New Rory & MAL – Episode 477 | “First Day Out”

Release date: April 7, 2026
Hosts: Rory, Mal, Damaris

Episode Overview

This week, Rory, Mal, and Damaris return with lighthearted banter and sharp takes, bouncing between Easter and Resurrection Sunday jokes, reflections on rap freestyles and music industry quirks, fandom versus morality regarding Kanye West’s recent controversies, streaming economics, and the real meaning of “classics” in hip-hop today. The crew also touch on NCAA March Madness, viral moments in music, and the complicated business of festivals and sponsorship.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Resurrection Sunday & Playful Banter

[03:19 – 08:00]

• Fresh off Easter, joking about Jesus’s "first day out" after the resurrection.
• Playful speculation on what happened during Jesus’s post-resurrection days.
  • “Did he go right to heaven on Monday?” (Rory, 04:50)
  • “This is Jesus’ first day. Yo, FDO.” (Mall, 05:33)
• Damaris shouts out a listener who sent her a marriage shirt.
• The gang riffs on viral memes, “Jesus FDO” (first day out) culture, and jokes about relics ("Jesus's robe") and historical authenticity.

2. Music & Movie Talk: Nicknames, Easter, and Accidental Screenings

[08:12 – 13:38]

• Joking about rap nicknames: Pooh Shiesty, Murder Mook.
  • "Sometimes people live up to their name.” (Mall, 09:01)
• Weekend recaps:
  • Mall’s accidental viewing of a “terrible movie” starring Zazie Beetz.
  • Rory at Jozzy’s album release party, seeing friends and “being outside.”
  • Damaris’s chilled, uneventful weekend and gym struggle.

3. Rory’s Upcoming LA Video Shoot & On-Air Invitations

[13:21 – 16:09]

• Rory announces traveling to LA to shoot a music video featuring Black Odyssey and Lucky Day; Aristotle directs.
  • “There’s still flights available. Expensive.” (Rory, 13:33)
  • Invites listeners to email for extra roles: “rorycastingLA@gmail.com”
• Playful banter about who hangs out in LA and favorite hangout spots.

4. The Nature of Modern Rap Freestyles: Hot 97, Earl Sweatshirt, and The Algorithm

[16:42 – 27:38]

• Analysis and critique of Earl Sweatshirt & Mike’s “bad” Hot 97 freestyle.
  • “If you going to go to Hot 97 and rap, you gotta go up there and really, like, put on.” (Mall, 18:54)
• Changing attitudes toward hip-hop, performance, and expectations.
  • “People don’t take rap as serious as we used to.” (Damaris, 19:45)
• Discussing the modern press cycle: is there such a thing as “bad press” in 2026?
  • “Press is no longer as effective as it used to be because the algorithms switch so quickly. You could have a huge moment …it’s not going to translate to streams.” (Rory, 25:53)
  • “There’s such thing as bad press. Like people will see this, but then next time they see their name… I’m not listening to that.” (Mall, 26:32)
• The pressure on artists to be personalities and the vanishing “mystique artist” archetype.
• Tangent on podcast licensing deals, downloads, and how streaming has challenged outdated media economics.

5. Streaming Math & The Disconnect Between Touring, Streams, and “Sales”

[40:36 – 49:08]

• Playing Simba’s viral clip about Kanye’s tour/streaming numbers:
  • “I seen Kanye West in a…stadium last night with about 70,000 people and they talking about he on pace to do 100,000 copies first week. … Something’s not right about how these streams is getting calculated.” (Simba, 40:43)
• The group breaks down stream-to-sale math: 1500 streams = 1 “sale.”
  • “If you listen to a 10-song album all the way through 150 times, that’s one sale.” (Rory, 47:37)
• Discussion about streaming’s weird math, the lack of formal transparency, and why the system isn't artist-friendly.
  • “Who is coming up with this math? …How did they land on 1500 streams?” (Mall, 46:45)
• Parallels in podcasting: advertising's focus on downloads over streams/views (“ancient history”).
• Rant on the need for the industry to adapt metrics to fit actual consumption.

