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Mall
This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.
Daniel Cormier
This is Daniel Cormier from the Daniel Cormier Show. This podcast is sponsored by Total Wireless, the official wireless partner of ufc. Power doesn't wait in the octagon or outside of it. You either make the move or you miss the moment. That's why you need a network that's just as powerful as you are. With Total Wireless, you get unlimited 5G data keeping you in the action from the walkouts to the knockouts. Now that's a total power move. Make your total power move today. Visit totalwireless.com or stop by your neighborhood Total Wireless store. Additional terms apply. See totalwireless.com for details.
Reese Witherspoon
Reece Witherspoon here. Checking into my favorite hotel in Paris.
Rory
Bonjour.
Baby D
Bonjour.
Reese Witherspoon
I'm traveling with my Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card, so I earn rewards wherever I book. Travel five times points with hotels, four times with airlines, three times on restaurants and other travel, and one point on other purchases.
Mall
Phew.
Reese Witherspoon
That was a lot. I need to lie down. Is the room Ready?
Rory
Visit wells Fargo.com autographjourney Terms apply.
Reese Witherspoon
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Gronk
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Mall
Gloria's mom,
Rory
She been practicing your Johnny P Caddy verse. Women been showing out the last Philly.
Mall
Yeah, they.
Rory
They showed out at the cold show. You got a lot of comp Come on, let's do a practice round. Go.
Mall
I would never try to. I would never attempt to do that. I would never attempt to do that. Even. Even if I could get every single word right. I know I will up out of pure nervousness. I wouldn't even embarrass myself like that.
Rory
But you actually know how to rap. And your mannerisms, like, look natural. I feel like you smoke that.
Daniel Cormier
Yeah.
Mall
I would get nervous just because of whose concert it was. I would get nervous.
Rory
No, you got to look cold in his eyes and do it.
Mall
Look at what you want me to do. You want me to put on?
Rory
Yeah, yeah. No, I'm mad. We're going different days.
Mall
If they. If they come to me to do it, I'll do it.
Rory
But if they come to. Well, you got to be prepared. What's the first four bars?
Mall
I'm not doing that.
Rory
What if they ask for, like, Acapulco? Not even with a beat, like, the whole arena.
Mall
I would get so nervous. My cheeks gonna turn so pink. I'm cool.
Rory
For those that don't know, Cole has his fans rapping that verse. They brought some drunk girl by accident one time, and I felt really bad for her because she was right next to some guy that was sober and a Cole fan, and she was just kind of mumbling her way through. It was. It was rough. Like, she regretted that the next day for sure.
Mall
Yeah.
Rory
But I don't know.
Mall
What concert would you be able to do that with, like, a hover. Oh, never mind. Hov Ma. What concert would you be able to do that with? Like, rap? Word for word for. With the rapper Doja Cat.
Baby D
December 1st, Madison Square Garden. I'll be there.
Mall
What was.
Rory
You wouldn't get nervous looking her in the eyes?
Baby D
Nope.
Mall
What song?
Baby D
Not at all.
Rory
You look right into her soul.
Baby D
I did Doja Cat to. Give me that. Give me. I did her. I dare her to put the spotlight on me and the camera on me and ask me to rap.
Mall
What song?
Baby D
Any song.
Mall
Get into it.
Baby D
Yeah, any song. I could be lotto on the new joint.
Mall
Okay. Look at my eyes when I slide. When he slided in.
Baby D
No, when I slide it, I'm back
Mall
on that time again.
Baby D
I'll change the words. I'll make it.
Rory
You know, look at her eyes when you slide in them.
Baby D
Heterosexual. I'll make it heterosexual.
Mall
Okay. Yeah. Okay. Have you seen a video for that?
Baby D
It's the longest video. It's almost as long as Thriller.
Rory
When you put it on loop, it's as long as you want it to be. This is so that's the power of the loop.
Mall
Yeah.
Baby D
That new lot of DOA Cat. That's as long as Roots, you know, Remember Roots? Same.
Rory
If you walk in my house, it's just projected on the wall. It just plays all day.
