfelt sit-down with hip hop legends De La Soul. Hosts Rory and Mal delve into the group’s storied history, their influential role in the development of hip hop, the formation of the Native Tongues, stories from the golden era, the legacy of the late Trugoi (Dave), thoughts on the evolution of hip hop, business struggles with the industry, the making of their new album “Cabin In The Sky,” and much more. The conversation is filled with nostalgia, wisdom, transparency, and moments of laughter—serving as both a masterclass in hip hop history and a celebration of enduring artistry.
Key Discussion Points
1. Reflections on De La Soul’s Legacy
[04:50–06:29]
- Hosts express genuine reverence for De La Soul’s impact.
- Maseo: “First you go, wow, where did the time go?... The other part, really don’t think about it until people like yourselves say something. And then it’s that moment of reflection, like, damn, wow. We did some shit. You know what I mean?” (05:45)
- Gratitude for unexpected influence: “Had no idea that what we are all involved with would be as big as it is today… still be a significant part of the fabric, it’s just God’s gift.” – Maseo
On Remembering Trugoi (Dave)
- Immediate and heartfelt acknowledgment of the late Trugoi’s (Dave’s) legacy.
2. Origins & Dynamics of Native Tongues
[06:29–14:45]
- Formation story: Connections formed via live shows and genuine camaraderie; likened to “high school cliques.”
- Key quote: “Jungle came through, met up with us, even at Queen’s Day… Queen’s Day was when we met Tribe… Tip rolled up his little voice like, yo, pass me in, and you know, I’m Q Tip.” – Posdnuos (07:57)
- Collab spirit: “It was always that easy. Like, yo, man, pleasure to meet you. We love what you doing. Yo, come by the studio and Cats will come by.” – Posdnuos
- Early rumors and failed “supergroups” (Fabulous Fleas, Kids on Zenith Ave.) and how “A Roller Skating Jam Named Saturdays” originally started as a side-group track. (12:01–13:00)
- Latifah and other artists became part of their family by organically “just hanging out.”
3. Evolution of the Music Scene
[14:20–15:14, 18:13–21:54]
- Long Island in the late 80s: “The more people who got on, the more you became inspired… We saw what Eric and Paris were doing. We was like, they’re further out than us.”– Posdnuos (18:55)
- Influence from and on contemporaries: Eric B., Rakim, Biz Markie, JVC Force, MF Doom (formerly Zev Love X), and others.
- Discovery of MF Doom’s transformation: “I didn’t know that was him… Prince Paul was like, yo, you know that’s Zev, right? And when I found that out, I was like, wow, look at this dude.” – Posdnuos (20:47)
- Reflection on the change in regional styles, fashion, and how the city/suburbs dynamic influenced their music and attire.
4. De La’s Place in Hip Hop’s “Splits” and Evolution
[22:46–29:47]
- On “De La Soul Is Dead” and hip hop’s direction: “It’s hard... because my algorithms are different. We’re really on these streams for real. I look for just always creative and dope music.” – Posdnuos (22:46)
- “There was a lot of shit that was horrible back then [in the 80s/90s], too.” – Posdnuos (23:26)
- Discussion of the “underground/overground” split, centering on “Stakes Is High” (1996) and shifts in tours & industry (24:26–25:58).
- “The split became with the industry dividing us... but anything that’s moving, positive and uplifting people, powers that be are trying to figure out how to stop that shit.” – Maseo (25:19)
- Increase in “biting,” reduced focus on originality in the modern era: “I think the difference today, it’s okay to bite… A lot of biting going on.” – Maseo (28:01)
5. Approach to Artistry: Authenticity, Originality & Legacy
[29:19–34:28]
- De La’s uniqueness and commitment to fun and thought-provoking artistry.
- “That was just being us, being ourselves. Yeah, man, it really was.” – Posdnuos on their original style (30:11)
- The importance of mutual inspiration within Native Tongues and the influence of environment.
- Discussion of branding, authenticity in fashion: “Originality... has been lost when it comes to branding and marketing. The authenticity of where you’re from and how you dress...” – Host 1 (31:40)
- Internet’s role in changing perceptions of style and marketing.
6. The Making of “Cabin In The Sky”
[48:18–64:56]
- Collaboration with Mass Appeal (Nas & Peter) and previous plans for a “Premium Soul on the Rocks” super-collab that changed after Dave’s passing.
- “If mace with it, I’m with it. I, I, I would love to do it in my mind… I got some things I would like to get. So right from there, we were just off and running.” – Posdnuos (49:15)
- Track details: Pete Rock produced 4 tracks, DJ Premier 3, with other contributions from Knots, Jake One, Super Dave West, Little Dragon’s Eric, etc. (50:40–51:08)
- “I’m so proud of it, man. Yeah, I’m very, very proud of this album.” – Posdnuos (51:58)
Intentionality with Features
- Features chosen as “instruments” for the song, not just for names.
- “It feels like it needs that person. And then we then reach out, and then for them to want to be a part, it organically all works together correctly.” – Posdnuos (56:18)
Notable Segment:
- The story of curating the Mama record with Killer Mike, how Nas was almost on it, and how features are chosen for meaning and fit, not simply star power. (57:14–59:33)
- “Killer Mike floored it.” – Posdnuos on the outcome (59:34)
The “Running Back” Track & Nas Verse
- Black Thought was the “A&R” for getting Nas on “Running Back.” (60:04–61:11)
- “I think that’s up there, B. Dot at the end of the year, that one might be verse of the year.” – Host 1 about Nas’s feature (62:19)
- The significance of high-level MCs inspiring each other.
7. Industry Challenges: Sample Clearance & Ownership
[36:05–47:18, 73:00–74:37]
- Transparency about their Tommy Boy label dispute and fandom’s role in support.