6. Kanye West, Festivals, Morality, and Corporate Activism

[51:53 – 71:29]

• Chloe Bailey attends a Kanye concert despite his past comments about Beyonce & Jay-Z’s kids; debate on loyalty, “cancelation,” and lines in fandom.
  • “People care more about… being at the top of the algorithm…than actually doing some fly shit.” (Mall, 27:13)
  • “I can’t support somebody that said that about J and B’s kids. I can’t. No. Hell no.” (Mall, 55:54)
  • “I’m just trying to get, like, everyone has their own personal line… Sometimes we go against the shit we just said; that’s just how it works with music, in my opinion.” (Rory, 57:48)
• Sponsors yank support from UK’s Wireless Festival over Kanye’s headlining:
  • “One sponsor can bury a festival.” (Rory, 62:43)
  • Discussion on brands’ selective morality, hypocrisy, and the reality of business (e.g., artists saying “wild shit” but still getting corporate deals).
  • “Well, the people he is talking about killing are Black people, and no one cares about Black people… But when you have an issue with other people’s people, there tends to be a problem.” (Damaris, 64:52)
• Deep dive on festival business, optics, and potential successors to Kanye at Wireless (suggestions: Travis Scott, ASAP Rocky, Kendrick, even Jay Z/Beyonce tag-team).

7. The Death of the “Universal Classic”

[77:03 – 92:06]

• J. Cole’s take: We may never see a "universal classic" in hip-hop again—too many voices and biases now.
  • “There may never be another universal classic in hip hop again.” (Rory paraphrasing Cole, 77:03)
  • “Classic… is a testament of time… how it ages and how it influenced people. Just because the song is good…doesn’t mean you have to run to say classic.” (Mall, 82:08)
• The crew discuss what the last universally agreed-upon classics might be:
  • Rory: Good Kid, M.A.A.D City, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy.
  • Damaris: Take Care, Anti (Rihanna), Control (SZA), 2014 Forest Hills Drive (J. Cole) — but acknowledges they're not precisely "universal".
  • Mall: The Black Album, Take Care.
• Commentary on how the proliferation of subgenres and the internet fragment consensus, making it “impossible” for a new act to attain universal classic status.
  • “Now it’s universal, and then nothing can be universal then.” (Rory, 82:08)

8. Fan Boundaries and the Dababy Painting Incident

[95:02 – 102:19]

• Viral episode: DaBaby refuses a fan’s painting of his daughters, says it’s “weird.”
  • “But now the painting that I already told y’all I wasn’t comfortable with, go and post it on your page. Now you trying to go viral.” (Mall, 99:22)
  • Discussion on intent versus parental boundaries and how to handle such situations.

9. NCAA March Madness, Office Brackets, and Final Thoughts

[102:19 – 107:11]

• In-progress NCAA championship predictions: UConn vs. Michigan.
  • Mall picks Huskies by 8; Rory leans Michigan but thinks it's close.
• Group jokes about who won the bracket pool, with friendly ribbing over bracket placements.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Did he go right to heaven on Monday?” (Rory, 04:50)
• “You can’t have that style on a freestyle. So I just wouldn’t do it.” (Rory on rap styles, 21:47)
• “There’s such thing as bad press. Like people will see this… I’m not listening to that.” (Mall, 26:32)
• “Who is coming up with this math? …How did they land on 1500 streams?” (Mall, 46:45)
• “Pepsi would never align themselves with someone like Kanye West.” (Rory, 62:02)
• “When you start talking about somebody’s children …nah, bro.” (Mall on Kanye, 57:48)
• “There may never be another universal classic in hip hop again.” (Cole via Rory, 77:03)
• “Classic… is a testament of time and how it ages and how it influenced people.” (Mall, 82:08)
• “I just feel like… some shit really just do be musically trash, and that’s okay…” (Damaris, 90:58)
• “Advertisers dirty Mac too. Like yo, you know what Kanye just said? You sure you want that PayPal logo up there?” (Mall, 94:25)

Timestamps of Important Segments

• 03:19 – Resurrection Sunday jokes, “first day out” memes
• 09:18 – Notorious rap nicknames and living up to them
• 10:38 – Accidental viewing of worst movie ever
• 13:21 – LA video shoot announcement & casting call
• 17:01 – Freestyle culture: Earl, Mike, and Hot 97
• 25:53 – On whether viral press equals success
• 40:36 – Simba’s rant on Kanye’s touring & streaming numbers
• 46:34 – The “1500 streams = 1 sale” debate
• 51:53 – Chloe Bailey, Kanye, morality & sponsorship fallout
• 62:43 – Impact on Wireless Festival of sponsor pull-outs
• 77:03 – The (im)possibility of universal rap classics
• 82:08 – What “classic” means today
• 95:03 – Dababy’s viral fan painting incident
• 102:33 – NCAA finals predictions and bracket pool fun

Tone & Style

The show carries its usual blend of irreverent, comedic banter and sharp, culturally aware critique. The hosts are unfiltered and playful but offer thoughtful commentary on hip-hop, the music business, and how fandom, culture, and commerce intersect.

This summary captures the episode’s full range of important topics, notable exchanges, and recurring jokes while following the podcast’s authentic, candid energy.