Daniel Cormier
Roots.
Baby D
It's the Jackson 5 story and it's the do the Doa Cat lotto record.
Rory
So great video, great cinematography. The lighting, they were lighted themselves. Just the treatment was. Was beautiful.
Baby D
The only thing I wish they did was put it in theaters so it can be nominated for an Oscar. Like if they had it in theaters 30 days, just having it for a month. Put it in theaters, select theaters around the city just so they can get nominated for an Oscar for this. That's all. Yeah, that's the only thing I think they dropped the team dropped the ball on. They should have definitely put this in theaters.
Rory
I mean I get. They wanted to get, get the video out, but you know, submit to Sundance.
Baby D
Yeah.
Rory
Like they were supposed to work south of on, man. Go through the proper channels.
Mall
They look good. The biracials look good in this one. They look good.
Rory
It was a good, good display of.
Baby D
Of that is Dot. Biracial.
Mall
Biracial unity.
Baby D
She is. I didn't know that.
Rory
Yeah, no, good good display of Lotto's old rap name for sure.
Baby D
Yeah, man.
Rory
Do you think she still like, if she didn't change it? Cuz she changed at like the peak of. Of the wokeness on the Internet. Do you feel like she'd be okay if she was mulatto still? Which by the way, I never even like knew that was a bad word.
Baby D
Yes, she would be okay.
Rory
I think so too.
Baby D
Everybody would be fine.
Rory
Lotto is a better rap name though. Like she outside. Of course she did it because she cares very deeply about that being a terrible word. We know why Lotto is a. A better word for a rap. For a rap name.
Mall
And she's also one lottery flips.
Rory
Yeah, yeah, it was a better choice for sure.
Baby D
Maybe she should have changed the name Latte.
Rory
Those are kind of in the biracial world too.
Baby D
Yeah, like, you mean like a Latte?
Daniel Cormier
Yeah.
Mall
I don't know.
Rory
Cafe Latte.
Mall
I don't know if I like it. Well, not Latte. Girls used to call themselves Mocha. Remember that?
Baby D
So I'm saying. So it was Latte.
Rory
It's like, okay, go to a certain club. There's definitely a mocha on stage.
Baby D
It's a Mocha Matcha.
Mall
So Matcha is correct. Who the fuck is calling themselves Macha
Rory
they're not far away from people.
Baby D
You think it's not a girl right now about to go viral for a record. Her name is Macha. You got life twisted.
Rory
Yeah.
Baby D
Remember I told you it's definitely gonna be a female rapper named Macha?
Mall
Okay.
Baby D
If it's not already.
Mall
And she bought that green.
Baby D
She bought that green. Big green.
Mall
Yeah, I see where you going with that shit.
Baby D
You think it's not an artist named Matcha?
Rory
And she's all natural. Yeah, she'll have work done, but she'll say she's all natural.
Baby D
Yeah. Come on now. Good doctor.
Rory
Oh, there's. Oh, damn. There's already is one. And she looked. The songs?
Baby D
No, the song.
Rory
Okay, got you.
Baby D
Yeah, no, I'm talking about the artist will be named Matcha. Definitely. It's a Matcha out there in the universe somewhere.
Mall
It's a new rapper called Lynn that I wanted to give a shout out to. She had an on the radar freestyle that she did or song that she did. And she sounded good. Like she could actually rap. She sounded good, Lynn. L, I, N, L, Y, N, N.
Baby D
Oh, L, Y, N, N. Okay. Where's she from?
Mall
I don't know where she's from. You know, so, Chris, you always ask me that when I talk about a new artist and I never know where they're from, but I literally just saw her on the radar.
Baby D
Just gonna say the name. Where is she from? What's her background?
Mall
I don't.
Baby D
What's her star sign?
Mall
I do not know. I guess she's. She from Birmingham, Alabama.
Baby D
Alabama.
Mall
Yeah.
Baby D
She now lives in Austin, Texas.
Mall
Okay. She's wrapping her ass off.
Baby D
Lynn, the bad guy. Oh, name. Okay. I'm glad she got rid of the bad guy. And Lynn.
