New Rory & MAL – Episode 428 | Nutcracker

Release Date: December 2, 2025
Podcast by iHeartPodcasts and The Volume

Episode Overview

This episode of New Rory & MAL brings listeners new personal stories, industry recaps, and lively banter, with themes circling adulting through the holidays, Thanksgiving adventures, reflections on aging, New York culture, industry beefs, and rapid-fire analysis of recent hip-hop happenings. Listeners get authentic and comical perspectives from Rory, Damaris, and Baby D, with highlights on Max B’s return, Jussie Smollett’s controversy, T-Pain vs. DJ Khaled, and the viral NLE Choppa moment. The crew maintains their signature conversational blend of irreverence, honesty, and nostalgia.

Main Themes & Discussion Highlights

1. The Holidays, Aging, and Adulting

• Reflections on Growing Older

  • Rory shares feelings about turning 36:

    "Like, I’ll be 36 next year. That, like, kind of me up." (03:24)

  • Damaris and Rory discuss how bruises and aches arrive unexpectedly in your 30s.

• Thanksgiving: From Guests to Hosts

  • The crew laments the transition from enjoying holidays to hosting ("Now we gotta be the ones that, like, host Thanksgiving now." – Damaris, 05:38).
  • Rory recounts how cooking and hosting "kicked his ass":

    "I was so tired after cooking all that shit, I didn’t even want to eat." (06:27)

  • Baby D and Damaris describe the exhaustion and lack of social media flexing due to being busy with real life.

2. NYC Culture: Nutcrackers and Blackout Wednesdays

• Nutcrackers – NY’s Infamous Street Cocktail

  • Damaris describes a rough night three Nutcrackers deep:

    "I had like maybe three nutcrackers. It was crazy... I left the car running, went upstairs, went to sleep. He had to park it in the lot. Yeah, it was bad." (14:09)

  • The crew explains Nutcrackers (homemade booze concoctions) for non-NY listeners:

    "It’s everything that is in your cabinet that is almost running on empty, and you just pour it all in one bottle and add fruit pumps." – Damaris (14:57)

• Thanksgiving Eve / Blackout Wednesday

  • Baby D explains Blackout Wednesday’s college roots and party culture:

    "If you’re from a college town... everyone comes home, and it’s such a big occasion..." (19:27)

  • Stories about wild party nights and quick shoutouts to friends from hometown and social media.

3. Music Industry Round-Up

• Max B’s Return & The Jim Jones Tension

  • Discussion of Max B’s performance with Stove God at Brooklyn Paramount.
  • Flex plays “Touched It in Miami" – a diss record. Crew debates whether Max B or DJ Funkmaster Flex was out of line.
  • Damaris notes:

    "Once you see the footage, it looked like he was enjoying his time up there... you gotta be very careful." (33:42)

  • Rory:

    "If Max is my enemy, he’s gonna do whatever the he’s gonna do. I’d probably be looking at Flex crazier than I would be looking at Max." (34:52)

• The Jussie Smollett/Cam Newton Interview

  • The pod jokes about the wildness of Jussie’s ongoing denial and the simulation-like state of the internet:

    "I’m fascinated by Jussie still doubling down on this entire thing." – Rory (23:44)

  • Damaris:

    "Do we think he can even admit that he was lying at this point?" (24:40)

  • Rory summarizes the interview as "two people talk for two hours and not say one thing of substance." (25:04)
  • They also critique Jussie’s narcissism and plug of new music:

    "His new single 'Breakout' is incredible. The song is great." – Rory (27:53)

• T-Pain vs. DJ Khaled and Music Industry Friendships

  • T-Pain’s comments about feeling discarded by DJ Khaled after a string of hits:

    "C was my best friend when he needed me for the first three albums. And then after that when I got a little colder, I don’t hear from KE..." – paraphrased by Rory (49:47)

  • Damaris describes DJ Khaled as "very self-serving, which is fine... that’s why he’s been the businessman that he’s been" (50:44)
  • Extensive analysis on transactional vs. real friendships in hip-hop:

    "Brother means nothing to the people in the music industry." – Rory (57:32)
    "Don’t say the people in the music industry. Just say brother don’t mean nothing to Khaled." – Damaris (60:29)

4. Hip Hop Power Rankings & Debates

• The Best From Philly and Rap Cities

  • Beanie Sigel’s “Top 5 Philly Rappers” list is debated:
    1. Black Thought
    2. Young Chris
    3. Freeway
    4. Meek Mill
    5. Gilly
    • Damaris: "Beans is #1."
    • Discussion of whether Eve deserves a spot, Gilly’s rap pedigree, and Philly/Detroit rap supremacy versus NY.

• Cities with The Best “Rappers’ Rappers”

  • The team compares Detroit and Philly to New York by pure bar-work, not song making, referencing Eminem, Royce, Elzhi, Big Pun, Jay, Nas, Biggie.
  • Rory: "I think M, Royce and Elzai is the craziest three when it comes to just rapping." (66:47)
  • Damaris defends NYC as the bar gold standard: "Jay Z, Nas and Biggie are the best rappers." (67:21)

• Game, Kendrick, and LA’s Mount Rushmore

  • Game claims he tried to sign Kendrick — the crew agrees it’s plausible and the hate is overblown.
  • Damaris: "I don't think Game is lying about it. That's very easy to see." (71:41)
  • Anticipation for new Game x DJ Drama Gangsta Grillz, with wild predictions about dis tracks.

