New Rory & MAL – Episode 476 | "God Speed"
Date: April 3, 2026
Podcast: New Rory & MAL
Overview
In this episode, Rory, Maul, Damaris, and Baby D kick off the weekend with their signature banter, catching up on plans, pop culture news, hot music takes, and plenty of jokes. The main theme weaves together the chaos of music industry relationships—from Kanye West's live shows and cultural impact, to Meek Mill’s post-Drake beef trajectory, Jay-Z’s storied rivalry with fellow New Yorkers, to the realities of booking guests in the post-radio era. The team also gets candid about Lamar Odom’s sobering documentary, lampoons criminal stupidity in hip-hop headlines, and closes out with their favorite new music drops—all delivered in their irreverent, fast-talking, self-aware style.
Episode Breakdown
1. Start-of-Week Catchup: LA Trips, Work Mode, and DND Wars
Timestamps: 02:21–13:12
- Rory and Maul discuss upcoming LA trip
- "When was the last time any of us have been in LA that wasn't work related?" (Maul, 04:18)
- Baby D jokes about Maul’s “producer” persona, sunglasses indoors, and work mode.
- Conversation about social lives, 'outside' vs. 'nature', and being unreachable
- Damaris explains why her phone is always on Do Not Disturb (DND).
- “I don’t like being disturbed. My phone always on DND.” (Damaris, 07:41)
- Baby D: “Texting, putting somebody that you're currently texting on DND, that is wild.” (08:17)
- Maul misses AIM’s away messages for texting.
2. Clip Recap: Kanye’s Live Show at Sofi, Cancel Culture & Artistic Legacy
Timestamps: 13:13–28:38
- Kanye’s Sofi Stadium show review
- "As much as I really don’t rock with Kanye with things he’s said... he’s still a great artist." (Baby D, 14:42)
- Discussion about production, live stream glitches, and Kanye’s perfectionism.
- "He would notice if one light bulb was out." (Maul, 16:47)
- Debate: Is Kanye the biggest artist in the world?
- Breakdown of cancel culture, Kanye’s resilience, Taylor Swift’s numbers, and cultural context.
- “He finds the simplest things to make... How come no one’s thought about standing on top of the world and making it LED screens?” (Maul, 14:47)
- Maul: “You can’t erase a 22-year career. That’s why you can make the argument Kanye could still be the biggest artist out.” (21:18)
- Festival FOMO: Kanye vs Jay-Z headlining same dates
- Baby D argues Kanye took Wireless Fest dates to compete with Jay-Z’s Yankee Stadium shows.
- “There's no way those dates lined up like that... that's not a coincidence.” (Baby D, 25:45)
- Group debates whose show they'd rather watch—Jay at Yankee or Kanye at Wireless.
3. Hip-Hop Deep Dives: Jay-Z Subliminals & Rapper Feuds
Timestamps: 34:23–46:33
- Debate over Jay-Z’s “Otis” bars—directed at Cam’ron?
- Baby D elaborates: “I understand the entendres. This is Jay Z we talking about.”
- Maul lays out every wordplay connecting Jay to Cam’ron, Dipset, and Asylum Records.
- “The fact of putting all those four elements into it... Now it has to be about Cam.” (Maul, 38:08)
- Sidebar: Subtlety in Rap Disses
- “That's like a skill in itself, to be able to design a verse... where it takes some years and it’s like, oh shit, he was going at this person.” (Baby D, 38:58)
4. Meek Mill’s Career: Post-Drake, Internet Narratives, and Musical Evolution
Timestamps: 39:36–49:24
- Maul and Damaris revisit Meek’s highly scrutinized battle with Drake
- Maul: “I think the best part of Meek's career was post-Drake battle. His best music, in my opinion.” (42:15)
- Charlamagne’s comments on Meek “never recovering” dispelled
- “Some of Meek's biggest records… came post the Drake battle.” (Maul, 44:17)
- Baby D and Damaris discuss Meek’s social media persona, and whether his public vulnerability hurt or helped his legacy.
- “If anything, us making fun of Meek and his tweets has actually made him more lovable.” (Damaris, 46:15)
- Challenges of evolving musically and label struggles
- “I don't think Meek evolved enough... musically, his sound didn't up the level.” (Baby D, 47:23)
5. Industry Realities: Booking Guests & Media Loyalty
Timestamps: 49:46–61:08
- Ebro’s viral remarks about struggling to book guests after Hot 97
- “Welcome to the mud. It’s rough.” (Maul, 51:49)
- Group analyzes why legacy no longer guarantees media bookings; 'clout' is now platform-based.
- “The purpose of a press run is to get your shit in front of as many eyes as possible.” (Damaris, 54:54)
- Damaris points out: “You only have so much time. You’re going to pick what’s going to get you in front of the best eyes.”
