New Rory & MAL – Episode 400 | "Humiliation Ritual" – August 26, 2025

Episode Overview

In their milestone 400th core episode, Rory and Mal celebrate the podcast's longevity with playful banter, hot takes on industry headlines, and sharp cultural commentary. Damaris checks in remotely from vacation, adding her energy to the special occasion. The crew discusses personal anecdotes, Lil Nas X headlines, industry “humiliation rituals,” hip-hop’s evolution, artist press cycles, blackmail culture, and audience engagement. Laughter and irreverence are woven throughout, with recurring focus on authenticity, industry narratives, and who gets to critique whom.

Major Topics & Key Discussions

400th Episode Reflections & Banter

Timestamp: 10:00 – 16:25

• Milestone Celebration: The hosts acknowledge their 400th episode, joke about haters, and give flowers to their production team and fans.
  • Mal: "They thought that we would never see it. They thought that we would never be here. I don't know who they are, but I'm sure some of them are out there." (10:23)
• Damaris Absent, Checks in from Vacation: Damaris is on vacation in Curaçao; her beachside check-in later in the episode becomes a running joke about her retirement, “soft life,” and being on permanent vacation.
  • Mal: "She realized she don't got to work no more, man." (88:42)
• Fatherhood & Family Talk: Rory and Mal exchange stories about parenting, the weirdness of fans seeing Rory as a “real” dad, and kids quickly growing up.
  • Rory: “After you've watched somebody for 10 years…hasn't connected in my head there'd be, like, a carbon copy.” (04:11)
• Kids & Gifts: Mal shares the “Uncle Tax” — knowing when his nephew is calling just to ask for money.
  • Mal: "Now I get right to it. Like, what's up? What you want? Cause you're not gonna trick me with this..." (06:12)

DJ Khaled Contract Mix-up

Timestamp: 10:47 – 16:26

• Contract Confusion: Rory receives a mysterious $1 offer for a DJ Khaled record—uncertain if he’s actually on the album, with Khaled’s camp apparently confusing him with another “Rory” in the industry.
  • Rory: “I may or may not be on the DJ Khaled album." (12:35)
  • Mal: "Is it another Rory?" (12:27)
• Music Biz Miscues: Rory recounts years of being sent unreleased West Coast music intended for another industry Rory.
  • Rory: “I have a vault full of west coast music unreleased, because they thought they were sending it to a different Rory.” (13:13)
• Royalty Humor: They joke about splitting a $1 royalty among lawyers and management, and about a North Hollywood bar that gives a free beer for royalty checks under a dollar.
  • Rory: "I want to negotiate to at least $2." (13:34)

Lil Nas X, Public 'Humiliation Rituals', & Industry Theories

Timestamp: 16:27 – 24:31

• Viral Moment and Its Aftermath: Lil Nas X’s recent erratic, naked arrest leads to speculation if it’s a real crisis or an industry stunt (so-called “humiliation rituals”).
  • Mal: “If he puts out a record and that record…goes to the top of the charts, then we're gonna have to have another conversation about humiliation rituals…” (17:32)
  • Rory: “You know what you'd have to do to Lil Nas X for a humiliation ritual?…You actually have to dress him up and make him a Christian.” (17:58)
  • Mal: “You got to get him cleaned up, to really humiliate him.” (18:07)
• Empathy vs. Cynicism: While cracking jokes about industry conspiracies, both hosts express empathy for artists who crash after immense early success.
  • Rory: "I do have empathy for people that go into that level of fame and then just completely fucking drop.” (18:55)
• Public Meltdown Hypotheticals: The hosts riff about how they’d like their own public breakdowns to unfold, with Rory insisting he’d rather be high for the embarrassment.
  • Mal: “How would I want my damn—I don't want a public meltdown.” (21:02)

Parenting, Race, and Live Show Antics

Timestamp: 03:54 – 09:49

• Blurred Boundaries: Rory jokes about coddling his daughter too much, debating “tough love” through playful abandonment.
  • Rory: “I think she's getting a little too coddled. Like, I might need to abandon her for a little bit.” (04:28)
• Live Show Audience: They poke fun at their live show audience’s demographics, playfully arguing about who draws the white hip-hop fans.
  • Mal: “Yeah, we have a huge—a huge white fan. Thank you to all our white fan base. Thank you, Rory, because I'm sure they're here for you.” (08:46)
  • Rory: "White hip hop fans would only be here for you." (08:53)