Mall
Yeah, she wasn't rap. It wasn't like pussy rap. It was good. It was good.
Baby D
Oh, she was like giving us like. Like real bars.
Mall
She still has that, like Southern down. She kind of sounds like if Mona Leo and like Ken the Man and Latto all just like joined hands and became one person.
Baby D
Lynn.
Mall
Okay, so.
Baby D
Okay, Lynn. I'm gonna check Lynn out, see what she talking about.
Rory
Who's, who's. Who's my girl? My guilty pleasure song.
Reese Witherspoon
True.
Rory
He love my. He love my new body. That's my shit, man. I play that in the car by myself.
Baby D
Who's that?
Mall
That's trim. That's the one that people compare to Nicki Minaj.
Rory
Rightfully so, because she does sound just like Nicki. But I don't really give a fuck because that new body, nobody I don't
Baby D
know what y' all talking about.
Mall
You never heard nobody pull up Nobody by Trim?
Rory
That's the song of the summer.
Baby D
Like, seriously, Nicki Minaj hasn't said anything about this.
Mall
I don't. I don't know what Nicki is thinking.
Baby D
She sounds good, but this was almost blasphemous in hip hop at one point. But knowing Nicki Minaj, like, sounding exactly like somebody was. Like, that was outlawed in hip hop at one point.
Rory
I feel like we. The rules have changed. We've been talking about it for, like, five years.
Baby D
Yeah, but this is.
Rory
It's different now. Yeah, this is acceptable, bro. That's a good record, man. You know, like sell freestyles.
Baby D
The record sounds good. She sounds good.
Rory
The record fire.
Baby D
But that's Nicki, like, the fluctuations in there. That's Nicki Minaj here.
Mall
Right there.
Rory
Ryan, you got it.
Mall
That's. That touched his platform. These hoes was pushing 40 when I got my platform. I didn't hear this. I didn't hear it.
Baby D
No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.
Mall
Hold on, princess. I didn't hear.
Rory
Have not seen this.
Mall
I didn't hear that.
Rory
I saw this before. I heard the Nobody show and I was like, all right, that's crazy. Then I heard the record and I was like, I see why she gets away with it. Cuz the music works.
Mall
That. That's. That's. That's a lot. I didn't see that.
Rory
Here's my. Here's my. I don't know this young lady's full history, but my guess is her team. Team put her up to this. Like, people are comparing you to Nikki.
Mall
Just go drag it.
Rory
Go full Nikki. Who says that? Cuz you can't control a smart manager.
Mall
You can't control.
Baby D
Smart manager. Does not say that. Like, why not go full Nikki?
Mall
Why?
Rory
Well, the strategy of music now is to get attention, clicks and traffic. This is going to get you more traffic than being a carbon copy of Nikki. So people can say that and get you in the algorithm. And then on top of that, you actually make okay music.
Baby D
I get that. I get that. And everything you're saying, you sound like somebody that works at a label.
Rory
That's. That's what I'm speaking from that perspective.
Baby D
Okay, so that's what I'm saying. You sound like somebody that works at a label. What I'm saying is, as somebody that's listening to music, as somebody that grew up in the culture of hip hop, this is disrespectful.
Rory
This.
Baby D
That's not even. You don't even sound a little bit like yourself.
Rory
She sounds more like Nikki than Nikki.
Baby D
That's what I'm saying. Like, you don't even sound a little bit like yourself. Like, I'm not saying. We've heard Jack Harlow records, right? Where we like little Drake coded. Drake coded, right?
Rory
Even Fab and Mace had some comparisons in the beginning.
Baby D
We get that, right? This, though, is flat out, like you said, a smart manager, quote, unquote, go full Nicki Minaj.
Rory
I think she probably had a Nicki influence when she started making music.
Baby D
Whoever was on her team, every female influence, she had a Nicki influence. Every female rapper has had a Nick influence.
Mall
I don't even want to talk about the influence. I want to talk about the sound. Because you can't control. If you sound like Nicki Minaj when you talk, then that's your voice. There's nothing you can do about that. So that's why I've been sticking up for her. But that freestyle is. I can't stick up for that.
