Episode 441 | Regional Bias

Summary

New Rory & Mal — Episode 441 | “Regional Bias” (Jan 13, 2026)

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Episode Overview

In this lively episode, Rory and Mal lean into the concept of “regional bias” in hip-hop, hot takes surrounding Andre 3000’s solo catalog, debates about legends and group vs. solo impact, plus plenty of music, culture, and even classic hood movie nostalgia. The episode is a blend of debate, jokes, and passionate arguments—classic New Rory & Mal vibes—with notable moments encompassing everything from D2: Mighty Ducks, Bruno Mars’ return, and Drake/J. Cole release rumors, to Mero at HOT 97 and the “Greatest Hood Movies” bracket.

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Key Segments & Insights

Studio Banter & Getting Into It

• Intro-cold studio jokes (00:40–01:20): The hosts joke about the freezing studio and possible appearances from Cam’ron and 50 Cent in the comments.
• Jumping right into music talk (01:21–01:39): Mal is teased for predicting a major album that didn’t drop; Rory suggests he owes “10 pushups for the culture.”

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Rap Release Rumors: J. Cole, Drake, and the Anticipation Game

[02:00–07:00]

• Mal admits to having “great intel” on an anticipated album drop (suspected to be J. Cole), but it didn’t materialize, leading to humorous calls for “fines for podcaster misinformation.”
• Discussion arises about the possibility of J. Cole and Drake releasing in the same month or even day, and how both artists “move how they want.”
• Rory: “I think Drake has more of a chokehold on the algorithm than any other artist right now.” (05:19)
• Mal: “I can promise you that J. Cole doesn’t want to drop the same day as Drake.” (08:08)
• Don’t expect them to coordinate; both cultivate unique anticipation.

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New Music, Misinformation, and Podcast “Swear Jar”

[03:40–10:00]

• Joking that podcasters should get “fined for misinformation” à la swear jars.
• Rob Markman is referenced as suggesting penalties for wrong predictions, while Mal says he’d owe a lot already.
• Rory frames these music-anticipation culture moments as fun, not serious infractions.

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Mero at HOT 97: Legacy & Radio Revamp

[11:00–15:50]

• Congrats Deezus & Mero’s Mero on HOT 97:
  • Hosts discuss Mero taking over HOT 97 mornings—a Bronx legend coming back.
  • Hope expressed for creative freedom: “give him as much creative freedom as possible.” (11:46)
  • Desire for NYC radio to revamp: “Radio just... needs a revamp or something... we need another Charlemagne moment.” (13:13)
  • Suggestions HOT 97 should become a content and music discovery hub, including for new local streamers and artists.

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Movie Nostalgia: D2, Cool Runnings & '90s Representation

[21:21–27:05]

• Rewatching D2: The Mighty Ducks
  • Rory highlights problematic representation: “Instead of using the colors of the Trinidad and Tobago flag, they just threw tie dye on them.” (22:23)
  • Mal: “None of those kids are from Trinidad & Tobago. Those kids are from Queens.”
  • Jokes about Hollywood’s trends after Cool Runnings: “When you see something works... rinse and repeat.” (24:02)
• School trip stories turn into sex/coming-of-age anecdotes.
  • Humorous and relatable stories about parents, consent forms, and adolescent mischief.

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Region, Rap, and the Andre 3000 Debate

[38:25–63:00]

• Viral Hot Take: Mal’s opinion that Andre 3000 isn’t top-5 because he lacks a solo rap album sparks social media debate.
  • Mal: “I thought I was being very fair…[he] is definitely a legend... I could not no longer have him in my personal top five.” (40:40)
  • Rory: “His output of verses gives me enough as a rap fan to put him in a top 10…or top 15.” (43:30)
• Personal vs. Objective Lists: Distinguishing subjective “favorite” lists from “all-time” lists, with Mal maintaining it’s unfair to artists with long solo outputs.
  • Mal: “You need solo albums. As an MC, you need solo albums.” (50:21)
• Regional Bias?: Debate whether revering certain artists (esp. from NY/Atlanta) is about regional bias or just taste.
  • Mal reports: “So many people from Atlanta do not have 3,000 in their top five. More people say Future, Lil Baby, Thug, Gucci...” (41:55)
• 9th Wonder & hip-hop Twitter: 9th chimed in, defending Three Stacks.
  • 9th Wonder (via Rory): “Andre Benjamin is one of the greatest ever to put pen to paper.”
• Notable quote:
  • Mal: “If you have [Andre 3000] in your top five, that’s overrating him.” (50:15)
  • Rory: “Three Stacks has surpassed any region. He’s as Atlanta as you could come…but he’s far surpassed Atlanta.” (56:56)

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Community, Protecting Your Friends, and Drake’s Nasty Screenshots

[63:10–66:56]

• Rory defends Mal to friend and industry contacts after his viral comments, but Drake posts an old, awkward photo of Rory, leading to laughter and speculation about what other “receipts” Drake has.
• Rory: “…I don't know if I got the same protection.” (63:10)
• The hosts enjoy reliving an infamous Spotify photo shoot.

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Bruno Mars’ Return and Why Perfection Can Be Boring

[70:48–78:56]

• Hosts discuss Bruno Mars’ new single: admiration for his perfection, but lament that he never takes true artistic “risks.”
  • Rory: “He’s annoyingly perfect… but I thought, with the time [off], we’d get a complete second half of his career shift….”
  • Mal: “I want to see him do something totally unexpected. I want to hear him sound a way we never thought we would hear him sound…”
• Both agree: Bruno’s legacy is secure, but they want him to experiment instead of refining a familiar, safe style.

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Welcome Home Max B, French Montana, and Fetty Wap

[79:00–84:29]

• Max B and French Montana drop new music; hosts are pleased, though note Max is “getting the kinks out” after so much time away.
  • Mal: “He's just got to get his timing back… the music is good.”
• Discussion on regional nostalgia: “Are we being regionally biased because only New Yorkers like Max B? …If that's the case, sorry, I’m from New York City.” (80:42)
• Shoutout to Fetty Wap returning from prison and being warmly welcomed back by 300 Entertainment: “Fetty really helped launch [300]... I hope he beats the ground running.”

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Hood Movie Mania: "Best of the Best" Tournament

[89:19–102:44]

• Recap of Ben Affleck's “Greatest Hood Movie” bracket from All The Smoke.
  • Friday vs. Rush Hour vs. Coming to America vs. Boys in the Hood, etc.
  • Rory: “Coming to America is a better movie… Paid in Full is a hood classic.”
  • Mal: “Menace II Society is probably the best version of [Boys n the Hood's] message.”
• Spirited arguments over definitions: “Is Coming to America a hood classic or just a classic movie?” (91:56)
• Fun with “if Pac never went solo” jokes.
• Blood In, Blood Out gets a special nostalgic shout, but most classics are named.

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Closing Segments

• Baddies Update: Mal admits he’s fallen off his “Baddies” recaps.
• Mary J. Blige in Vegas: Rory considers going to her new residency, noting the “auntie crowd” is more his speed.
• Listener Participation: Pod prompts Patreon supporters to send voicemails to a recuperating Damaris.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Players fuck up, too.” – Mal (04:03)
• “I think Drake has more of a chokehold on the algorithm than any other artist right now.” – Rory (05:18)
• “I just could not no longer have [Andre 3000] in my personal top five.” – Mal (40:54)
• “If you have [Andre 3000] in your top five, that's overrating them.” – Mal (50:15)
• “His output of verses gives me enough as a rap fan to put him in a top 10… or top 15.” – Rory (43:30)
• “Bruno is annoyingly perfect…what does Bruno listen to on his way to the gym?” – Rory (76:34)
• “Mary and Vegas could be fun. I'd prefer the auntie crowd in Vegas…” – Rory (107:24)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Pushups for the culture, J. Cole/Drake drop talk: 01:24–07:00
• HOT 97 & Mero discussion: 11:00–15:50
• D2 / ‘90s representation: 21:21–27:05
• Andre 3000 top five debate & regional bias: 38:25–63:00
• Drake posting Rory’s photo – podcast friends: 63:10–66:56
• Bruno Mars & artistry: 70:48–78:56
• Max B/French Montana/Fetty Wap returns: 79:00–84:29
• Ben Affleck’s Hood Movie Tourney: 89:19–102:44

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Tone & Style

Conversational, playful, opinionated, and reflective—Rory and Mal bring their typical blend of sharp humor and honest hot-takes, always poking fun at themselves and each other, but never shying from substantiating their opinions with experience and openness.

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For New & Casual Listeners

• No inside knowledge needed—debates are explained with context and humor.
• If you love hip-hop debates, cultural nostalgia, or musings about what makes an artist “great,” this episode is for you.
• Listeners are encouraged to join in: “Send well wishes to Damaris,” “debate your top five,” or reminisce about favorite hood movies.

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Final Thoughts

This episode stands out for its balance of real hip-hop analysis, collective memory-lane trips, and meta-podcast reflection about social media, misinformation, and what it means to care about the culture. Whether dissecting regional bias, the enduring power of group legends, or just clowning on themselves, Rory & Mal deliver an engaging, funny, and substantial conversation.

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Transcript

[A]

This is an iHeart podcast.

[B]

Guaranteed Human.

[A]

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[B]

The volume. No warrior now.

[A]

Welcome back. Top of the week.

[B]

Yes. Yes.

[A]

I feel like cam' Ron and 50 might be in our comments soon because it is freezing in the studio right now. The heat is on, but it's like 30 degrees in here. I don't know what's going on. It was kind of warm this weekend too. Sometimes when we leave the heat off, it gets cold in here. Yeah, it's like colder in here than outside.

[B]

It's. It's warm enough though. I had to take my jacket off.

[A]

I get hot in 50 degree weather. Yeah, I mean this is like lined with.

[B]

Yeah, that's like a bear skin. That's like, you know, whites that don't get cold. That's like a mink. You got a mink car.

[A]

Only a white would mink out a carhartt jacket with a special red dye.

[B]

Oh, man.

[A]

What's going on, man?

[B]

I'm good. How you feeling?

[A]

I feel good. I feel like we should get right to it.

[B]

Let's get right to it, man.

[A]

I feel, I feel I'm in the mood today.

[B]

I feel. I feel some type of way today.

[A]

I feel like you owe the culture some push ups.

[B]

Why?

[A]

I feel like you owe us 10 push ups.

[B]

For what?

[A]

Cause on Friday, nothing dropped but another variant of Kobe.

[B]

Mad albums dropped.

[A]

No, I know, but one of the most singles albums of all time did not drop.

[B]

Mad albums dropped. Mad songs, singles.

[A]

I'm so happy to see that the wave is free. We'll get into the French and Max B tape. I like it a lot.

[B]

I don't know. I don't know.

[A]

No, you didn't know.

[B]

I don't know.

[A]

No, that's what everyone is saying. Walt did not know.

[B]

I know. Come on, man, don't do that. Don't do that.

[A]

Christmas, we gave you a mulligan sample clearances or whatever. Yeah, but you were certain that something that we have been anticipating, which could only really be three people when you get down to it. If we're talking rap, if you said across all genres, you'd throw Beyonce in there. Whatever. But we're. We were thinking. And I guessed you were talking about J. Cole. I don't think Iceman is done yet. I don't think Kendrick is dropping in the first quarter. So that would only leave one, which we assume to be based off the clues that you gave us was Jermaine Cole. So I feel, even though I would not speak for the culture, just in the room, I'm the only one with a mic that wasn't wrong in this situation. I feel like, yo, it's 10 pushups.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

10 push ups for the culture just for getting us all excited.

[B]

Had a great weekend.

[A]

Rob Markman made a good point. I don't know if he was talking about you or not, but I feel like, as podcasters, maybe we should get fined for misinformation.

[B]

Why?

[A]

Like, we should put, like, you know, the swear jar. We should do a swear jar across the board for all podcasters. Listen, I owe a lot of money if that's the case.

[B]

Yeah. But if I said a name, that's different. But I did think I did. I did have very good intel that an album was dropping that we were all anticipating.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

I don't know what. I feel like.

[A]

This is almost like woman semantics, because we knew based off the clues you were given, there was really only one person that it could have been.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

Who else do you think it could have been?

[B]

Well, I know who I was talking about, but I wouldn't say.

[A]

Did they drop?

[B]

No.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

Why? I don't know. I don't know. Things happen. I don't know why it didn't drop, but I have very good conversations that it was supposed to drop, but, you know, okay, things happen. So it is what it is. Do you think I was wrong that one time? I'm sorry, y'. All. I apologize. But I didn't give that information without great resources, that's all.

[A]

Which. Which I. Which I understand. I've been in that situation, and sometimes you get good information from great sources and things change. And then you already went out there and said some shit.

[B]

It's okay. I'm not like others in the culture where they don't, you know what I'm saying, Apologize for their mishaps. I'm a man. I apologize, y'. All. My work's still good. My stamp is still good, though. You know what I'm saying?

[A]

Players fuck up, too.

[B]

Yeah. The work just got intercepted at the border. That's all. Trump, Trump, Trump is being all out here.

[A]

The border announcement was your 92 bricks. Now you're calling Back.

[B]

It's okay. It's all right. It's all right. We still here?

[A]

Do we think that that. All right, I'm done playing the guessing game. I me personally thought you were talking about J. Cole. You did not say it was Cole. I felt like you were talking about Cole. Whatever album it is, do you think maybe this Friday? Do we think it's just off? It was either last Friday or we don't even know. Is it just getting pushed a week?

[B]

I don't know about a week, but it definitely was. Again, off. The information that I had, it definitely was slated to drop Friday with.

[A]

Okay. With the Fall off being rumored. Not just with you. There was. You were not. You were the first person. I'm not the only one that talked about what an album was dropping Friday or around that time with Iceman, we think is almost done. I don't know. Fall off rumored to be almost done. Do Cole and Drake drop within the same month?

[B]

No.

[A]

Same day?

[B]

No.

[A]

So do you think they're both playing the guessing game of who's gonna drop and that's maybe why things are being pushed back?

[B]

Nah, I don't. I mean, you know, Drake is the algorithm. He does what he wants to do when he wants to do.