Industry Press Runs & The Artist-Media Dance

Timestamp: 25:04 – 38:44, 56:37 – 78:57

• Khaled & Legacy Collaborations: Discussion on whether DJ Khaled can repeatedly land “moments” with legacy acts like Jay-Z and Rihanna, as the industry focus and audience tastes shift.
  • Mal: “The music industry is—it's a dying thing. What is the music industry?” (29:39)
  • Rory: “That was the beauty of the Khaled album...plenty of things I do want to say that I don't address unless I'm putting music out.” (31:22)
• Artist Inspiration: The crew notes that established artists (Jay-Z, Rihanna) only participate if inspired, not for commercial or demographic reasons.
  • Mal: “Rihanna is...on top of the beauty world right now. Billion dollar industry. She doesn’t—music to her, it has to either inspire...” (30:29)
• Demographics & Culture Consumption: They explore the tension between catering to a younger audience and serving a dedicated core fanbase—and how hip-hop is now multi-generational.
  • Rory: “Why would Nas put out six projects with Hitboy? Like, who cares what the younger generation...I'm feeding my audience and showing hip hop...how it's aging.” (35:09)

Critiquing Women in Hip-Hop, Podcasting Ethics, and Cultural Gatekeeping

Timestamp: 46:28 – 55:33

• Reviewing Female Rap: Mal expresses reluctance to critique women MCs because the music “ain’t for him”—debates about who has the right to comment and what it means to “move the needle.”
  • Mal: “I want all of them to keep talking they shit and looking good...but it's not fair for me to speak on their music because they're not making...these records for me." (46:38)
  • Rory: “It’s made for the masses, so the masses can comment…” (49:17)
• Honesty vs. Negativity in Podcasting: Both hosts wrestle with the expectation to tear down or cheerlead artists, and the emotional toll of industry commentary.
  • Rory: "Even artists that I do really like—and sometimes their music isn’t the best—I don’t want to come in here and shit on it.” (52:44)
  • Mal: “Art is not personal to the artist.” (53:55)

Audience, Gossip Culture & “Blackmail”

Timestamp: 101:02 – 117:17

• Voicemail: Sex Tape Blackmail: A listener asks about coworkers keeping explicit videos for “blackmail.” The hosts universally condemn it as “over the line,” drawing the boundary at intimate footage versus clowning someone for fighting badly.
  • Rory: “I think anything with people having sex is way over the line. I think the revenge porn thing is corny.” (102:19)
  • Mal: “She got that conniving, you know, blackmail energy, blackmail spirit inside of her.” (109:55)
• Men Showing Sex Tapes to Women: Mal theorizes men who show sex tapes unsolicited to coworkers are likely overcompensating, maybe even questioning their own sexuality.
  • Mal: "I think they're gay." (108:07)
• Gossip & Virality Ethics: Conversation around the culture of “outing” people for clout, versus legacy gossip media’s legitimacy (TMZ, Jason Lee, Shade Room).
  • Rory: “I just don’t understand with, like, blackmail to that level...doesn't blackmail really work because of public perception?” (110:07)
  • Mal: “Nasty expectations. That's what it is.” (116:41)

Artist Interviews, Drake Media Moves, and the Meaning of “Closing Ranks”

Timestamp: 56:37 – 78:57

• Drake & Bobby Althoff: Dissection of Drake returning for a Bobby Althoff podcast interview post-controversy, speculation about investment motives, and the “culture” vs. “streamers” press run debate.
  • Rory: “If Drake sat with Rob Markman, I'd be ecstatic...I just want the Drake interview that answers the questions I have as a fan at the moment.” (63:28)
• Big-Name Artists Avoiding Hip-Hop Media: Mal and Rory consider reasons for artists like Drake “closing ranks,” insulating themselves post-beefs, and how public perception of “unbothered” vs. “salty” is weaponized by fans.
  • Mal: “People are taking it—oh, it's just hip-hop, it's just rap, it's entertainment...But you're not the person standing there that has to watch people support a message about you." (75:33)
• Interview “Dream Guests”: Playful theorizing about the ideal Drake or Kendrick Lamar interview and who would be the best interviewer.