5. Culture, TV, and Viral Moments

• Kim Kardashian's “Low Brain Activity” & Conspiracies

  • The team roasts the internet for assuming Kim K's frontal lobe test is paving the way for celebrity brain-chip sponsorships.
  • Damaris:

    "Kim K. finds out she has low brain activity... Now people are saying… you about to start sponsoring or you’re about to be the face of implant chips." (77:01)

  • Baby D explains the actual meaning medically (77:31).

• “Put Me On” Segment Recommendations

  • TV: “All Her Fault” (Prime/Peacock) – A suspense “who done it,” plus recaps of holiday binge fare (Honorable mention: "Succession").
  • Music:
    • Hales – Five EP (Rory: "Criminally underrated R&B.") (92:03)
    • Mona Leo – “Sexy Solon” (Houston rapper praised by Baby D)
    • NLE Choppa’s viral video & YoungBoy NBA diss – crew discusses its wildness, style, and meme-worthy moments.

6. Fan Interaction & Voicemails

• A listener asks about favorite bonding moments with parents. The crew shares meaningful adult moments with their folks — music, TV watching, trips, and seeing parents as flawed humans (98:04).

• Mariah Carey Standom Debated

  • The Mariah vs. Beyoncé vs. Jasmine Sullivan vocal debate leads to jokes and Baby D introducing "Lambs" as Mariah’s fanbase.

    "Mariah may have the worst name fan base of all time." – Rory (108:17)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On Aging & Hosting

• Rory: "I cannot believe it’s the last month of 2025. Like that whole saying of, like, when you get older, years go quicker. And… I’ll be 36 next year. That, like, kind of me up." (03:24)
• Damaris: "It’s a weird thing, getting older." (04:31)

On Holiday Exhaustion

• Rory: "I was so tired after cooking all that shit, I didn’t even want to eat." (06:27)
• Damaris: "You probably bumped your Knee around the house and just didn’t even realize..." (04:53)

On Nutcrackers and NY Lore

• Damaris: "Nutcrackers: death juice." (14:55)
• Damaris: "It's everything that is in your cabinet that is almost running on empty, and you just pour it all in one bottle and add fruit pumps." (14:57)

On Max B / Jim Jones Tension

• Rory: "If Max is my enemy, he’s gonna do whatever the he’s gonna do. I’d probably be looking at Flex crazier than I would Max." (34:52)
• Damaris: "You can’t two-step into the song..." (32:33)

On Jussie Smollet

• Rory: "I am fascinated by Jussie still doubling down… I used to laugh at it. Now it’s getting to a point where he may harm somebody." (23:44)
• Damaris: "Do we think that he can even admit that he was lying at this point?" (24:40)

On DJ Khaled & Industry "Brotherhood"

• Rory: "Brother means nothing to the people in the music industry." (57:32)
• Damaris: "Don’t say the people in the music industry. Just say brother don’t mean nothing to Khaled." (60:29)

On Cities with the Best Rappers

• Rory: "I think M, Royce and Elzai is the craziest three when it comes to just rapping." (66:47)
• Damaris: "Jay, Nas and Biggie are the best rappers." (67:21)

On Kim K’s Frontal Lobe

• Damaris: "Kim K Finds out she has low brain activity in her frontal lobe. Now people are saying…you’re about to be the face of implant chips." (77:01)
• Baby D (on what “low brain activity” means): "It can indicate issues with executive function, like planning, reasoning, impulse control and motivation..." (77:31)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Holiday/Aging Talk: 03:20–05:07
• Thanksgiving Host Stories: 05:36–07:10
• Nutcracker Explainers & NY Lore: 13:00–15:12
• Blackout Wednesday & Party Antics: 19:27–20:24
• Max B, Jim Jones, & Flex Drama: 29:45–38:42
• Jussie Smollett/Cam Newton Interview Analysis: 23:16–29:14
• DJ Khaled/T-Pain Relationship & Bro Industry Dissection: 49:47–60:36
• Philly/NY/Detroit Rap Debates: 60:36–67:21
• Game x Kendrick x LA Rap Scene: 69:51–76:51
• Kim K’s Brain, Conspiracies, and Health: 77:01–80:23
• Put Me On Segment: 90:31–93:57
• Favorite Parent Bonding Moments (Voicemail): 97:02–104:26

Recurring Tone & Style

• Candid and Intimate: The hosts are unafraid to share personal stories (aging, family, therapy, friendships).
• Playfully Irreverent: Jokes land about everything from holiday chaos to Mariah Carey’s stan community and Kim Kardashian’s frontal lobe.
• Musically Opinionated: Hot takes on rappers, industry politics, and the “rules” of musical friendships.
• Nostalgic but Forward-Looking: Chronicling old New York, but tying in viral moments and new music.
• Engaged with Listeners: They field voicemails and encourage audience involvement, weaving in relatable adulting scenarios.

Final Thoughts

Episode 428 is a classic New Rory & MAL blend of humor, nostalgia, pop culture debate, and music industry “inside baseball.” The crew deftly shifts from deeply personal stories about transition and family, to rapid-fire music takes and scene analysis, all with their easy rapport and a dose of sarcasm. Whether you’re here for the holiday hosting woes, the insights on industry beefs, or simply the jokes about Nutcrackers and Kim K, every moment feels authentic, and every debate feels like eavesdropping on friends who know hip-hop, culture, and each other inside out.