[A]

Both of them do whatever the fuck they want to do.

[B]

Yeah, but I mean, I think Drake has more of a chokehold on the algorithm than any other artist right now. I think more people aren't anticipating anything that Drake does or says.

[A]

Yeah, good and bad people that want to see his downfall and people that want to see.

[B]

Yeah, 100%, you are correct.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

He controls that.

[A]

But I think Cole.

[B]

People want to hear from him.

[A]

Cole is still very much in that algorithm based off everything that's been going on. Cole is not talked about constantly because he's not so forward facing as Drake has been, especially in the last two years. So I still think Cole kind of moves. They both move whenever the fuck they want. Unless Taylor Swift is dropping. I think the only other way that would dictate their release schedule would be the two of them with each other. Of. Of when Fall off is coming and when Iceman is coming, though, I don't think like it matters. I feel like both could drop the same day and it would be fine.

[B]

For who?

[A]

Both of them. I think you'd get very similar sales.

[B]

You think if Drake and J. Cole dropped the same day, they. So who do you think has.

[A]

You know, Cole has outsold Drake in a year before.

[B]

Right, I understand it, but who do you think has the number going into this album. Who do you think has the number on album that week if they drop the same day?

[A]

I don't know. I. I don't know. Based off the directions they're taking in the album where. If Cole goes for a more for your eyes only style type of album and Drake goes for a more I don't know views style, I'm taking Drake there. But I think you underestimate the Cole Stan fan base. And I don't want to say streaming form because that implies bots, but I'm saying how dedicated and loyal his fan base is. And the numbers that Cole does, I. I think it's neck and neck to be. It's been neck and neck before. Neither. Drake has never completely outsold Goal like by a mile. They've been very similar with numbers to the point that Cole's outsold Drake before.

[B]

They dropped on the same day before.

[A]

No, I'm saying same year.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

Does that count for something?

[B]

No, I mean, I think both of them are obviously, you know, too.

[A]

Forest Hills was the highest selling rap album that year. Right.

[B]

I'm not. I don't remember. I couldn't tell you.

[A]

I. I believe that broke a bunch of numbers. No, Josh, not Forest Hills, Queens. All you had to type in was J. Cole. That's literally all you needed to. He types in Forest Hills, New York. What the is going on right now?

[B]

Oh.

[A]

Yes. Zillow came up for sales in Forest Hills. Yeah, I think it's closer than, than we would anticipate. I think Cole, Kendrick, and Drake, for the most part. I mean, Drake said more of, of an output, so totality. Because he's had way more projects. Of course, he's, he's outsold both of.

[B]

Them in that regard.

[A]

But if you're going album for album in the years that they both drop, you make a.

[B]

You make a very good point.

[A]

It's been. It's been very close.

[B]

But I can promise you that J. Cole doesn't want to drop the same day as Drake.

[A]

Oh, I don't think he does either. Yeah, but if they're both looking at first quarter, like it's already mid January, it could end up that they're a few weeks apart for sure.

[B]

Oh, maybe.

[A]

If you're Drake or Cole. Do you want to drop first or.

[B]

Second.

[A]

In this coin toss? Are you. Are you waiting?

[B]

Like, which one am I?

[A]

Either one of them. Would you want to drop first?

[B]

If I'm cold, I want to drop first. Get it out the way.

[A]

His most anticipated album. Get it out of the way.

[B]

No, I'm just saying get it out. This might be Drake's most anticipated album.

[A]

Oh, yeah. Okay.

[B]

Yeah. So that's what I'm saying. And we've been with. We were supposed to get this cold album how many years ago.

[A]

I would rather Drake drop first if I'm cold just to get all of the Kendrick, Drake. Internet. Is he replying here? Just let that clear out for two, three weeks, and then people actually start listening to Iceman for the music it is, not for what the subliminal message means.

[B]

Wait, you said if you're cold, you want Drake to drop first?

[A]

Yeah. Get the whole Drake Kendrick.

[B]

Doesn't matter when Drake drops.

[A]

Just get the Iceman drop.

[B]

That's not going away for sure.

[A]

But I'd rather that not take over when my album's only a week or two old. Like, now. We're just. This is just gonna start now.

[B]

It's so much. It's a lot of pressure on Cole with this album, though.

[A]

A lot of pressure on Drake, too.

[B]

Yeah. But I. I think we seen obviously, who handles pressure better. We've seen it. So. Yeah. Yeah.

[A]

So, I mean, you know, Drake has definitely made some. Some moves under pressure that look like panic, but I'm not saying they are. But yes, in. In the scope of things, Cole bowed out immediately where he didn't even have the chance to make those types of decisions.

[B]

Couldn't sleep.

[A]

It'd been like a day. Yeah, I'm on three days without sleeping, like. But no, I'm excited. I was hoping you were. You were correct about that. But, yeah, I liked Rob Markman's suggestion of. Of finding podcasters.

[B]

All right, so what about when I'm right? You gonna pay me more? Yeah. Rob. Yeah, we talking about, like, Rob is. Rob penalized me for being wrong.

[A]

But then when I write the Jimmy Hoffa of the podcast union.

[B]

But then he's the one that's gonna decide when I'm right.

[A]

Then.

[B]

Then it's just.

[A]

Yeah, it's like, you know, bonus. Like. Yeah, it's the same thing.

[B]

Get the.

[A]

Okay, then I need a bonus for getting Merrill Right for Hot 97. Congrats to our brother Mero morning show.

[B]

You never announced that. You never said that out your mouth.

[A]

Because I was being responsible.

[B]

You never said Mero's name out of your mouth.

[A]

I gave all the.

[B]

You said, takes the job of somebody that has a cult by all of this other. You said somebody from New York, sucker. No, I said. I didn't say sucker.

[A]

I said whatever.

[B]

I said whatever. Else you said. Okay, you said that. Right. But you never said Meryl's name.

[A]

I alluded the way you alluded to just conclude for it to really be cold when the clip went viral on Twitter. All the comments under based off. Because I wasn't going to say Meryl's name out of respect for him. Even though he saw the clip and laughed. Didn't give a. Yeah. I gave as many clues where it could obviously either land on Desus Romero. So yeah. And then they said this podcast is no credibility. When they announced that like Atlanta digital Team.

[B]

And I was like, we have no credibility.

[A]

Yeah, I'm a piece of. I should die.

[B]

Yeah. No credibility at all. Zero.

[A]

But yeah, Congrats to Merrill. I think like I said, Meryl, congrats, man. Month ago. I think it's a great fit for where HOT is at right now.

[B]

Another Bronx legend.

[A]

Absolutely. A Bronx.

[B]

Another Bronx legend playing the high school legend.

[A]

Yeah. Hope they give him as much creative freedom as possible, you know, to turn around the HOT 97 train. Because, you know, we've been critical of HOT but that still is a logo and company that has been part of our lives forever. And we love Hot 97. We only want the best for you. That's why we critique. And I think. I think Merrill makes the most sense.

[B]

Yeah. Shout out to Merrill, man. Good job.

[A]

Yeah, we should go up there.

[B]

Let's do it. Go kick it with Merrill.

[A]

6:00Am Just do it.

[B]

I just can't go to sleep the night before.

[A]

Well, just.

[B]

I gotta stay up all night and then just go there. You know what I mean? Like, yeah, no sleep, but let's do it.

[A]

How do we think Mero's gonna like, what do we think his. His blueprint for this? This will be. Do you think it'll be the traditional, what, Ebro Rosenberg, Laura Charlemagne, Ye Envy, like, all right, we'll just do our commercial break shit. And then our focus will really just be that the digital interviews. Do you think Mero would just do that? Do we think he'll get in some of his sketch bag? Do you think they'll focus more on radio clips rather than long form interviews? Like, I mean, Mero was great on Desus and Mero as far as interviews went with everyone. But I'm curious to see the, the, the two hour sit down interview, one on one with Mero and an artist. I just don't know if he's going to take that route. He does great with Mellowing Cass in that regard too.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Um, but I just, I don't have the answer to it. This is me. More complaining without a solution. Radio just. It needs a revamp or something.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Like, it can't. What Breakfast Club did to kind of revamp radio. They need another one of those. And I don't know if it's the same blueprint of what Breakfast Club, Breakfast Club did. What was perfect for that time. Radio needed to go digital, and Charlemagne smoked that shit and completely changed radio forever. I think they needed another one of those. Like, give us a reason to turn on the radio.

[B]

Yeah. I think. I think it'll be a different. A different version of what we've already gotten with morning radio.

[A]

Yeah. Because right now it's a YouTube page.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Right. Right now. The way Ebro and then brought it. Which is fine. Their interviews were great. It was just another. It's another podcast YouTube page. That's all it really is.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

At the end of the day. So I don't know if that's going.

[B]

To be the solution, hopefully. I mean, I don't know. You know, I know radio in these program directors. I hope they give Mero more freedom with break artists, though.

[A]

Hell, yeah. Yeah.

[B]

Especially New York artists. I think we need to get at least back to that in some way.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

You know, radio now you can be on your morning commute to work or school or whatever, and soon as you turn the radio back on after your day is over, it's the same song that you probably left off of. It's crazy. Like, we need to get more, you know, new artists, new music on the radio. So hopefully Mero kind of has some say in that. I know, you know, program directors gets a little iffy in that regard, but hopefully we get to that. Man, with the morning show. Yeah.

[A]

I hope they focus. I hope Mero's able to stream 6 to to 10. I hope they're not so much in that old corporate bag where it's like, we have to be on this radio frequency and on this YouTube page. And if we. If he puts this on Twitch, then it's over because corporate would lose their mind. It all has to be under this umbrella. Like, I hope not just discovery with music, because clearly we've seen, like, people like Kai. There's young content creators in New York that do other things besides music. As much as I want music discovery, a lot of the younger kids are more interested in content discovery.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So I hope Merrill can at least focus on, like, local streamers and shit and get them involved, because I think even, like, what Placboy Max does, I Think music discovery has gotten better on streaming than it has on any other platform?

[B]

Oh, for sure.

[A]

Like, yeah, radio is. Is tough to break music because you have the gatekeepers this and that. Streamers have been putting on a bunch of new artists that I love, and then those artists become streamers because they're like, well, this is where my audience is at. So, yeah, I hope Mero just is able to fuck with the younger kids and that, like, doesn't always have to be some kid that could freestyle well from Flatbush. Like, let's, you know, diversify with the content and maybe not just music can help turn that entire thing away to get us to eventually focus on music.

[B]

Make morning shows great again.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Is that maga?

[A]

It's close. I guess. It's like Mero mega.

[B]

Yeah, I like, make morning shows great again.

[A]

Who do you think his first. His first guest will be? Jesus.

[B]

Okay, I can promise you that won't be the first guest. I don't know, man. I don't know who was first guest would be. I don't even know if it'll be a music guest. AOC maybe Teyana. I was right about that. Congrats, Teyana Taylor.

[A]

Yeah, take that, Rob Markman.

[B]

Yeah, Rob. You gonna find me for that one. I told you funky motherfuckers that Teyana Taylor was gonna win best supporting Actress for her role in one battle after another. And God damn it, Harlem did it. Shout out to Teyana Taylor. We love you. We're proud of you. And I'm just happy that Tiana is getting all of her just due, man, because she's incredibly talented. So it was. It was beautiful to see her receive the Golden Globe for best supporting Actress last night.

[A]

Yeah, no, it's good. I mean, I. I watched her speech, I watched monologue. Why am I blanking on the comedian blonde? She's hilarious.

[B]

Nikki.

[A]

Nikki Glazer.

[B]

Nikki Glazer.

[A]

She was very funny. Watched her. Her opening thing. I'm glad she wasn't as PC as. As people have been in the past. So nice to see all these people that were redacted from a certain list. They said, the great. The award. Golden Globe for the best editor goes to doj. I thought that was. That was hilarious. Yeah, yeah, but it was cool. And, yo, she made. She made a good point in a very funny bit with Leo. She made another joke about him dating young girls, and she was like, I know that seems cheap. Leo, we know nothing about you. Yeah, I could find One interview from 1991 that says your favorite food is Pasta.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Nothing's changed.

[B]

Nothing has changed.

[A]

I don't know anything about Leo.

[B]

I love that.

[A]

I know the Pussy Patrol. I know he with David Blaine and was terrorizing the streets of New York, but I know nothing besides that.

[B]

That's great. That's when you've won. When you could be that big in Hollywood and people know nothing about you.

[A]

She said you accomplished so much before your girlfriend turned 30. All before the age of 30.

[B]

She's right.

[A]

And shout out to Manhattan Plaza warrior, Timothy Chalamet.

[B]

Timothy Chalamet. Best. Was the best actor. Yes, Best actor. Marty Supreme.

[A]

Because that came out like yesterday.

[B]

It came out like right before.

[A]

How did they have time to vote?

[B]

I don't know, man. Listen, man, it was a really good movie though. I enjoyed it. I did feel like he was gonna win some awards for that. And you can see them kind of setting Timothy up to be the next.

[A]

I think that's been going on for years now, which I fully, fully support because he's homegrown. But no, Shout out to Timothy. And she made. She said he. He's the only actor that had to gain weight to play a ping pong. But he gains. He worked so hard to gain 60 ounces. Well, shout out Timothy and everyone that won and all that. With that said, we are back. Sponsored by Boost. Damaris is still going through some health stuff, but she is doing much better. She's okay. She misses you guys. But yeah, probably another week. Still a little bedridden.

[B]

Get better, baby D. I called, I FaceTimed and texted. She ain't respond. Answer. It's all right. I got a trick for her when she get back. I'm not gonna tell you what it is yet.

[A]

Listen, there's been three or four times like, yo, I pull up now, get you some groceries, this and that. Then she was complaining about, man, it sucks. Just laying down this and that. So I gotcha. This whole plan to surprise her. And I even texted Peach. So, yo, let's go over there and surprise her. Nah, don't come through. So I said, why? Nah, it's not the right time.

[B]

I said, when is the right time to visit somebody? If this, if there's, you know, home recovery.

[A]

You're good at that. At girl math.

[B]

Oh, okay. She had company.