- Maul: “It’s corny if you actually cool with somebody, and if they’re not hot, you’re not fucking with them.” (60:15)
- Debates about transactional relationships in music media, and when to enforce boundaries if guests repeatedly cancel.
6. Hoops & Pop Culture—Final Four Predictions & Lamar Odom Doc
Timestamps: 67:20–83:31
- March Madness picks and sports bar plans
- “I’m taking Arizona… I think it’s an easy bet.” (Maul, 67:55)
- Lamar Odom documentary review
- “Lamar was actively flirting with death.” (Baby D, 72:27)
- Maul and Baby D express new respect for Khloe Kardashian’s loyalty.
- Group jokes about the notorious Bunny Ranch incident, Odom’s drug use, and the bonkers story of him surviving a fatal overdose.
- “Coke and crack is one thing to do. Hookers is one thing to do. Taking 12 gas station dick pills in one sitting—how his dick did not explode is beyond me.” (Maul, 73:07)
- Conversation about addiction, trauma, and public perception of the Kardashians
- “Dating a Kardashian, you are chasing fame.” (Damaris, 82:04)
7. Hip-Hop Headlines: Pooh Shiesty & The Federal Indictment
Timestamps: 83:31–91:39
- Wild news of Pooh Shiesty and Big 30’s federal charges
- “Do you really need the extendo at a studio? It's such a small space.” (Maul, 86:23)
- “You have an ankle monitor on, which means we watching you already… How did you think this was [going to go]?” (Baby D, 91:39)
- Roasting “stupid criminals” in the age of cell phone records, surveillance, and paper trails
- “Stop bringing your phone on a robbery!” (Maul, 89:07)
- Side tangent: How long does it make sense to hold a grudge or plan revenge?
- “There's no statute of limitations [on an ass whooping].” (Baby D, 94:50)
8. New Music Friday: What’s Dropping?
Timestamps: 95:44–101:33
- Excitement for Thundercat’s new track “Distracted” (feat. Rocky, Mac Miller, Yachty, Willow, Channel Tres)
- “Thundercat is the one I’m excited about.… Also Marlon Craft, his best work by far, The Internet Killed the Neighborhood.” (Maul, 95:48)
- Birthday gift gone wrong: J. Cole’s Chinese team “Monkey Kings” jersey
- Group cracks up about the optics—“Being a J. Cole fan, the hardest title I wear.” (Damaris, 98:29)
- “Jcole signed with the Monkey Kings… y’all know I don’t hate J.Cole, but come on, fam. The Monkey…” (Baby D, 98:06)
Notable Quotes
-
“He finds, like, the simplest things to make... How come no one’s thought about standing on top of the world and making it LED screens?”
— Maul, 14:47 (on Kanye’s live show innovation) -
“I don’t think Meek evolved enough… musically, his sound didn’t up the level.”
— Baby D, 47:23 (on Meek Mill’s career) -
“It’s corny if you actually cool with somebody, and if they’re not hot, you’re not fucking with them.”
— Maul, 60:15 (on industry relationships) -
“Lamar was actively flirting with death. He was playing one on one, winner take the ball out, with death.”
— Baby D, 72:27 (on Lamar Odom’s addiction)
Memorable Moments & Banter
- Nostalgic for AIM away messages, wishing texting had them. (09:34—“I wish... I could pick 10 people that can text me any time without my away message hitting them.” —Maul)
- Joking about planning revenge, the logistics of holding a grudge for decades, and not "traveling to whoop anybody’s ass." (92:19–94:50)
- Roast of Pooh Shiesty’s criminal “plan” with an ankle monitor—"You have an ankle monitor which means we watching you already!" (Baby D, 91:39)
- Awkwardness over giving a “Monkey Kings” jersey to a Black woman—"Do you think you should wear that?" (Baby D, 97:17)
Episode Timestamps at a Glance
- 02:21–13:12: Banter, LA trip, DND and social habits
- 13:13–28:38: Kanye West’s shows, cancel culture, artist legacies
- 34:23–46:33: Jay-Z bars, rapper beefs, and lyric decoding
- 39:36–49:24: Meek Mill’s career, post-Drake, and media narratives
- 49:46–61:08: The struggles of booking guests without big-brand backing
- 67:20–83:31: Final Four talk, Lamar Odom documentary recap
- 83:31–91:39: Pooh Shiesty’s legal woes, dumb crimes discussion
- 95:44–101:33: New music Friday, J. Cole’s “Monkey Kings” jersey snafu
This episode delivers everything New Rory & MAL fans love: inside-industry talk, hilarious honesty, sharp observations on hip-hop culture, and the wild, rapid-fire humor of friends who know too much about one another—and the games they play to survive the music world.