Rory
No, because even. All right, like, Action Bronson speaks, the way he speaks, he's going to sound like Ghost. Because that's just the voice he was born with. Where people gave action shit was like, some of his inflections and how he rapped was like ghost, too. And you have the same voice as him. That's this times a thousand.
Baby D
Yeah, but it's not.
Rory
And you're actually leaning into it.
Baby D
Yeah, but it's not even the voice. It's the aesthetic.
Mall
Well, I don't want to say the aesthetic because the majority of. Like, what? Oh, my gosh. She even looks. She looks like Nikki right there. That's what I'm saying.
Baby D
Like, what you about to say, baby?
Mall
Dude, first of all, when I was about to speak on aesthetic, all of the female rappers wear the colored fucking wigs, colored makeup.
Baby D
Like, they all Baby D. I'm talking about this, though.
Mall
She's not the first person to say, oh, you talking about that. When you talk about aesthetic, I'm thinking you talking about the way she looks, the way her hair is doing. Okay, that's Mona Leo has had that same hairstyle. Like, that's. They all wear colored. When people used to say that people are stealing from Nikki, people used to go and pull back and say, okay, well, Nikki stealing from Kim. They all wear colored wigs, big eyelashes,
Baby D
like, okay, but baby, if a woman sounds exactly like Nicki, but she looks
Mall
like Nicki Minaj now. I'm not talking about the aesthetic. I'm talking about her face. She looks like Nicki Minaj.
Baby D
This is what I'm saying. If your facial features somewhat resemble Nicki Minaj, Right. Wouldn't a smart manager say, look, you already look like you could be Nicki's
Mall
cousin, little sister, and you sound like her.
Baby D
We can't do the wigs like Ice Spice came out. She don't look like nobody. She may have did a pink wig, but when we first saw Ice Spice, we saw the curly carrot top girl in the park.
Rory
Made me feel seen.
Baby D
Didn't look like nobody. Right. This, like, to Rory's point, speaking on a record executive, this looks and feel like. No, let's go full Nicki Minaj. Let's go full pink print. Let's go full piggy in the blanket freestyle. Let's, like, that's what this is. And I don't know, like, you know, whoever this. The girl is trim. Is her name trim? Yeah, like, you know, like, whatever she's trying to do, I hope she's successful at it. She's obviously having some success, but there's not much longevity in trying to be a carbon copy of you.
Rory
You say that, but. All right. Can I give the perspective of this kind of being the natural progression of things? When it went from digging through the crates to find samples to then just using obvious samples, because this is a proven record that human ears like. So let's sample it in a very obvious way because we know it's going to work. We can put money against it. We know we'll get some ROI on it because we know this works. Then you go to movie industry. Let's just remake Marvel because we know it works. Let's do reboots of movies that already work. The natural progression is going to be, let's do a carbon copy of an artist because we know it works.
Baby D
When does that ever work?
Rory
This is going to be the final form of.
Baby D
When has that ever worked?
Mall
Hip hop is not.
Baby D
It's a progression of talking about sampling music. I'm talking about when an artist has ever sounded exactly like and looked exactly like.
Rory
My point. I'm saying that's the natural progression of that. That's the extreme of it. Yes, it is.
Baby D
It's not the natural progression. No artist is going to. So, all right, so there's gonna be a successful artist that looks and sounds exactly like Michael Jackson. That artist will be successful.
Rory
I don't know.
Baby D
You know, it would not work. Niggas would laugh at that. We see a thousand of them niggas in Vegas every Day. That shit does not work.
Mall
But they're.
Baby D
It's not gonna work.
Mall
They're singing the same.
Gronk
That's.
Mall
It's. It's a little bit different. I understand where Rory's coming from.