[A]

I don't know. Oh, I have no idea. But all of a sudden I have ideas. Somebody. No, you haven't been in a frantic text mode. Been talking to her non stop every day, all day.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

All of a sudden, like, you know when messages just get a Little quicker, like. No, no, no, not right now.

[B]

Now. It's not a good time. It's not a good time.

[A]

I was like, I'm leaving Queens, right? I could be there in 15.

[B]

Yeah. Nah, nah.

[A]

And then I was like, you know, I'll link Peach, maybe get a drink, kill some time. Nah, for the whole night. I'm probably just gonna go to sleep.

[B]

Yeah. I'm probably just gonna say six o', clock, you know.

[A]

Yo, the meds.

[B]

It's always the meds. You know that. It's the meds, the meds and beds. That's all it is. But get better, baby.

[A]

Yeah, yeah. Prayers, prayers to her. And she. She is getting better. It's just, you know, we'll let her tell her her health journey.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

But I felt like we jinxed it because we. The last episode, we were like, yo, nothing crazy has happened. Something always crazy happens to this podcast at the end of the year. And we're like, damn, we. We made it this year.

[B]

What happened?

[A]

Tamaris had emergency surgery, like, the second day.

[B]

Oh, yeah, yeah. That was. Yeah.

[A]

We can never just get out of, like, fourth quarter and a first quarter clean.

[B]

We was. Weren't thinking anything like that. Certainly, like, that's like, you know me.

[A]

No, but we are down a cast member.

[B]

Yeah, yeah.

[A]

Will be returning. Thank God.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

How was your weekend, though?

[B]

It was cool, man. Just. Just chilled. Didn't do too much. Went. So my homeboy went to his store, kicked with him for a minute, did a little shopping, but nothing. Nothing crazy. Nothing out. Ordinary man. Just chill.

[A]

Yeah, I was about the same. I was about the same. I watched. When was the last time you watched D2? The Mighty Ducks. The second. When. When they're Team USA.

[B]

It's been years. So the last time I watched that, it probably was like Blu Ray or something like that.

[A]

Yeah. I feel like I've seen the first one within the last five years, but D2, I don't think I've seen since the 90s. So I'm just rewatching all my old favorite kid movies, try to get Amara into them. Like, we. We ran through Toy Store already. I was like, let me see non animation sports. See if Amara's into it, if she's too young. So we watched the first one. It was cool. I was like, let's watch D2. I did not remember that. In the first round of the Junior Olympics, Team USA goes against Trinidad and Tobago's hockey team.

[B]

Let me. Was it. Was it a tight one? Have they ever seen ice in Trinidad and Tobago?

[A]

Can you please google Trinidad and Tobago? Mighty Ducks mall. You're aware of the colors of Trinidad and Tobago?

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Instead of using the colors of the Trinidad Tobago flag, they just threw tie dye on them.

[B]

Yeah, yeah, that is.

[A]

Nothing about their colors has anything to do with that. No, it's like a Jerry Garcia hippie movie.

[B]

And none of those kids are from Trinidad and Tobago. Those kids are from Queens, maybe Brooklyn.

[A]

And then in the stands, they put a bunch of guys in T shirts with steel drums. I was like, I do not. This is the most racist.

[B]

I do not remember that.

[A]

Scroll up. That's their fan base. They're just at the top in more tie dye, mind you.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Nothing about Trinidad has to do with tie dye.

[B]

You can never have too much tie dye. You know that.

[A]

Not even at Carnival do they have tied up.

[B]

Not at all. Well, maybe because juve, they throw paint on you. So maybe they was going for the juve look. Maybe.

[A]

Do you think the Mighty Ducks producers were that tapped into the cut? I think they was some subtle.

[B]

They may have been going for the juve look. You know what I mean? Still paying right there. You know what I'm saying? Like, you know, give it a little culture in the Disney movie, that's all. Yeah, I don't. I do not remember that. That's hilarious.

[A]

And then if you didn't think they could top which I. They should sell that kith. Should put this out.

[B]

Yeah, you put. You put kith on that right there. That sells out in 10 minutes, for sure. Absolutely.

[A]

Then, you know, after they squeak by Trinidad in the first round.

[B]

It was a close one. It was.

[A]

How. Wait, how close was D2 to Cool Runnings? Was this maybe that year that they were just like, we got to try shit?

[B]

Yeah. Nah, they was. That was a few years apart. Cool Runners, I feel like, was early 90s.

[A]

D2 was, what, like 98, 99, something like that?

[B]

94. Okay, so 94. And cool runners might have been 92, 93 also the year after year.

[A]

So they do what Hollywood does when you see something work.

[B]

Rinse and repeat.

[A]

Charlie and the Ducks.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

All right. They did Jamaica.

[B]

Rhyme. Let's get ready. It's bobsled time.

[A]

Cool running now.

[B]

Cool Runners is a classic, though. We're not doing that. Cool Runners is a class.

[A]

Like, they really could have got Jamaican actors.

[B]

Yeah, well, I mean, you know, at that time, you know, they was trying to find Malik. Yoba was like, the quintessential, you know, West Indian.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Correspondent.

[A]

So, yeah, after they. They squeak by the Alternate jersey. Trinidad and Tobago is a close one. Big upset with that one. They need a little toughening up. So there. There's a gentleman that's in the stands that is, you know, just an avid hockey fan harassing Team usa. Only the black kids, may I add, Kenan Thompson is heckling. And for some reason, only the black kids on the team start fighting. And because they barely, you know, got by Trinidad, Coach Bombay thought it'd be cool if they went to. To the hood of South Central to get a little toughening up from Keenan and the boys. And of course, Charlie and the crew are met with open arms in the Rolling Sixties.

[B]

Of course. Absolutely.

[A]

And then they had assembled this team with the Ducks and all the greatest players in the entire country, from the. The. The rodeo guy to the male Michelle Kwan. Whole crew.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Then they come back from the Rolling sixties, jumped in, crypt up with Kenan Thompson and tell the country of the United States. Yo, it's our homeboy from. From the hood. He on the team now. And they just take him on.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Get on the bus. Kid from South Central. We've never met. My name's Coach Bombay.

[B]

Is this. Was Jesse in this one, too?

[A]

No, it was the first one. He didn't. He didn't make Team usa.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

He had. He had other venues. He had other plans.

[B]

He had other plans going on.

[A]

He was becoming an R and B singer in Chicago.

[B]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Classic movie, though. D2 was a class movies.

[A]

It's. It's incredible. It's just. Listen, man, that.

[B]

That is so crazy sometimes in these movies.

[A]

And then the one. The one black kid that was, like, left behind, like, he. He gave his blessings to Keenan to go with the. With the squad, but you could tell that was really his dream. He was too old.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And then as they're running through South Central, he's behind the fences. Go, usa. Go.

[B]

That's how it always happened. That's how it always happens. His mother didn't sign the cons.

[A]

Was it the con consent form?

[B]

Consent form, yes.

[A]

To be represented by the United States.

[B]

How many. How many gangsters do you think were birthed from their parent not signing a consent form? Like, how many gangsters, villain origin, is that their mom didn't sign the consent form to go on a school trip to Six Flags? I'm pretty sure a lot of gangsters in New York City was birthed in that moment.

[A]

Well, I lost my virginity that way.

[B]

On the school trip.

[A]

Yeah. My mom was out of town, so I couldn't get the consent form. So I forged it to go to Bronx Zoo.

[B]

Oh, and that's where.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Yes. So you got your first piece. Look at mom. Mom don't even know. Does she know that you ever told her that story?

[A]

No.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

I've, like, I don't have that relationship with my mom.

[B]

To talk about your first time having.

[A]

Sex, it's like sex, period.

[B]

Okay, so your mom thought she was a virgin until you had a mar.

[A]

No, I don't think that. But even, like, Even telling her Kia was. Was pregnant kind of like made me like that. Now my mom's telling your mom she's.

[B]

About to be a grandma.

[A]

Made you, like, because we just never, like, we just didn't have that relationship where we would talk about those types of things. So it's like. And then like, I don't know, like, yeah, mom, kids. Like, yeah, we'd be having sex with.

[B]

You, like, you know, together, like.

[A]

Yeah, with parents. I mean, some of my mom's friends I would talk to about that type of stuff. And like, I don't. I didn't have that relationship, not with all adults, but just with my mom specifically. Like, that's odd. And then like, Kia's mom, I felt weird the first time. Like, damn, she just knows, like, just.

[B]

Got me in there playing.

[A]

Just be going.

[B]

Making your belly buttons kiss. We make our belly buttons kiss at night.

[A]

When was the first time you. Well, you've been in one long term relationship. Did you sleep over her family's house ever?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Did you guys sleep in the same bed? Mm. What was that like?

[B]

It was. I mean, for me, it was a. You know, but it was. It was also kind of like, you know, the parents were so cool where it was like, you know, I mean, they wasn't tripping about nothing. It was. It was a very. In the first thought of it, I was kind of like, all right, so I gotta wear, like actual pajamas. You know what I'm saying? You gotta get your real pajamas. And then I'm like, you gotta sleep in your pajamas type of thing. But it wasn't as awkward as I thought it would be, though.

[A]

Yeah. Even like when I was engaged, even when I would stay there, I would sleep on, like the basement couch. You had to be married in that house. Not my house.

[B]

In that house, hell, nah. Sleep on the couch.

[A]

And then it was. It wasn't until I was engaged that my knowingly. A woman slept in my bed at my mom's house.

[B]

Wow, you're. Nah.

[A]

And my mom, like, yeah, she's a hardcore Catholic, but Not like that. But it still was like. I don't know.

[B]

It is an awkward. It's still an awkward feel. I know what you mean. But the. When the family is so cool and understanding where it kind of like knocks the edge off of that.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

You know, I mean that's. That's what my experience was. The family was like super cool.

[A]

Yeah. Did you fuck in?

[B]

No. No, no, no, no.

[A]

Okay. Because that's like.

[B]

Yeah. No, that's. That's next level crazy. I'm not doing that.

[A]

I. I understand eventually my daughter is going to become a woman and be in a relationship. I'm not that naive. But don't be in my house. Like have at least have that.

[B]

No.

[A]

At least have that respect for me. No matter how old you get. Like just don't in my. Knowingly Right. Because I. In my mom's house. Not knowingly all the time.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And I'm not naive to think that my kids won't be any different than me. As far as teenage exploring go. Just don't let me know.

[B]

Nah.

[A]

See, like knowingly not.

[B]

I gotta take that back. We definitely did have sex in her parents house. But the mom used to go to work and her father used to go to work. Right. So like we thought they were both gone. Was in there going crazy one morning. I'm talking about like thought we was in there by ourself going crazy. I wake up, she go in the shower. I go to the kitchen. Pops is in the bed just laying there watching tv. I'm like, yo. I go back and I'm like yo, your dad is in the room. And I know he heard us because it was one of those sessions where you think you got the house to yourself.

[A]

Yeah. Relaxed. Everything.

[B]

Oh my God. Crazy about 9am Crazy morning wood. You know how I go thinking we had the house to ourselves.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Pops was laying right in the bed watching like the Price is Right or some like that. I'm like, he definitely heard us in there. 100.

[A]

That has happened. One time with a. A sister that she was living with and thought we had the whole. I walked out butt ass. Oh, close the door. Your sister's out there. But I had to piss my clothes back on. And I was cool with her sister. It's not like my first. I was just like, yeah. When I walk back out, I have to use the bathroom. She was in the living room. I said there's nothing I can say that's going to change this. Let's just pretend it never happened. Are you just. There's Nothing.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

We can't touch nothing. That's going to.

[B]

Yeah, it happened. It is what it is. Let's not make it any more awkward at all. Yeah, but you having to be like, engaged before you can even sleep in the same bed is crazy.

[A]

I mean, that was out of respect to her, like the values of her.

[B]

No, I get it. I get it.

[A]

Foreign parents, like, they don't play that.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

They was married at 17.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

In the Village. Like lineages of. This is.

[B]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[A]

Like so, you know, you got to. I mean, granted, I was staying there so much that, you know, we were in the basement. She had a bedroom, you know, like in Queen's basement stuff. They're like finished. It's an apartment.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So I would sleep on the couch. She was sleeping. And then, you know, by midnight I'm going in there and then my alarm is set for five. And then you gotta get up and go back to the game.

[B]

It's so crazy that you gotta live. That's a real way to like, be in a relationship.

[A]

When I was in college, I guess I wouldn't call college girlfriend, but somebody I was seriously talking to. Summertime, I went out to her crib and like West Bubblefuck, New Jersey. And I was planning on leaving. Also had super, super, super religious parents. I fell asleep in her bed. It wasn't our intention. And we weren't fucking at that time either. I fell asleep. Her father walked in that shit. I have never seen a Jamaican man restrain himself from choking the fucking life out. He started having to pray to himself to calm down. Like, he went in the corner and he was speaking in tongues to calm himself the fuck down. I thought I was going to die in that fucking room.

[B]

Damn, that serious.

[A]

I mean, play that.

[B]

Yeah, I guess. Come on, man. It ain't that deep over overly religious. No, I get it. I understand.

[A]

Anyways, D2s and Mighty Ducks classic out now.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Have you watched D3?

[B]

No.

[A]

When they get the private school scholarship.

[B]

No, I didn't watch that.

[A]

Now you got to revisit that one. Yeah, but ironically, some real Mighty Duck happened this week too. Did you see the fight between like the peewee hockey kids over the weekend? Start from the beginning. This is the biggest Royal Rumble. This is all time. Yes. 100 real. You know, like at football games, like at halftime. They'll bring out like the Pop Warner league. They do that at hockey games too. So it's like the peewee of wherever this is at the full blown brawl. No getting like legit punches In.

[B]

Wait, is this a league or is this, like just the kids that half.

[A]

It's halftime.

[B]

This is just kids at halftime of an NHL game.

[A]

Yes. Going away now they're starting to beat up their own teammate. They're swinging at anybody. You ever been in a party in a dark fight and you end up hitting your homeboy by accident? That's what happened here.

[B]

This is crazy.