- “My fans are my team. Our office is the stage.” – Maseo (36:05)
- “We didn’t start a boycott… We was putting them on front street and the fans started to come back.” – Posdnuos (37:19)
- Sample clearance: De La was always willing to clear and split publishing, the issue was industry oversight: “We bake the cake, you sell the cake.” – Maseo (47:18)
- “Owning your masters and your publishing is very, very important.” – Maseo (73:53)
8. Live Performance, Touring, & Longevity
[70:35–74:56]
- On mastering live performance: “It took a minute… We sucked at one point… but we had great teachers…” – Posdnuos (70:35)
- Importance of humility and adaptation when performing for different crowds.
- The reason for the group’s longevity: “It was a common goal to be a group… It shows a testament of our brotherhood… and coming out the other side shows the true testament of your brotherhood…” – Maseo (74:19)
9. Tribute to Trugoi (Dave) & Internal Dynamics
[65:02–66:39]
- “Dave was my brother, my mentor. He was my judge and juror… Like, when Dave said he loved something I did, it meant a lot to me because he was my big brother.” – Posdnuos (65:08)
- Dave’s high standards inspired everyone to be better.
10. Hip Hop Community, Influence, & Celebrating Others
[33:26–35:45; 69:39–70:22]
- Reflecting on Outkast’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction (“Proud of them… everything they got, they deserve every part of it.” – Posdnuos), and the shared Southern roots of hip hop.
- Influence on and inspiration from other artists—Anderson .Paak highlighted as a modern-day favorite.
- Shout-outs to Yummy (their “little sister” and collaborative muse).
11. Art and the Modern Industry
[52:55–54:23, 80:27–82:06]
- Hosts and guests reflect on the lack of attachment to albums in the streaming era vs. the intimate physical experience of buying and listening to music (reading credits, artwork, etc.).
- Discussion about the void in hip hop, authenticity, and passion as the ultimate driver—“Who really loves this? The track should take itself out... Who really loves this?” – Maseo (80:27)
12. The Bigger Picture
[76:48–82:06]
- The competitive yet brotherly energy within Mass Appeal’s legendary project collaborations: “I gotta make sure my album is nowhere near whack. I can’t have that... I gotta make sure that at least I got some quotables. I’m standing next to [Black Thought, Common, Nas].” – Posdnuos (78:34–79:31)
- De La Soul’s pride in consistent, quality artistry and the genuine love for the craft is evident throughout.
Notable Quotes & Moments
- On the importance of originality: “You used to get, like, basically exiled from the culture if you was caught biting another person… now, it’s okay to bite.” – Maseo (28:11)
- On Spotify-era music consumption: “If I’m listening to the De La album... somebody called my phone... now, I’m not even going back to that. Whereas before, I went to buy the album, I go home, I bust it open… it’s a different attachment.” – Host 2 (53:52)
- On group harmony: “We took our problems home. We never did [public fallouts]. We were brothers. Like, we were truly family. Family fight.” – Maseo (74:56)
- On Dave’s role: “He was a judgy ass motherfucker... His approval... meant a lot, you know? Cause Dave was picky.” – Posdnuos (65:08)
- Healthy competition: “That healthy level of not only competition, but being scared... I can’t look whack. Black Thought is gonna get on the record with me. I know he’s gonna kill it… and that’s how I looked at Nas.” – Posdnuos (78:39)
Highlighted Timestamps
- 05:45 – Reflection on career and impact
- 07:58 – Meeting Q-Tip and formation of Native Tongues
- 12:14 – The “Fabulous Fleas” side-project
- 18:55 – Long Island hip hop scene
- 20:17–21:24 – The evolution and re-emergence of MF Doom
- 25:18 – On hip hop’s industry-driven split
- 31:40 – Authenticity in branding and style
- 34:28 – Watching Outkast’s Hall of Fame induction
- 36:05–37:19 – Tommy Boy dispute transparency
- 47:18 – Sample clearance and label responsibility
- 49:15–51:08 – Making the new album, Mass Appeal’s role
- 56:07 – How features are chosen: 2 Chainz story
- 59:25 – The making of “A Quick 16 for Mama” with Killer Mike
- 61:11–62:19 – Black Thought and Nas on “Running Back”
- 62:58–64:55 – Naming the album “Cabin In The Sky”
- 65:08 – Remembering Dave's personal impact
- 70:35–72:44 – Learning live performance & showmanship
- 73:00 – The vital importance of ownership
- 74:19–76:01 – Brotherhood and group longevity
- 78:34–79:31 – Honorable, competitive energy with legacy artists
- 80:27 – Who really loves it? “It’s got to be able to rock.”
Tone & Style
- Conversational, nostalgic, jubilant, and deeply respectful—celebrates history and looks to the future.
- Speakers balance humor and candor (see De La’s stories about Dave, or joking about who would Tweet drama in today’s era).
- The language is authentic—insightful, peppered with laughter and camaraderie.
Conclusion
This episode is a must-listen for any hip hop fan—offering inside stories, life lessons, cultural commentary, and a celebration of the lasting brotherhood and artistry of De La Soul. “Cabin In The Sky” stands as a testament to staying true to one’s roots while embracing growth, collaboration, and the challenges of an evolving industry.
Endorsement: “Cabin in the Sky” out now—stream and support De La Soul!
For further context, explore:
- How De La Soul’s catalog became available on streaming platforms (Tommy Boy saga)
- The full Mass Appeal “Legends” rollout
- Outkast’s Rock Hall induction
- The role of MCs as curators and historians (“sampled” influence)
- The continued relevance and inspiration of collective, authentic hip hop