Listener Voicemails & “Which Cameo Would You Choose?”

Timestamp: 117:46 – 124:00

• Which Pop Culture Cameo?: Listener asks if they’d rather have a GTA radio station, be in a Def Jam video game, or make an audio cameo in a Spider-Man movie. The hosts debate the lasting impact and personal meaning of each.
  • Mal: “GTA radio station on GTA—more people play that game...than are gonna go watch a Spider-Man movie.” (120:31)
  • Rory: “I just want to be, like, in a video game. I think that’d be cool.” (122:55)

New Music & Hip-Hop Aged to Perfection

Timestamp: 124:12 – 129:19

• Music Recommendations: Shout-outs to Ghostface’s Supreme Clientele 2 ("Great project...older acts are putting out better albums"), Offset’s new solo album ("Best yet"), Chance the Rapper, and Bryson Tiller.
  • Mal: “They say hip hop is a young man’s sport, but it seems like all the older acts are putting out better albums.” (124:14)
• Mariah the Scientist’s Pen Game: Rory hypes Mariah as a top-10 pen in R&B right now.
  • Rory: “No matter what happens with Mariah’s career…she has that type of pen.” (126:21)
• Jadakiss & Beanie Sigel Announce Joint Album: Excitement and hopes that Beanie can use AI to restore his original vocal tone on the project.

Notable Quotes & Moments

| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote | |---|---|---| | 10:23 | Mal | "They thought that we would never see it. They thought that we would never be here. I don't know who they are, but I'm sure some of them are out there." | | 17:32 | Mal | "If he puts out a record...then we're gonna have to have another conversation about humiliation rituals..." | | 18:55 | Rory | "I do have empathy for people that go into that level of fame and then just completely fucking drop." | | 46:38 | Mal | "I want all of them to keep talking they shit and looking good...but it's not fair for me to speak on their music because they're not making...these records for me." | | 52:44 | Rory | "Even artists that I do really like—and sometimes their music isn’t the best—I don’t want to come in here and shit on it." | | 75:33 | Mal | "People are taking it—oh, it's just hip-hop, it's just rap, it's entertainment...But you're not the person standing there that has to watch people support a message about you." | | 102:19 | Rory | "I think anything with people having sex is way over the line. I think the revenge porn thing is corny." | | 116:41 | Mal | "Nasty expectations. That's what it is." | | 124:14 | Mal | "They say hip hop is a young man’s sport, but it seems like all the older acts are putting out better albums." |

Memorable & Lighthearted Moments

• Mal teases Rory about being an over-coddling dad, suggesting he needs to "disappear" behind the playground slide for character-building. (04:35)
• Damaris falls into an "invisible" infinity pool on vacation; Rory claims he air-dropped the clip to multiple clouds. (94:01–95:14)
• The recurring joke about the mysterious “other Rory” in the music business, and both of them getting wrongfully credited or sent music.
• Rory wishing for a partner to “retire him,” imagining life as a house-husband Zooming in from the islands. (100:14)
• The satirical concept of “soft life” and vacation Damaris’ “retirement energy.” (88:42–100:38)
• Both reflect on how they’d like their hypothetical public scandal to be—Rory wants an open-ended “YouTube Illuminati” meltdown. (23:32)

Episode Structure

1. Personal Updates and Celebration
2. Current Events: Lil Nas X, Industry Rituals
3. Music Industry Anecdotes & Press Runs
4. Women in Hip-Hop, Criticism, & Podcasting Ethics
5. Listener Questions: Sex Tape Blackmail & Pop Culture Cameo
6. New Music & Legacy Album Shout-outs
7. Closing with Damaris’ Vacation Check-in

Overall Tone

Conversational, irreverent, introspective, and self-aware, with the trademark New Rory & MAL blend of humor, hot takes, and industry insider observations. The crew mixes nostalgia and cynicism, aiming for honesty but never at the expense of empathy or real-life bonds.

For listeners who missed it:
Expect laughs, real talk about fame, the oddities of the music industry, media gamesmanship, and a smart blend of culture, critique, and camaraderie.