[A]

Wait till the goalie comes from across. No, no, there's another goalie. That's goalie number one. Goalie number two comes in with a flying fucking knee and ends the whole fight.

[B]

That's crazy.

[A]

And how long is this, Josh? This is the shorter version. That's 58 seconds. Not a parent, not a reference. It's an arena full of adults.

[B]

I mean, well, this is hockey, right? That's the culture of hockey. You gotta fight.

[A]

Not even the NFL. I mean, the NHL allows this for adults.

[B]

Yeah, like, once you fall in and.

[A]

Now you're hitting your own teammates.

[B]

Yeah. In the NHL, once you hit the floor, that's it. The fight is over.

[A]

Once somebody drops my man at the bottom left. Just gave up. No, I gotta give it to these kids.

[B]

Oh, I like it though, man. Yeah, I like that. I like to see that in sports with kids, man. Show a little toughness. No kid is out there crying, you know what I mean? Like, yeah, we got to throw hands a little bit.

[A]

I like that protective gear on.

[B]

Yeah, you got to clap for that. That's part of the game. That's part of the sport, man.

[A]

There's a couple kids on. On the white team that you see skate away. I hope they review this footage.

[B]

Yeah, like, yo, where you was at?

[A]

You not on the team no, more.

[B]

Like where you was at when them niggas was on.

[A]

So he had the footage, man.

[B]

Yeah, where he was at, man. I respect, homie. Right there, he came and helped his man out.

[A]

But wait till the blue goalie comes. He throws Josh at the shorter.

[B]

No, but no, it's all serious. Where the refs at? I see a mascot.

[A]

That goalie just went nuts. No, this goes on. You know how long a three minute fight is?

[B]

Yeah, no, that's. But, yeah, that's some weird refs. The refs didn't stop it. The coaches, nobody.

[A]

That's what I'm saying.

[B]

Okay. All right, fuck it.

[A]

Where was the. The guys on the steel drums?

[B]

No, nobody came in the steel pants section. What y' all was doing?

[A]

It will be fun to do, like the way they do beer leagues for softball and all that. I Would like a. Like a hockey one. Not like super contact, but I think that would be fun.

[B]

Good luck with that.

[A]

Not too serious hockey.

[B]

Yeah. Nah, nobody want to see that. If you don't know how to skate and really play hockey, don't. Don't go out there.

[A]

I can skate.

[B]

Yeah, but skating and playing hockey too.

[A]

I know, but like I'm saying like a beer league, the way they do softball for like you're just there to knock out an hour and get the blood flowing and then you go to the bar after with your friends. Like that type of.

[B]

Yeah, that's peach type of. I get it.

[A]

That'd be fun.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Roller hockey. Did you ever play roller hockey?

[B]

No, never played hockey a day in my life.

[A]

No?

[B]

Nothing? Nah, we didn't. That didn't. That didn't reach. That didn't reach my block.

[A]

You guys didn't play a little pond hockey?

[B]

Nah, that didn't reach for university. That didn't reach Creston. I promise you that didn't reach. Question. No worrying now.

[A]

Well, what's that right there? It doesn't look like the most powerful iPhone that's ever existed.

[B]

This old thing?

[A]

That is not the all new iPhone 17 Pro designing the most powerful iPhone of all time. But I know why you haven't gotten it is because of traffic and the store and transferring data will good news. Boost Mobile will send an expert to your home to work or a coffee shop. Wherever you're at. Just drop your location, bring it right to me and Boost is going to be right there with with the iPhone 17. Transfer everything. No hassle at all.

[B]

Visit boost mobile.com to get delivery available for select devices [e-mail] Terms apply.

[A]

This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. I cannot lie. 2025 kicked my ass. But it has been great in this first week of the year to talk with my therapist and figure out what my goals for 2026 are. You might be on a dating app right now trying to match with somebody, but BetterHelp will actually do the initial matching for you to have a better mental future. Think about yourself first swipe right on your mental health. 12 years of experience and the industry leader in matching a fulfillment rate means that they typically get it right the first time. Way different than your dating app. BetterHelp therapists work accordingly to a strict code of conduct and are fully licensed in the US with over 30,000 therapists, BetterHelp is one of the world's largest online therapy platforms. Having served over 5 million people globally. BetterHelp makes it easy to get matched online with a qualified therapist. Sign up and get 10% off. Betterhelp.com RoryMal that's betterhelp.com RoryMore well, anyways, I don't know why we went on that, that hockey tangent, but let's get back to you pissing everybody off because it wasn't just the push ups that you own Peach. A lot of my friends called me over over the weekend.

[B]

A lot of my. A lot of mods too.

[A]

A lot of people hit me.

[B]

Call your friends. I called my friends and we could.

[A]

Debate rap every weekend.

[B]

Yeah, we can debate this rap. Now let's do.

[A]

Felt like last year all over again for some reason. Like yo, Maul really believe this. I'm like, guys, I don't know. Call him. You want his number? Here it is.

[B]

Yeah, man. Call me, man. I'm always willing to talk.

[A]

A lot of people hit me about your Andre 3000 take that when I viral. What's the number to be called viral at this point?

[B]

Who knows? I don't know.

[A]

A lot of people were adding it, I guess.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Which is kind of funny because I think this goes back to our Drake Kendrick post battle new Rat fan situation. Because while I don't agree with your take with Andre 3000. We debated it. That's not a crazy take. You're not the first person to say that. That's not the wildest. That has been a take for 20 years.

[B]

I never asked you this. Do you have him in your top five?

[A]

No. Okay, maybe my top ten. I have to. I'd have to. Yeah, maybe my top 10. He's not my top five. You know how small five is. Let's just have. I think a lot of people just.

[B]

Have the conversation, bro.

[A]

Again, while I disagree with you, I think a lot of people that were replying to you don't have him in their top five.

[B]

Let's just. I'm here to have the conversation.

[A]

I've seen people killing me reiterate because I hate. We used to blame Peach, but now I can't even blame Peach because Peach gets the full points in there. I just think now I need to blame Trey because I don't even know if people are watching the clips or just reading the caption caption. And they know if they comment to go against it, they'll get their traction and the waterfall of Elon Musk just continues. Yeah, but I don't think it's a crazy take to say Three Stacks is not in my top five because he does not have a solo Rap project for everyone. My God, I was losing brain cells watching people try to tell us that the Love Below is a solo rap album. Like, lose it. And they were saying it with. I mean, it's. It's Twitter, so you can't really tell their tone. But I can read, like, smug, arrogant shit on Twitter, how they come across just the smugness of like. Well, the Love Below is a solo rap album where.

[B]

And I thought. I thought I was.

[A]

There's one rap song on that entire 22 track Outcast album.

[B]

I thought that I was being very fair and saying that. 3000 is definitely a legend. He's one of the greatest rappers, one of my favorite rappers of all time. I just could not no longer have him in my personal. Personal is the key word.

[A]

Your personal top five needs to be everyone else's top five.

[B]

But it's just. I've had. Listen, I've had these conversations with so many people, whether it is other artists, whether it's just people from different parts of the country. You would be amazed. Well, you actually noticed. But so many people from Atlanta, like the city of Atlanta do not have 3,000 in their top five. More people from Atlanta today. You would hear them say future. You would hear them say little baby. You would hear them say thug. You would hear them say Gucci. You would. Because I've had this conversation. I'm like, y' all don't listen to. They like, we don't listen to 3,000 like that. Like, he's not as revered in Atlanta as people from other states or cities view. And I'm like, really? I've literally had. You were there for some of. I've had these conversations. And I'm like, yo, y' all are crazy. Like, I could see his influence in a bunch of these artists from Atlanta.

[A]

Hell, yeah. So he's influencing Thug.

[B]

So for people to take what I said and feel like, you know, I'm discrediting Andre or I'm not qualified to say what I'm saying. I didn't know I had to be qualified to have a Personal Favorite Top 5 Rappers of all time. And I challenge anybody that feels like I'm wrong with saying that. Show me Andre 3000's juicy. Show me his one mic. Show me his, you know, all of the. His, his, his, his. Lose yourself.

[A]

He has those records, but they're.

[B]

No, no, no, no. I'm talking about solo rap, classic songs. I'm talking about the. The ones y'.

[A]

All.

[B]

Undeniable rap, classic solo songs. He has classic verses, has amazing songs. With other artists, outkasts, whether it be, you know, dungeon family, whoever. Andre 3000 is a goat. We'll never take that away. I'm just saying I can't have him in my personal top five because when you think about it, it's like where is the solo classic? And it's not there. Not saying he doesn't have classic verses. Not saying that he's not on classic songs. Not saying he doesn't have classic albums. I'm talking about solo by himself. Where are they?

[A]

And this is where we differ. Post that debate and just seeing all the controversy it caused. Where we differ on that is that's not as important to me as it is to you. I think it's not as important that there isn't the solo album there. His output of verses gives me enough as a rap fan to put him in a top 10 personally. For me.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Or top 15.

[B]

I. He's one of the best. Not taking that away from him.

[A]

That's not a huge like check for me. Based off for other artists, sure. But other artists don't have the output that 3,000 had with four back to back classic rap albums without cast like so that's where I just don't. There are some artists that. Yeah, you would need some more based off your output, even with your skill level to be there if you're in a group.

[B]

All right. I read this.

[A]

Three sacks to me just has done enough for me to feel that way.

[B]

I'll ask you this. If Biggie, God rest his soul, was just a part of Junior Mafia his entire career, would anybody have.

[A]

Did we only get. Get my. Like.

[B]

I'm gonna ask you the question again.

[A]

Is Junior Mafia putting out a quemi.

[B]

I'm gonna. Yes, they did. Yes.

[A]

And Big is rapping three stacks verse on there.

[B]

Yes. I'm.

[A]

I would say, wow, this guy's incredible.

[B]

Would you have him top five? Maybe you don't have 3, 000 top five.

[A]

I mean, I don't know what the counterpoint. I mean I think Big Boy's a little better than C's. So I. I don't know how that would work.

[B]

Would you. Would you have. If Jay Z was in a group his entire career, do you think we have.

[A]

I don't know how to answer that hypothetical.

[B]

But why not?

[A]

Because it.

[B]

We're talking about. Because we're talking about a. An incredible rapper, incredible artist.

[A]

Just doesn't have any solo albums. Jay Z's 13 projects were the way they were. But also there was another verse on every song. That was another rapper.

[B]

No, there's no. There's no solo album.

[A]

I know. I'm saying Jay Z's in a duo and we have the same catalog with the same Jay Z verses, but now there's just an extra verse from his rap.

[B]

Will you have him as top five?

[A]

Yes. Because everything that he said in all those verses, all those songs is incredible. I don't care if you add an extra version.

[B]

I don't believe you.

[A]

If you.

[B]

If I don't believe you.

[A]

If Sauce Money. It's not like a slider.

[B]

I don't believe you.

[A]

Sauce is an incredible rapper.

[B]

I don't believe you.

[A]

But if. If Reasonable Doubt, volume one. Everything is exactly the same.

[B]

I don't believe you.

[A]

Same songs, same verses from home. Everything. But you're adding a Sauce Money verse to every single song. I'm sorry. Jay Z is still a goat to me.

[B]

That's not what I'm saying. 3,000. 3,000 is still a goat.

[A]

It's Sauce Money and Jay Z.

[B]

Would you have them in your top five?

[A]

It's the Marcy Mavens.

[B]

Would you have them in your top five?

[A]

Five. Yes.

[B]

No, you would not.

[A]

Everything's the same.

[B]

You would not. You would not.

[A]

Can't knock the hustle is the same versus we just add a Sauce Money one at the end, bro.

[B]

Listen, Beyonce is Beyonce. Beyonce. If she never leaves Destiny Child, she Queen be.

[A]

That's a. That's such a hard argument.

[B]

No, it's not. She was part of a group, then she went solo and became who she is. Okay, so she's now revered as the greatest of all time.

[A]

Is Destiny's Child going to continue to make more albums instead of be going solo like. Or are you just saying I only get this Destiny's Child album to make that case and then Beyonce retires?

[B]

I'm saying you only get Destiny's Child's.

[A]

Discography, but they would have kept making music had Beyonce not went solo. So I don't know, maybe.

[B]

You only get Beyonce with Destiny's Child. Is she still revered as the artist, the performer, the entertainer that she is?

[A]

No, because in those, those Destiny styles, days, after they broke up with the five of them, the three of them, it was pretty balanced until you get Survivor. Yes. Beyonce may have been this the forward facing star of the three, but they balanced out those records pretty well. Michelle and Kelly. So it's tough because how they were doing that group, like, I'm not dancing around question. Your question is just tough to answer because something's so hypothetical.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

Listen, if Big. If Big doesn't die and puts out seven Dog albums after life, after death, we're having a different Biggie conversation. But we can't have that because he passed away, and that's a hypothetical. It's unfair.

[B]

We're having a conversation of somebody being in a group extremely talented, but not having.

[A]

Stays in Leaders of the New School. No, I don't look at him as the same buster. Of course not. Because I saw what happened. He became a great solo actor.

[B]

Page, I feel like you're on my side. It's okay.

[A]

I just don't understand. Can someone maybe explain the question.

[B]

No.

[A]

A bit differently to me?

[B]

I know I explained it to you. You said what? You said.

[A]

Dre doesn't leave out. I mean, if they never leave Mafia. Would you have considered him top five if everything.

[B]

Hypothetically. Rory just doing. Rory doing what? Rory do. Just trying to be this, like. You know exactly what I'm saying, bro. You would not have him.

[A]

You're making up a hypothetical.

[B]

Of course I'm making up.

[A]

I know what you're saying. I do do that a lot. I'm not doing that this time because I don't understand the question.

[B]

Okay, If.

[A]

If Biggie doesn't put out Ready to Die or life after death, and he is just part of this fulton crew of Lil C's, Lil Kim and Big. I don't know. I don't know. What the. I don't know.

[B]

That's the question. That's the question.

[A]

No, don't.

[B]

He's just doing this thing that he likes to do. No, don't, don't. Don't worry about him.

[A]

If he's just doing this, never leave 192nd Street. I don't. Okay. No, they're not the greatest. I don't know.

[B]

Hey, listen, my point still stands. 3000 is an incredible MC, incredible rapper, incredible artist. He's all of those things. I would never. I'm never trying to take that away from him. And I thought I was very clear in what I was saying. I'm just saying in my personal top five, you cannot be there if you don't have a solo album. You don't have any solo work. Like, it's, it's unfair to guys that, you know, have so many solo albums and have transcended generations and decades. Like, I'm. Like I said I could. I, I. I probably should put LL there before Andre 2000, if we're being honest. First rap star transcended what, three, four decades? Since the 80s.

[A]

Oh, you're putting together a top 10. Not a personal, just a top 10. LL Cool J is in the top 10 of the 50 years we've had a hip hop.

[B]

So that's what I'm saying.

[A]

But we were talking about, like, favorites.

[B]

But this is what I'm saying. I'm just saying that it's not fair to other MCs, other artists. Other rappers that have solo albums. Solo albums. Solo albums and not have them there when it's like 3,000 is incredible. But he's in a group.

[A]

I think what. What made the Internet upset, which. Which is, again, we're not going to take any accountability. We put it on page. We can't do that anymore. So now we're. It's Trey for sure. I think the word overrated is what sent people off. Your point. I understand your point. I totally get it. We can debate the point. It's not a point that other people haven't made either. I think everyone just reacted to the word overrated. But there's no world where Andre 3000 is overrated. Like, still one of the greatest rappers that's ever.

[B]

If you have him in your top five, that's overrating them.

[A]

Okay. I mean, that's subjective to me. Personal to me. I don't know if I put him.

[B]

In my top five.

[A]

That's over 15.

[B]

You need. So you need solo albums. As an MC, you need solo albums. It is what it is like. But that's not a knock on him. That's not. I'm not saying he can't do it. He just didn't do it for whatever reason. That's his creative, you know, decision. I'm just saying if I'm looking at all of the other rappers and MCs that are in my top 20, all of them have solo albums. Yeah. You can't be the only one that doesn't have a solo album and you're in top five. Like, it's. No, no, come on, man. That's unfair. You know, 9th wonder has some very interesting things to say. I'm not saying it was about me.

[A]

Talk to 9th, shout out to my brother.

[B]

He just has some very expressive things that he wanted to get off his chest about the 3,000 take. And, you know, I've read what Nye said, and I respect Nyth, and I think he's incredibly talented. So he's somebody who I would look at and listen to what they have to say and take some. You know, I would take something from that because I respect his opinion. But, yeah, I mean, it's just my personal opinion. No disrespect to Andre, but like I said, you have this conversation in Atlanta. A lot of cats in Atlanta don't even revere Andre the same. So when people say, oh, your regional biases. I'm from New York City. The fact that I would even have Andre 3000 in that conversation means I'm not being biased.

[A]

I don't think.

[B]

I'm sorry, there's plenty of other New York MCs I could have put there in my top five. Just if I'm being biased, but the fact that I recognize what Outkast. Cause we not gonna just say Andre, what Outkast did for the culture and the music that they gave us, Especially somebody like me. That's why Andre was in that conversation. But it's not a regional bias. Like, I'm not biased because I'm from New York and I just wanna. I'm not knocking Andre. But again, you go to Atlanta, the disrespect that I've personally had conversations and the things that I've heard or the. Or the kind of like the knock that they give Andre in Atlanta. We're in the city that he's from and I'm looking at the. I'm arguing for Andre in Atlanta.

[A]

I can co sign separate times when I'm not even been with you in studios. I've been the only person defending Andre 3000 with a bunch of kids that were born and raised in Atlanta.

[B]

So it's not. I'm not being biased. Just personally, you don't have any solo albums.

[A]

So this was. I didn't see all the 9th tweets. He was suggesting that there was.

[B]

Oh, yeah, Agency Bias was saying we need to take the microphones away.

[A]

Well, I don't think he was specifically.

[B]

Rosenberg said that I need to take a week off. I'm just like, God damn. For my personal top five. I mean, if that's. If I was being re. If I was being biased, I could have had Nikki in my top five.

[A]

What's funny? But the top five part, when you sit and think about it, I think I'd want to ask ninth and Pete is three stacks in their top five. And then naming your top five is. Five's a small, small.

[B]

You know how many rappers. You know how many rappers have come through the culture?

[A]

50 years of hip hop. Yeah, top five. I don't think it's disrespectful if someone's like, Yo, I got three sacks at 12.

[B]

I wouldn't think that's a Diss at all. It's not. So I. That's what I'm saying. I wasn't. And I think for the most, because, again, I got a lot of phone call and text messages and DMs from some of your favorite rappers, artists, producers, where they were agreeing with me.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

They were saying, yo, you right. You gotta have that solo work. You have to. But it's not. They understood what I was saying. I'm not knocking his skill set. That would be crazy for me to knock 3,000 skill set. Like, he's a. A legend in every sense of the word. He's one of the most creative, you know, people we've had in our culture. But without that solo work, there's too many other artists that we could fight for. And they have plenty of solo albums.

[A]

I wouldn't. I'd be lying if I said Regency Bias does not exist, but I don't think it. It exists in a negative way whatsoever. Like, if I hear a rapper and I ask, yo, where they're from, if they're from New York, am I going to be happy about that? And be like, yeah, of course. I probably like more New York rappers, based off where I was from. Grew up listening to that type of music. I probably have more of an affinity for Kiss than maybe somebody in the Midwest or the South. I get that that's in a positive light. I've never heard someone. And then they said, oh, nah, they're from Chicago. And I went, I don't like them anymore.

[B]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. It doesn't make sense.

[A]

That's never. Yes, there is a bias, no matter what. By proxy, wherever you grow up, you're probably gonna like that music more because it's right there. You're gonna be excited to champion the people that have the same experiences as you in the same neighborhoods that you grew up in. You can identify with them more. Yes, that adds in a piece to it, but I've never heard a rapper that I liked. And they said, nah, he's from Gwinnett County.

[B]

I'm like, oh, yeah. I would never.

[A]

I hate this song now. Yeah, it doesn't make sense in the top 10.

[B]

Yeah. And the thing about the top five is, we know they say we're regionally biased. There's really only two slots that. Because I think. I think for the most part, most of us in the culture, guys like 9th Pete and, you know, guys that have, you know, been around or in music or created music, I think we all have J Big and Nas. I think that's Three that I think I could safely say.

[A]

I think from 9th and Pete's eras. Most of those guys, most of us.

[B]

We have Jay Big, and all three of those gentlemen are from New York City.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

So where does my reasonable bias come in if we all unanimously have three gentlemen in our top five?

[A]

In the beginning, it was mostly, you know, till the early 90s when the west coast came with dominance. It was New York for the most part.

[B]

So that's what I'm saying. So why am I now being reasonably regionally biased if we all collectively have at least three guys in our top five from the city I'm from, I'm not being biased. Like, that's what we all have to choose from.

[A]

What if you're not being negative, what's wrong with that? Like, I have no idea what it's like to be from Atlanta and go buy a fucking Gucci mixtape in 05 off Cleveland. Like, I don't. I don't know what that.

[B]

It doesn't hit the same.

[A]

I don't know what that's like.

[B]

Right, right.

[A]

Does that mean that I need. I discredit Gucci?

[B]

Right.

[A]

No, I just. I don't have that experience, and I wouldn't look at someone who has that experience and be like, nah, it's trash.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And I wasn't there.

[B]

Yeah. We all kind of have some regional. Regional bias because, again, the way you live with the music, the way you grow up with the music, what it means personally to you, the timestamp of it, or where it takes you back as far as being a kid in high school, like, where you're from. Yeah. That's the music that you listen to growing up. So it has a different meaning to you. It holds a different amount of weight personally to you and.

[A]

But to me, even, like, Gucci's an example of that. I think Three Stacks has surpassed any region. Yeah. Yes.

[B]

I think so.

[A]

Three Stacks is as Atlanta as you could come. Something to say, of course. Atl. Yeah, we. That was. Right.

[B]

We've had this argument with people from Atlanta.

[A]

Far surpassed Atlanta, but we've had this.

[B]

Argument with people from Atlanta who don't feel that way about 3,000. They don't feel the way I feel for 3,000. And they're from the city he's from. So that's what I'm saying. It's like reading things like what 9th is saying. It's like, I understand it. I get it, but it's like there are people from the city that Andre is from that don't hold him to the regard that I hold him from. And I'm from New York.

[A]

And again, I don't know if he was specifically talking about you or this podcast in general.

[B]

He was talking about me, man.

[A]

Like, he was talking about me as your brother. I will reply on this pod's behalf of saying regional bias. I'm from New York. My. In my top three, if not one, my personal favorite group of all time is Little brother from North Carolina.

[B]

Yeah. Yeah.

[A]

When I was 12, at 13, when I picked up one of the best produced albums ever. The listening. I'm not sure the producer's name.

[B]

Right. What's his name again?

[A]

I didn't go. Durham.

[B]

Yeah. I would never take this out of my headphones.

[A]

Oh, my God. He's from North Carolina in ninth one. This is the greatest shit I've ever heard in my life.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

There was no. No Regional Bias. Slum Village. Oh, I hate Detroit.

[B]

When I said so. And this is his conclusion. So just around right now, of course, we love Knife. So in conclusion, I don't care what ranking anyone puts him.

[A]

Damn.

[B]

You talking to me. Andre Benjamin is one of the greatest ever to put pen to paper.

[A]

I agree.

[B]

I've seen people put their favorites on list, even with a subpar album discography. Nope. 3000 is a master of words, period.

[A]

Oh, well, I don't agree. I don't disagree with one thing.

[B]

Neither do I. Neither do I. But there's nobody on my list whose discography is whack in my top five, I'll tell you that. Not in my top five. No.

[A]

And okay, ninth is correct about everything he said there. And again, I do think right here we gotta stop reasonable bias. Because if 3000 was born with a northern area code and did a ton of mixtapes and verses, we aren't having this debate.

[B]

Of course. Exactly. If he had mixtapes and he had solo shit. Yeah, you're right. That's my whole point. You're right.

[A]

If he did that, but not if he didn't. If. If 3stacks was born in New York. No, I actually think a lot of the genius of what Three Stacks is, is his Atlanta perspective. No matter where you put that beautiful mind, it's going to be amazing. Yeah, but that sound in Southern Playlistic Cadillac like that, that's my. How much I love 3stacks is based off the sonics that he created. Like, it's the style. Yeah. And that's. That's an Atlanta style. That's why I love him, is because he's from Atlanta.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And when you get down. And this is a regional bias that a lot of people outside of New York hold to this myth of New York bias. Northern area code. Go talk to a bunch of kids in Jersey because they'll start to think, if I was born in Brooklyn, people in D.C. if I was born. You just keep going down and down and down. It's. No one's ever going to be happy. Northern, I'm sure the clips thought at the time, like, damn, we was born. Well, I guess they were. But if we were from the Bronx, Bronx legend. They are. But that's what made the clips. The clips is because they were from Virginia. So I don't agree with that. If. If they were from a certain area code, they'd be revered more.

[B]

I like what this gentleman had to say in response tonight. We said no. What does region have to do with people saying he needs a solo catalog? Y' all love screaming bias when up north folks don't agree. I like that. I like that. Yeah. I'm just saying, solo catalog, solo album. Even if it was just one. Even if he just gave us one solo album, I'm not saying he had to give us five, six albums. I'm just saying, even if it's just something where we could say, okay, this is what 3000 looks like on his own away from Outkast, even though he has verses, but again, it's features on other people's songs. You know what I'm saying? Like, it's just not solo.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Rap, because he gave. Because people was fighting for love below and all of that. And I'm just like, bro, that's not rap.

[A]

It's not. And I have to give some pushback, too. Even though I'm on Knife's side with this and agree with what he said and disagree with you, I still. If you look at Knights, Knight was already a young legend when he was with lb, but him doing threats, him doing girls for Destiny's Child, and then him going on to start his label, have his own artist produce for other people. That made ninth the legend outside of the group, like Primo, gangstar race groups of all time. Would Primo be a legend just. Just with Guru? For sure. But why Preem is alien? Like, is because he went out and did so much stuff as DJ Premier, and I feel like producers go through that same thing. There's a lot of times we've seen producers that are, like, in, you know, the early days when it was producer, MC group type thing. Like, well, yeah, I gotta see what they do outside of just the group. Yeah, that's a big thing with producers, too. I think ninth is the legend. He is based off Little Brother for sure. But it's everything 9th did outside of LB that made him who he is and why we revere him so much.

[B]

Right.

[A]

Because he had the range to do shit elsewhere outside of just what he was doing in the LB bubble. So, yeah, I would say the same thing for producers. And I hear what he's saying. He's. Three Sacks is one of the greatest to ever put pen and paper like that. Goes without saying, but that's not even what the argument was.

[B]

Exactly. Show me where that wasn't. I didn't. I didn't say all of that. Didn't take nothing away from him. Just personally gotta have solo albums, man. But love to 3000. I hope he didn't see that clip and think that I, you know, was disrespect. It's never that for me. Love to 3000. One of the greatest ever. We just need solo 3000.

[A]

Okay, well, this is a good. This good segue to get out of here because I know this did drag a bit. I had someone I consider a friend, ninth hit me about you over the weekend. And listen, man, I'm always here to defend you. I see one of your friends just throwing me up on his Instagram, and I don't know if I got this, the same protection.

[B]

Oh, here I.

[A]

Here I am taking strays for you. Catching strays from your people. I'm telling Rosenberg. Nah, he ain't mean it like that. I'm telling Knife, like, nah, nah. Hear out the argument. No, I'll put y' all on the phone. How about you call into the show? I'm like, nah, come on. I'm here defending my man's. Meanwhile, my man's man.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Is just throwing me up in the triple threat position.

[B]

That was so nasty. I forgot about that picture. That was so hilarious to see it. And it was random as.

[A]

So. All right, for those.

[B]

That is such a random post. That is such a random post, bro. Like, what the. That was. It's almost like, yo, is he hacked? Like that is. That's how random that post is.

[A]

I know, because then everyone was calling, like, would you say something? I was like, I don't think I've said anything positive, negative, anything really, period. That would be Drake worthy. Like, something that would even be on his radar.

[B]

Yeah, nah, we laughed. We laughed and we laughed about it.

[A]

Here I. Here I am going against my guy Ninth for you, and you just laughing it up. Now I see what Damaris was talking about with all those laughing emojis.

[B]

It was such a random, random post. I was like, bro, what the.

[A]

I laughed at it.

[B]

Like, what is this? Like, it was just a random. A random random post. Like just, you know, I don't know why we laughed at it. And it was just like he said, this is sick. Like, that was it. Like, I don't. I don't. I have no story behind why he posted it. We laughed about it. It was just a random. I guess it popped up in his phone and memories or something. Yeah, you know how that goes. I don't know.

[A]

Memories don't live like people.

[B]

Yeah, he seen that. I was like, oh, yeah. I gotta remind this dude of how crazy he looked in this picture.

[A]

Nah, cuz, it's. There was another time that Drake sent a photo of me when I just got Baisley. Basley was about this big and I was. I think I was somewhere in like Columbus Circle. Someone took a photo of me and Baze. I'm wearing like a pink tie. Dye to fade in a blue is a nasty shirt.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And I'm holding a puppy. And Drake screenshot of that shit. Not at the time. Like a lot of time had passed. He held it and sent it to somebody and said, this is your man's. And I was like, he's had that photo for a while. Basley's about this big now.

[B]

Yeah, yeah. No, that was such a rant. And the zoom in is crazy.

[A]

Yes. Like you could even cropped it. My cousin Harley put me in a group chat with our other cousin Justin and both of their wives at midnight and put that in there and said, do explain.

[B]

Yeah, that was so ran. I thought that was you. I thought you posted. I had to look when I just. You know, sometimes you watch.

[A]

I posted some. Some. I gave. I gave the streets some more of the photo shoot after Drake posted. No, I didn't post it. And then he posted.

[B]

That was just so. I didn't. I had to look and see who posted it. I thought you posted that.

[A]

Well, I'll give backstory to this because it is actually hilarious. I'd be forgetting there's so many, like just new fans because this. This was a thing eight years ago.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

That like, we all laughed about. So we were doing a photo shoot with Spotify and we shot our guy J. Silva. He. He hit me and said, I never thought this would be the photo of mine that Drake posted. So he. We had this photo shoot where we had an idea of color Palettes and this and that. And then Spotify, without telling us, comes to the photo shoot. Well, it was at their office, but shows up to the room we're in with Spotify basketball jerseys.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And some athletic gear and a Nerf ball. And said, why don't we do, like, a basketball theme? We said, no. And as a joke, we put this shit on. And that's why I'm sitting in a bad triple threat position. Like, we were clowning Spotify and how bad the idea was, they never went out in the press release. We ended up just going up to the fucking roof and shooting an equally nasty photo shoot. But at least it wasn't this.

[B]

Yeah, no, we was having fun.

[A]

We released these photos ourselves because they were so hilarious. We got the back. But, yes, this was not a serious thing. This was to show Spotify that any of your creative ideas you can keep to your fucking self.

[B]

Yeah, this was ridiculous. But we.

[A]

Yeah, when they brought that little Nerf ball in, it was like, let's have fun.

[B]

It. Let's have a good time. Fun time. But that was still.

[A]

Do you still have your Spotify jersey?

[B]

Oh, God, no. I probably left it at theater that day. I never took that out of there.

[A]

Yo, that was. That was a nasty, nasty shoot.

[B]

Good times, man. But that was just a random post, I'll tell you that. Very random.

[A]

Now, I gotta know what other screenshots that.

[B]

Oh, man. Yeah, if that.

[A]

That was from 2018. Oh, man, I. I caught one of.

[B]

You from that shoot. Yeah. Now, I had to do the durag on a Dewey on.

[A]

Hold on, I'll even find it.

[B]

So I remember. See, Pete, I remember my nasty shit. I had the Dewey on. I had the durag on. Had the jersey on one arm, like, I know. Nasty, nasty times. Yeah, the durag where disgusting.

[A]

I assume you didn't bring that armband.

[B]

No, fam. You think I have a.

[A]

You just had arm, fam.

[B]

No, that's nasty times, man.

[A]

I mean, what did they think?

[B]

I don't know, man. We were just trying because it was.

[A]

For, like, billboards and, like, it was gonna be like, that is crazy. That looks like a athletic and agile man.

[B]

That look like a JD Sports ad.

[A]

That's definitely a K. Swiss ad, for sure.

[B]

Oh, my God, that's disgusting.

[A]

Yeah. Or like, if Gap ever put out an athletic line, it would look like that.

[B]

I don't know if you bowling a basketball or what. Like, I don't know what's happening.

[A]

Right? Yo, that was hilarious. I wonder if I still have that jersey.

[B]

Oh my God.

[A]

It was also like six sizes too small. That's why I think you actually have.

[B]

Your hanging off here.

[A]

Yeah, because I. I was squeezing into that thing.

[B]

Oh my God.

[A]

Yeah, that was. That was a funny ass day.

[B]

Wow. No worrying now.

[A]

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[B]

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[A]

Listen, man, it's just. It's just what it is at this point.

[B]

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[A]

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[B]

And them bonus bets.

[A]

Yeah.

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[A]

Well, anyways, while we're still on music, I didn't want to come in here and hate.

[B]

Why not? Hating is great man Stone thing the.

[A]

Algorithm pushes because I feel like I. Not that I care anymore, but I think I come across with this specific artist as a hater and we're not going to get into another full Bruno combo, but I'll wait for the album. I'll just put it that way.

[B]

It wasn't really filling a single like that.

[A]

I would dance to this at a bar for sure. It's Bruno. So it's good.

[B]

Yeah, it's gonna always be good. That's just the type of artist he is. It's never gonna be bad. Like, I didn't. I didn't really like the sexy red joint, but if it come on in the spot, I'll do the. I'll do the J meme. I'll start looking at the dj, like, all right. They got a nice little groove to.

[A]

It, but I. I just hope Black Sam and Nipsey's family got royalties for that record. That's all I'm saying.

[B]

Which this one he just put up?

[A]

No, the one with. That's Last time that I checked.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Here's the thing. I saw most of the Internet was giving him shit because they're saying he's been making the same music for the past 10 years. Cool. Still have a lot of artists. I don't even know if this is in the same exact realm of everything Bruno's put out, but it has had the same generic feel. I guess would be the way the sound is different, but it's the same feel.

[B]

So somebody said he's been releasing the same song for the past 10 years, and Bruno replies, and you never been shit in your life.

[A]

See, I like that, though. I respect that.

[B]

Bruno, listen, man. It is what it is. He's consistent. Listen, Bruno is. Y' all know, I feel like incredible artists. It's just like you again, I understand what this person is saying. It just feels like we've got this music before. We have heard this sound.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

For so long already. Like, so I. You know, again, what does Bruno sound like? I still don't. I still don't know how to answer that. If somebody said, what does Bruno Mars sound? I don't think I would know how to answer that.

[A]

It's this feel. It's not a sound. It's this feeling.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

It was funny that Mary J just went. Well, it wasn't even viral, but she had a clip that was on the Internet, I saw this morning of her in the studio a while ago. I believe Puff was in there too. And they were going through a mix, and she preferred the demo version to what they had just mixed. And they were. They were trying to trick her to play her what she thought was the demo. And she was like, no, no, no, this is not. This is not my version. You took the grits out of it.

[B]

Mm. Okay.

[A]

I just might. Like. I know. I don't. I didn't even look to see who produced. I just know a producer I revered. D Miles been working on it. I know James involved. I feel like whoever touches Bruno's mixes takes the grits out of okay. Because he works with people that are the greatest and you hear everything else they do outside of Bruno. And again, this is perfect pop music. I don't want this to come across his hate. You can't hate on it. It's like, that's how annoyingly perfect it is. So let's see what the album entails. This was a very predictable single where I was hoping Bruno, for this point in his career, would finally take that. That heel. Like, this was the time. Maybe almost like his weekend in the mask phase for a year. Like, even though the Weeknd has been accused of making very similar music for his. His whole career, once that happened, it still stayed in the pop weekend sonic realm. But it changed a bit. I thought maybe with the time Bruno took off, we would get his complete second half of his career shift. Like, I'm. No, I did all that. Let's do something completely unexpected. And it doesn't appear to be that way. I didn't. I don't think we needed to wait for this. I think Bruno can do this in his sleep.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Bruno and the resources he has could knock this out in a weekend. Is this what we were waiting for? I thought with the time they were concocting the whole new Bruno sound sound for the second half of his career. Like, yes. I have been this caricature for fucking 15 years. It's time to be a heel. I'm turned. This is going to be. You're either going to like it or not. I'm going to make the consumer like this new shit that I'm doing.

[B]

Right.

[A]

All the pop stars eventually have tried to do it to some degree. Even Lady Gaga does this. Like, Bruno's never done that. So you. You're discrediting three stacks for the solo thing. I'm creating someone who is a legend in their own right. Bruno Mars, a pop star legend. You've made the same thing forever.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

You got to do something that pushes the sound forward, not just makes the sound sound better. Yeah. Because that's. You're just taking a sound and making it more polished. And you're great at it. It's awesome. I would dance at the bar to this. It's great. Lyrics are cool. Melody's great. It's Bruno.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

To be in that combo, you gotta do something. You have to have some vision. Are you saying some vision.

[B]

Are you saying you Want Bruno to kind of take a risk.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

Artistically, yes. Okay. I think I feel the same way. I want to hear Bruno do something completely out of pocket different that we wouldn't expect him to do. Like, that's what I think I want from Bruno. We know he's an amazing musician, talented, great stage presence. Great stage. He's a star. Bruno Mars is a fucking star. But I want to see him do something totally unexpected. I want to hear him sound a way we never thought we would hear him sound. I think I'm on that, too.

[A]

Like, I want to hear that his spot is solidified. Yeah, it's done. You're a legend.

[B]

You.

[A]

You don't need to prove anything more to the pop charts of who you are as an entertainer. Your live shows are incredible. You did the fucking super bowl with Beyonce. You are a legend. What type of music do you like?

[B]

Whatever music you like.

[A]

Like, what does Bruno listen to on his way to the gym?

[B]

Whatever music you listen to on your.

[A]

Way to the gym. Wait, so Bruno's been on a first date with us for his entire career?

[B]

Yo, Bruno, what do you like? Whatever you like.

[A]

Okay, I like that.

[B]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Like, whatever you like. Whatever you like. I can do it. That's what I. That's what Bruno is. Whatever you want to hear, he can do it. I want to hear Bruno, too.

[A]

Take the hats off it. Let's get the tempo moving. And I will do that.

[B]

Yeah, yeah, we'll do that. Is that what you want? And that's what I'm saying. Like, you see what we're saying about Bruno. I feel like if he does that, it's going to be fucking amazing. I feel like that's how talented. He could take a risk on his music, on his sound, everything. And it's still going to be amazing because I think he pays attention to detail that closely. Like, he's very maniacal with everything. I think Bruno does what my brother Hop said he saw DJ Quick do and he never saw nobody else do. He said he came in the studio, he sat at the soundboard, and he touched every knob. I think Bruno does that. I think Bruno is that meticulous with his craft.

[A]

Yeah. And I think that's probably. I'm glad you brought that up. Cause that is why I think we give Bruno the shit that we give him on this podcast, because we're not talking about some plant that was just given. Like, yeah, we know Bruno is a music nerd. Extremely talented writer, singer, producer, dancer. Like, we know what Bruno's Mind is capable, and I feel like he's selling himself short.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

He's not offering his full genius to us, which is a selfish thing, as a fan, but I just think he could push the envelope because he's one of them. To me, it's just like, okay, let's see what's on that. Let's see what's on the album. I don't know.

[B]

I get it. He might surprise us. He might have something on the album.

[A]

That'S totally different because I'm like, all right. With Beyonce. You won't break my soul. Off Renaissance, like the single. All right, cool. It's very much that same repetitive dance synth, but. All right, cool. We can't break. It's catchy. I get it. I was hoping that. That she wasn't going to lean into that, and she didn't at all. She experimented crazy on Renaissance.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

But she gave us very much the quintessential dance first single. So I'm hoping that Bruno takes that approach.

[B]

Right.

[A]

I will give the casual fans the radio, the Billboard. This is what you guys want from Bruno. Here you go. On the album. We're not doing that shit, though.

[B]

Yeah. Okay.

[A]

That's what I hope.

[B]

I hope.

[A]

Who knows? We shall see. Whatever.

[B]

You lie.

[A]

Max B. French Montana.

[B]

Yeah, Listen, man, it's all right.

[A]

No, no, sorry. I don't want my paws there to come across. I really do like it.

[B]

No, I know what the pause.

[A]

I was. I know. I was jamming on my way to try to surprise Damaris.

[B]

I don't know. I don't know. I don't know.

[A]

I was. I was.

[B]

I've been playing that all day.

[A]

I was on the. Jackie. Listening to that song specifically.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Trying to surprise the marriage. I. With it. Yeah, I do. And I'm actually. I'm happy. Pause Max getting the kinks out. And he's doing it with French on. Just, you know, a quick drop, like. I'm not mad at that approach.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Mac, Max was never really in pocket. Now he's a little further out of.

[B]

Pocket, but he just got to get his time in. He just got to get his feet back up under him. But I was. The music.

[A]

There's joints on that.

[B]

Yeah. No, the music is good. Yeah. And that's, you know, a very important part to having a good. A good project. The music has to be good, and the music is good. I think we got glimpses of, you know, old Max, the melodies again. He's just coming home after being away for so long, so things kind of felt A little out of pocket, you know, the melodies wasn't as sharp in certain songs as they could be, or that we. That we know Max to deliver. But overall, I think it was a good project, though I'm not mad at it. I think him and French did a good job.

[A]

It also reminded me, too. Cause so much time had passed and French has just become, you know, he had. What was the song with?

[B]

Are we being regionally biased? Are we being regionally biased because we like the. The French and Max? Is it so nostalgic just to New York? Because nobody outside of New York listens to Max B? Is that the thing that they're saying on the Internet? Only New Yorkers like Max B?

[A]

If that's the case, I'm sorry, I'm.

[B]

From New York City.

[A]

My position doesn't change.

[B]

Yeah, I'm from. Yeah, from New York. French Montana, Bronx legend.

[A]

But French surpassed so much from, like, the Mac and cheese days. I forgot how much influence is in French's music from Max. Yeah, I know, but just so much time passed, like.

[B]

Well, no, I thought actually. Actually people would say that French kind of took some of Max's style.

[A]

That's what I'm saying.

[B]

You know what I'm saying? Like, you know. But that's his boy, so it's not. It's not.

[A]

I didn't mean it in that type of way.

[B]

Just.

[A]

Just did, you know, two of them before Max went away. But then when, you know, French obviously kept going and had hit hit records. Number one records.

[B]

Yeah. French left just for a second. French Fritz got away from us for. Started making world music. He got off the block. And I ain't mad at him. He got off the block.

[A]

He just came back to get Max. Yeah, he's been. Max up.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

He's taking Max to Saudi Arabia tomorrow.

[B]

1,000%. Yeah. And I ain't mad at it either, 100%.

[A]

But, yeah, hearing them together, it did. It just. I forgot, you know? Fucking damn it. 20 years passed. Like, I forgot how much of French's style does derive from what Max used to do.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Hearing them together, it's like, damn, this is. French has so much of Max in him. The way he approaches verses like, it was cool. And it's just. It's good to see. It's good to see this story because a lot of times when people go to jail, things completely fall apart with the people that they were with when they went in.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So it's. It's good to see this story.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And, yo, I just married a Oil Princess, but not we about to just put out a mixtape.

[B]

Yeah. I think let's get right back to it.

[A]

On that note, welcome home to Fetty Wap. We didn't say last because it happened while we were recording. I saw that 300 welcome back with open arms. I think that's great. And usually I am very much on the side of labels using artists, especially once they go to jail, not giving a fuck. I do know Raina and everyone over at 300 really does care about Fetty, and that was a very genuine welcome home. We want to get the ball rolling for you, which. Which I think is honorable because, I mean, I was there when 300 was started and when they were using Kevin Lyle's office space where we were at. Once Fetty Wap came in the door, they left us and bought their own office space.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Like, Fetty Fetty really helped launch that, of course, along with Amigos and, you know, Doug and other artists. But Fetty was. Was a big part of Lior, Reyna, Todd, all of them just. Just getting off the ground with that new company. So I think it was great of them to welcome Fetty back the way that they did. And I hope. I hope beats the ground running. Like, yeah, music is funny with Max and Fetty. Yeah, music hasn't changed. Music has changed for so many people, except for those two. Like, Fetty sounds like the times now, 100%. So I think he'll be great. I think this will be one of the few instances where someone comes out of jail and gets right, right back to it. Yeah, the sound is there, so.

[B]

Definitely want to hear what he cook up, though. I mean, Fetty, like you said, the melody is more prevalent in rap now than probably when Fetty started and he was doing it. Max had a big hand in that as well. And like you said, they both home now, and that seems to be the popular sound in the genre.

[A]

So tell me tomorrow if you heard a Rod Wave and Fetty Wap song, it would sound anything different than 2025 and 2026.

[B]

Definitely the rod Wave and. And Max B definitely need that for sure. That I think that will help me get into Rod Wave's music a little more.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Because I. You know, I always say I would try to get into Rod Wave. Listen, I honest, I recognize that he's talented. It's just the music doesn't really connect with me. I don't know if it's whether it's just the content of the music or whatever it is.

[A]

It's sad.

[B]

Yeah. It's like, I just doesn't really. Like. I don't know where I would listen to that at, but I recognize that Rod Wave was extremely talented and a lot of his music is, you know, obviously very heavy on the melody. So him and Max, him and Fetty, that makes. That's not an awkward relationship. It sounds like it makes sense. So that'll probably be something. I don't know if I think I did see something where. I don't know if Max was talking to Rod Wave on the phone or something like that. I think I've seen, I don't know, some video somewhere online.

[A]

His name is Rod Wave.

[B]

Wave. Yeah. I don't know, but that would be. That would be interesting to see them work together.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Just a.

[A]

A tape together.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Wave.

[B]

Yeah. Why not?

[A]

Easy.

[B]

Great music.

[A]

I saw that Ari Lennox, and I'm just gonna assume now she's working directly with JD I know he worked on H Sex Location as well, but it looks like Peacocks and JD Are doing Vacancy, our Linux album that's supposed to come out on January 23rd. I like the record. Vacancy. Under the Moon is Fire. Twin Flame Is Fire. The three records that Ari has put out in the last few months, I think have been great.

[B]

Listen, it's gonna be. It's hard for an R and B artist to be in the studio with JD&B. Cox and not create some dope shit.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

So I'm pretty sure this. Whatever they cooked up, it's gonna be Fire.

[A]

Yeah. Cause, I mean, even pressure that I know J.D. did, which was our last, which was also, like. It was like the old school way of working a record. Like, pressure ended up doing great on radio charts. Three, four months into it even being.

[B]

Did it go number one?

[A]

I think on R B charts, it. It eventually did. Yeah.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

But I'm excited for the Ari project. First one without Dream Bill. So, you know, I. I'm curious just to see what her sound is now that she's. I don't want to say free, because that's a bad, bad way of putting it, because I don't think, like, Dreamville, you know, suppressed her or. Or anything like that. I just don't think it worked out.

[B]

I think those were her exact words.

[A]

Did she say that?

[B]

I felt like she went on a rant and wasn't happy about her time over there, bro.

[A]

Free. She's still within her scope, obviously. But, you know, I'm curious with. With just, you know, Ari in the kitchen. What. What that looks like.

[B]

Is she with. Is she with jd. Are they managing? Are they working on it?

[A]

I'm not sure. I can't speak. To me, it looked like what's going on with Division.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And everything, but I know Ari is to Interscope. Okay. But from what it looks like optics outside looking in, she's just locked in with JD and. And Bcox for this project that feels.

[B]

Like the same Division route. It feels like. It feels like it. I'm not mad at it. It feels like it, though. Not mad at it. Yeah.

[A]

When do we think we'll get a division project?

[B]

They should be dropping some. They put a record out. Didn't put a record out yet. So they should be. It should be happening soon. I would say first quarter.

[A]

I feel like they'd be a little bit more active. If it's first quarter, I feel like.

[B]

It'Ll be first quarter. America definitely want to hear their new though. Shout out to Division.

[A]

I know. I just saw him in. I think it was South Africa over New Year's.

[B]

Oh, everybody's in south is in Africa.

[A]

I know, but even specifically the stage that they were doing at that festival and the crowd, I was like, God, they should just move to South Africa.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

They were singing every word.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Yeah. Daniel, shut that down. I feel like we're not. We can bring back malls baddies segment is that. I didn't see the fight.

[B]

I kind of fell off the baddie train a little bit, man. I've been, you know, me other going on this. I'm watching. I ain't really been locked in with the baddies. What's going. They fighting. Okay. This is regular baddie.

[A]

They fight.

[B]

It can't be the baddies without fights. Oh, yeah. That's what he. That's what he. That's how part of the audition you gotta. I gotta know if you can fight.

[A]

Wait, how else would they do the audition?

[B]

Yeah, like you thought they were gonna sing, like what they could do with the audition. They gotta fight.

[A]

I thought it was a royal rumber. Like whoever is left is in the cast. Persuasion versus Pressure.

[B]

Persuasion versus Pressure. I don't know who any of these ladies are. Couldn't tell you. But Shout out to Persuasion and Pressure. Get your shit off.

[A]

So what season is this now?

[B]

I'm not sure. They just did Baddies America. I think they just did Baddies America after coming up, a Baddies Africa. I'm not sure what audition this is for though.

[A]

Well, I saw Natalie Nunn was doing like press run shit. She was with Cam. So I. I guess I haven't been Keeping up. I was about to cancel my Zeus, but, I mean, if they back at it. I was going through my statements. I was like, why am I still paying this new shit?

[B]

Yeah. Nah, it's a new season coming. You can't cancel it now.

[A]

No, because once they were scrapping in front of the band in Africa of all the kids, I was like, this is not. This was funny before, but. 12.99.

[B]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[A]

You guys are taking it a little too far for me.

[B]

You can't fight at the charity event like, with the kids here.

[A]

It's right.

[B]

Crazy. Yeah, but I kind of fell off the baddy train. I got to get back on and see what's going on with the ladies, though.

[A]

Okay. Also, before we get out of here, Ben Affleck did. You said all the Smoke did this, right?

[B]

Yes, it's all the Smoke did.

[A]

Hood classic movies where. Where Ben got to pick his favorites. I mean, I just clicked it just because I was curious what Ben knew. I know he's a classic. I know he's a. A cinema.

[B]

Ben knew the hood. He knew the hood movies, though. I was. I was very surprised.

[A]

Yeah, this. This was kind of funny to watch, to be quite honest. So out the gate, they start with Friday versus Soul Plane. Where. Where are you picking? There more before we get to the final reveal, where Ben decides what's better.

[B]

Oh, I'm definitely going Friday.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Friday.

[A]

I don't even think it's close.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And Soul Plane's funny.

[B]

Soul Plane is a great movie, but.

[A]

Friday, Friday versus Rush Hour. So how this works is whatever one you pick stays, and Ben went with Friday, so, you know, the culture can rest. Ben Affleck has decided what the better.

[B]

Yes, the hood classes.

[A]

Cambridge, Massachusetts has let us know.

[B]

Yes. Batman has stamped the hood classes.

[A]

Friday versus Rush Hour.

[B]

Oh. Both Chris Tucker legendary movies. Classic movies. Do I go Ice Cube over Jackie Chan? Damn. For me, this one is very tough. This is tough.

[A]

It's very, very.

[B]

This is tough. This is, ah, Friday or Rush Hour. I'm gonna go Friday, though. I think I. I think I watch Friday more than I watch Rush Hour.

[A]

I'm going Friday as well. Yeah, but I. Rush Hour's tough just because you get, like, the kung fu action in it as well. It's a.

[B]

It's a production. It's a bigger movie, of course, but.

[A]

And it's one of my favorite Chris Tucker lines ever again. You got Chelsea Clinton.

[B]

Yeah, but if Tucker went solo. If Chris Tucker had some solo jokes. You know what I mean? Yeah, but I'm going Friday. Me personally. Friday over Rush Hour.

[A]

Same. Ben went with Rush Hour.

[B]

Rush. I get it, though. I get it. If you. If you're talking about. Because is this Ben's personal or do. Is he just saying. Is he just saying what he feels like is just a bigger, better movie? I think just because obviously I think.

[A]

It'S what he prefers.

[B]

The Rush Hour is what Michael Bay, I think did that. I forgot the. The. The director.

[A]

Did Michael Bay do Rush Hour?

[B]

Who did Rush Hour? It wasn't him.

[A]

You should. No. Who's the guy that did.

[B]

My bad. Michael Bay. Brett Ratner.

[A]

Brett Ratner did a lot of crazy music. He did, like, hov music video. Some. Yeah.

[B]

So he picked. He picked Rush Hour.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Rush Hour. Okay.

[A]

Then it went to Rush Hour. Verse. Coming to America. All right, here's my thing. Rush Hour and Coming to America. Hood classics or are they just like classic movies?

[B]

I feel like Coming to America is a hood classic. I feel like that's a hood clap. Rush Hour is. It's just a classic. I think that Coming to America is more.

[A]

You don't think Coming to America is like. Is just a worldwide movie?

[B]

No, I don't think it's a worldwide.

[A]

It's Eddie Murphy.

[B]

Yeah. But I'm just saying I feel like it's still like a. A very cop. Okay. I feel like Beverly Hill Cop is.

[A]

He was bigger at that time.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Coming to America was. That wasn't his. That was probably his first.

[B]

No, Come to America was after Beverly Hills.

[A]

Yeah, it was.

[B]

Yeah, that was after Beverly Hills.

[A]

I just don't think Coming to America is like a hood movie.

[B]

I think it's a hood classic. It's a hood classic, bro.

[A]

All right, well, then I. To me, Coming to America, like, wins all of these.

[B]

Yeah. Come to America. Definitely. I'm picking up a Rush Hour. Coming to America.

[A]

Same.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

I just don't consider it really like a. A hood cloud. It's a classic movie in my opinion.

[B]

Okay. Ben Wimbledon. Coming to America.

[A]

I mean, I feel like that's the only right answer in this entire thing. The next one is Coming to America over Boys in the Hood. Oh, very weird. Ah. Boys in the Hood is a hood classic.

[B]

Coming to America is a hood classic.

[A]

If I'm picking out of the two of these, I'm. It's Coming to America.

[B]

I'm gonna go.

[A]

I love Boys in the Hood. It's Coming to America.

[B]

But it's two different types of movies, too, at the same time. It's like such two different Vibes, like, I just. Just one is a comedy. One is, like, you know, touching on real. That's going on.

[A]

That was a lot of funny in boys.

[B]

No, it was a lot of hilarious.

[A]

Even when they weren't trying to be funny. Rick yelling. Ricky was kind of funny.

[B]

I'mma go come into America.

[A]

Same.

[B]

I'm go Coming to America. But boys and girls and I like.

[A]

Ben's answer on this pause real quick. Josh. He chose coming to America because he feels menace to society is a better version of the same message as boys in the hood. And I was like, I see what he's saying. Because that would be tougher for me. Coming to America versus menace society. That's a tough debate.

[B]

Yeah. Menace is probably menaces. Yeah.

[A]

Menace is a hood classic. That shouldn't be a hood classic. That should just be a classic.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

All right. Then it went. Coming to America versus Juice.

[B]

Oh, man.

[A]

I watched. I watched Juice more.

[B]

Yeah, I watched Juice more. But coming to America is. Is probably a. I gotta go. Yeah, same America. Yeah.

[A]

Coming to America versus Paid in Full. Again, I watched paid in Full.

[B]

I watch Paid in Full.

[A]

Coming to America is a better movie.

[B]

Coming to America is definitely a better, better movie.

[A]

And Peyton Full is a hood classic. Coming to America isn't Belly.

[B]

You know how I feel about Belly coming to America.

[A]

I might go with Belly on this one.

[B]

No way.

[A]

Same neighborhood.

[B]

No. Not overcoming to America.

[A]

It's not fair. Why couldn't they have done the hood classics versus the hood classics? Why couldn't we do Juice and Belly?

[B]

I definitely like coming to America.

[A]

Juice versus Belly. Belly Juice. Juice. Yeah. Yeah, obviously.

[B]

Hell yeah.

[A]

This is a little bit more fair because I think neither of these are hood classics. Coming to America versus Training Day. Completely different movies, but two totally different movies. You think Training Day is a hood classic?

[B]

Nah, I'm not gonna say hood classic, but I mean, it was shot in the hood. It was classic for that. Coming to America with Train. Damn. Two of my favorite movies. I'mma God. Training Day.

[A]

I'm going Training Day. And me and Peach were talking off mic. Training day came out in 01. I would say Training Day is a top five movie of the last 25 years.

[B]

Yeah, but did Denzel go solo, though? Actually, does he have any solo?

[A]

If we're. If we're on the Bruno side, this was the first time Denzel ever played a villain. Yeah, he was always the. That we were rooting for.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And this was when he showed his range of, like, origin.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

You're gonna hate me by the end of this.

[B]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[A]

I chose Coming to America.

[B]

He chose Coming to America over Training Day.

[A]

Training day is 21st century. One of the greatest.

[B]

I never thought Ben Affleck would come into. I would have never thought that Ben Affleck would come into America like that.

[A]

Training Day is one of the greatest movies ever. No, for sure.

[B]

Ever. Yeah.

[A]

Coming to America verse Menace to Society. Again, very weird matchup up. Very weird.

[B]

But I'm going to come into America.

[A]

I'm just like, I'm.

[B]

He picked Menace. Yeah. Yo, Ben. I didn't. I didn't. I didn't know Ben. I didn't know he was. I had no. I learned so much about Ben. Ben Affleck in the last two minutes.

[A]

All right, well, if we want to do a fake deep dive, clearly all the movies, for the most part in the beginning of Ben's career and throughout his career are very much region focused. He has a regional bias.

[B]

He is for. To the greater New England area, but.

[A]

Because he's from there, he makes great movies. He understands that. That the culture cult. I'm sure he would have a good appreciation for somebody that would do a regional movie that. That really shows exactly what this place is about, where Menace is. If you didn't know about what was happening in la, it told you exactly what was happening in LA at that time.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So I could see Ben. I mean, Goodwill Hunting is more of these snobby New England mental health version of Menace Society without the projects. If you really get into it, like, like, you know, O Dog and do you like apples? Are pretty much. Yo, y' all want these hamburgers? Do you like apples? Tell me the difference. Yeah, that was funny to me. Men society versus New Jack City. Tough. Tough. I'm going Menace. Very tough.

[B]

Yeah, I gotta go Menace over that New Jack.

[A]

What's funny? New Jack versus a lot of the ones before is BE.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

100% Menace Society. Don't be a menace. I mean, menace Society. But yeah, that's no, it's no. They're the same movie.

[B]

Yeah, I get it. But yeah, no, we gotta go. Menace Don't Be a Menace is a classic, though.

[A]

Menace Verse. Eight Mile. I'm going menace. But eight Miles still needs its flowers, man. Eight Miles, a really, really, really, really good movie.

[B]

Yeah, I think I'm gonna go eight mile, though.

[A]

Really?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Really?

[B]

Yeah. Yeah, I think I'm gonna go eight mile over minutes.

[A]

Legendary scenes versus legendary scenes. I mean. Yeah, you're going eight mile.

[B]

Yeah, I think I'm gonna go eight mile.

[A]

Eight Mile verse Poetic Justice.

[B]

Damn. Another classic. These are some tough. This is not as easy to answer. Cause it's a better movie versus what movie you watch more? Cause I watch Poetic justice way more than I watch 8 Mile. But is Poetic Justice a better movie than 8 Miles now?

[A]

It is.

[B]

You know what I'm saying? You think Parties Us is a better movie?

[A]

I don't know. It's also not fair because kind of back to our rush hour conversation versus Friday. Like, 8 mile was a major movie budget production, like Poetic justice is the quintessential hood classic movie. Working with a budget that you had and created a classic one with Janet Jackson and Tupac. Voting against Janet and Tupac would make my stomach hurt.

[B]

Yeah, but does PAC have any solo? See, if Janet didn't go solo, you know what I mean? Would she even be.

[A]

This was his first solo. He went from Digital Underground to Poetic Justice.

[B]

I'm just saying, if Janet didn't leave the family, would she even be casted in Poetic Justice? If she was just running up under her brothers, would she have gotten casted? We don't.

[A]

That is true.

[B]

I might have to go Poetic justice doing this one.

[A]

And ironically, M decided not to be solo at this time and joined D12.

[B]

Exactly. See, what if he never went solo?

[A]

I. I'm going poetic justice. But 8 Mile, like, I hate to not give 8 Mile the credit that it deserves.

[B]

Oh, great movie. Been with eight Mile. Okay. Eight Mile, Hustle and Flow.

[A]

I'm going Hustle and Flow. I know that's flat, yo. Hustle and Flow is so underrated. Hustle and Flow is the big boy of this entire conversation. Hustle and Flow. Plot makes zero sense. Great. Boy, is it a fucking great movie.

[B]

Great movie. Great. I gotta go 8 mile, though. Great. Hustle and Flow is a great movie, though, but I'll go 8 mile personally.

[A]

8 mile, they both equally shorten the time of what it takes to make it as a rapper.

[B]

Yeah, it's not that easy, I promise you.

[A]

He hadn't rapped in, like, 30 years. He ran into some guy he went to middle school with, like, yo, I think I'm gonna rap again. Here's three classics.

[B]

Here you go.

[A]

8 mile versus American gangster. American Gangster.

[B]

American Gangster.

[A]

Again, not a hood classic.

[B]

No, it's not a hood classic.

[A]

Russell Crowe and Denzel.

[B]

Yeah, that's not a hood classic. Yeah. American Gangster for sure. Oh, American Gangster. Dead Presidents. Damn them.

[A]

Dead Presidents.

[B]

I'm going Dead Presidents. Yeah. I'm going Dead Presidents, man.

[A]

Dead Presidents. Dead Presidents. Does fall Under Hood classic. And it shouldn't. It should be revered the way American Gangster is to the public, dead president. You have. You have everything from the action scenes to the war to what it was like for Vietnam vets to come back to the city. Like, then you get into bank robberies. It covers so many different plots and succeeds where most movies try to do a bunch of plots and it falls short because you're trying to do too much. They did too much and succeeded through the whole thing. How you have the high school experience, Vietnam, drug addiction, coming back to the Bronx robbery, then dealing with the court system and how they treated the vets that they ignored. How do you cover all of that? In a masterful way.

[B]

And not only that, you got one of probably the most iconic hood costumes during Halloween out of just for sure this movie.

[A]

I was offended by the white face.

[B]

But I don't know anybody that didn't do that Halloween at once at one point. So I'm going Dead presidents over American Gangster. Personally, Ben took American Gangster. Okay. Blood and Blood. I wouldn't even think they would know about this. Blood and Blood, you know. You've never seen Blood and Blood?

[A]

No, I've seen it before. For real?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

I mean, I'm going Blood and Blood Out.

[B]

Oh, classic. That's like. That's like hood. Mexican classic. That's Mexican classic, right?

[A]

I'm going American Gangster.

[B]

But damn, Blood and Blood out is a. It's a really good movie, though. But yeah, American Gangster will Blood In, Blood out for sure.

[A]

Did they. Did they leave any out? When? I'm sure. Of course they did. But out of those. I'm curious how they even landed on some of those movies.

[B]

But they. They covered. They covered most of the hood classics, though. The ones that we talk about, they cover most of them. That was a. I wasn't expecting to see Blood. And that was a curveball at the end. Blood In, Blood Out. I don't. I don't know many people that have seen that movie. American Me is the Mexican hood movie.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

That. You know, everybody kind of goes. Blood In, Blood out was kind of.

[A]

I was hoping colors would have been there.

[B]

Colors.

[A]

I know you're big on Freedom Riders. It's one of your favorites. You bring that one up a lot.

[B]

Yo, that's fucking funny. Freedom Riders. When have you ever heard me talk about that?

[A]

Remember when she taught those inner city youth that poetry's cool because Tupac does it?

[B]

Freedom Writers.

[A]

What was the original Freedom Writers where she gets a leather jacket from the Mexican kid? It's the same plot as Freedom Writers. It was the first one.

[B]

What movie was that?

[A]

I can see the white woman's face right now.

[B]

Is it Michelle Pfeiffer, right?

[A]

Yeah, it was just a movie. It was offensive that they just.

[B]

That's what, gangster? Yeah, Coolio. That's the songs from, right?

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

What was the name of that movie?

[A]

Because it was like, when Freedom Riders trailer came on tv, I was like, all right, so they're just rehaking the same.

[B]

Dangerous Minds. Yes.

[A]

Wow. Dangerous Minds is offensive. It's not even remotely closed. Freedom Riders is almost like the Don't Drink Juice in South Central, like, parody of it, but they were trying to be serious.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

That movie is classic, though.

[B]

Dangerous Minds.

[A]

Oh, no. Dangerous Mind is cool. I'm saying. Freedom.

[B]

Freedom Writers. That's hilarious. Oh, man. All right, well, hopefully, man, we, you know, not as hated as we was last week. Apologies again for the false start. You know, I mean.

[A]

No, I just. I just know that people are not watching the actual clip. Yeah, most people are. Even though it was a pretty mixed bag. Like, it wasn't. Just this take is insane. There was a lot of people that were agreeing with what you were saying.

[B]

I think. I think most people was agreeing with me from what I saw. Again, just. Just what? I don't know what else. Yeah, in my world. You know what I'm saying? But I think most people was agreeing with me. I've had some interesting conversations about it, but all love.

[A]

A lot of my. A lot of my white liberal friends were not happy with your backfield take either. I got a earful from. From the Williamsburg Lips about who being more offended by Beyonce going out for the Kamala thing than Nikki and the. Charlie Kirk's wife.

[B]

Charlie Kirk's wife. I didn't say nothing about Charlie Kirk wife, did I?

[A]

Yeah, we're talking when Nikki went up and did the Turning Point usa and you said you. You were more upset that Beyonce went and did the speech for Kamala.

[B]

Oh, yeah, yeah. I stand on that. For sure.

[A]

The chai tea crowd was not. Not happy with me.

[B]

Oh. I mean, you know, that is what it is.

[A]

You're part of the problem.

[B]

Me, Right. I'm part of the problem. I got it. Yeah. Surprise albums this week. Listen, listen, Peach. Don't get me in my. You know what I'm saying? I don't know. I'm just saying I don't know. No, I haven't.

[A]

Finally. He's saying he doesn't know.

[B]

No, no, no, no, no. I. I'm I'm not. I don't. I don't know. Now, I don't have any, any updates on anything that's supposed to be dropping, but I do know that, you know, I think we get all three of those guys this year though. An album for sure.

[A]

Do you think the person that gave you that information maybe was purposely given wrong information?

[B]

No.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

Nah, hell no.

[A]

Because they do that too.

[B]

Oh, yeah. I mean, but not for me. No, that's.

[A]

That.

[B]

That wasn't it.

[A]

Fair enough.

[B]

I think it was really a thing. A real thing.

[A]

Yeah. We're not going to do voicemails today, but everyone that is signed up to our patreon that is able to do voicemails, please send in some voicemails for Baby D. Send her well wishes. Just say hi to her, make her laugh. We. We. We'd like to hear some of those so we can send them over to her. You know what's up? I consider Damaris one of my best friends. And. And a POD listener hit me and asked for her T shirt and hoodie size because they were trying to put like a pack together for her. I didn't know what to say because I didn't want to be offensive, but then I didn't want to be. Yeah, I replied, you think she could fit my hoodie? I give you my size because I don't. What do you say with a woman's size? Well, you guessed her weight down to the ounce, so maybe they should have asked you instead of me. Me, I went with medium.

[B]

That's cool. That's. That's cool. Because sometime the oversized.

[A]

Yeah, yeah.

[B]

To give a little room in the hoodie.

[A]

Like women prefer baggy hoodies, so I assumed.

[B]

That's fine. I think that's. That's safe.

[A]

But then I wasn't sure cuz like maybe she would want a large. And then I don't know, the large.

[B]

Might have been too. You swimming in it too much at that point.

[A]

That's the style now.

[B]

Yeah, I get it.

[A]

All right, well, yeah, please send over your voicemails to. To Damaris and also Mary J. Blige may get me to Vegas. The residency is like three days, but I think it's around my birthday. Yeah, it's May 1st and 9th and then July 10th to 18th.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

Mary. And Vegas could be fun.

[B]

Yeah, definitely.

[A]

And I'd prefer the auntie crowd in Vegas over, you know, Brooklyn. No, to the usher coked out white crowd because it got so popular. Like, I like that. This is just like a two week gap so you just have to be a fan. You want to make it. You're not. This isn't just be part of the Vegas experience like you're going for this.

[B]

Where's it at in Vegas? The mgm.

[A]

She said what?

[B]

It was Dolby Live at Park mgm.

[A]

Okay, yeah, I'm sure that'll be great.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Yeah. So congrats to Mary. Love to see that. Because I'm sure that, you know, puts her over for her. Her alimony. I hope she put it in a whole separate company.

[B]

Oh, you know, all of that is. All of that is.

[A]

She's not doing this unless.

[B]

No, absolutely.

[A]

This is.

[B]

This is. This is for her. This is hers. Absolutely, 100%.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

All right, well, we'll talk to y' all soon. Be safe, be blessed. I'm that he's just Ginger. Peace.

[A]

This is an I heart podcast.

[B]

Guaranteed human.