Baby D
Even if they wasn't, if an artist came out right now and looked like Michael Jackson had the glove, the high waters, the loafers, everything. The hair sounded like it. Ad libs. Everything. You telling me that artist would be or would people like, man, get this shit outta here now. Trim. I don't know if she's successful. She's going viral. People deem that as success going viral. Right. Maybe that's what she's looking for. Until she puts an album out of project out and tries to sell some hard tickets to a show and arena. That's when we can start to gauge if this thing is working or not. A video going viral and all of that. Okay, I see how people said that. Success. I'm saying there's not much longevity in trying to be a carbon copy of. Of one of the most iconic female MCs of all time. There's not much longevity there. Now, I understand you saying the natural progression is fuck it. And samples. There's my. The artist might as well. It's different with music. And then when the artist is trying to sound and look exactly like the artist, that's not going to work.
Rory
I'm saying with that progression, the fans are changing and turning into people that give less of a fuck and young enough at some point in the next 20 years. Of course Nikki is an icon, but there's be a bunch of kids that don't really know who the fuck Nikki is. And it's going to feel brand new. That's gonna feel brand fucking new to.
Mall
That's what I'm talking about.
Rory
Even now, if you look, all these artists are using the same fucking autotune and trap drums that Lil Baby uses. I saw a white kid that looks like me put on the exact same future filter and I thought it was fucking future.
Daniel Cormier
Is.
Baby D
Is that Panda was future.
Rory
The next step is just, hey, these young kids don't know shit. You'll just be a carbon copy.
Baby D
And to my point, you're naming all artists that did not have longevity. Will it work for a second? Okay. Because the sound is familiar. Like, who's that? Oh, that sound like this person. I'm saying there's not much longevity in it. When y' all can name an artist that has had longevity and sounding and looking exactly like a very successful artist that we've already had, then we can have another conversation.
Mall
I think that's why I said, I think that you're missing a point where Rory says the natural progression of things, because this is the new thing. Nobody's saying that. It's a proven thing.
Cal Penn
Yeah.
Rory
I don't know if it'll work.
Mall
But this is the new thing. Number one, Nicki is missed in music. People miss Nicki in music, but because of her actions, whether you agree with them or not, on and off the Internet and things like that, that's kind of made it, like, where it's like, okay, a lot of people don't really fuck with Nicki like that. Like, but except for hardcore fans that she's had, like, since the very beginning. So when you have a new artist who is pandering to a younger crowd, who didn't get to have Nicki the way that we got to have Nicki, it's different because this is now new for them. This is fun for them now. As far as her looks and her aesthetic, the colored wigs and all of. All of the female rappers do that now. So if you're talking about somebody that's a carbon copy of looking like Nikki, everybody does that already. That's just that. Aren't the regular women in the streets dress like that now? So that's just, like, how the kids get down. The kids all wear colored wigs and look like they're just extra whatever. They all look like they're on the Hunger Games. But as far as the sound, the kids never experienced that. We got to experience it, but the kids never experienced that before. And it stands out against all the female rappers that they have now. So it could be. It could be successful now. Will she reach extremely high heights? I hope that she does, but female rap just isn't doing that right now. Right.
Rory
She can pivot. This could be a way to get in and get people talking.
Mall
I hope that she does.
Rory
She's really talented. She could pivot and obviously still have a influence of Nikki. Sound similar to Doja Cat, definitely, you could say has an influence of Nikki as far as flowing voice.
Baby D
Charleston, South Carolina.
Mall
Oh, I did not know that.
Baby D
I thought this girl was from Brooklyn.
Mall
I did not know she was from Charleston, South Carolina.
Baby D
Let's cut the shit, though. Like, all this shit y' all in here saying, I get it. We podcasting, but let's. We can cut the shit.
Ashley Iconetti
Can we look.
Mall
Can we look and see if she's ever lived in New York? I did not.
Baby D
I don't care where she lived at she's from Charleston, South Carolina.
Rory
Okay. Nikki wasn't from England and Roman existed. No, that point didn't land.
Baby D
Slow clap for Rory.
Rory
Nikki was British for a whole year.
Baby D
Low clap for Rory.
Rory
Oh, I'm trying to defend Trim, man.
Baby D
Her name is Alasia Kornicky. She is from Charleston, South Carolina, where she grew up on King Street.
Mall
Her distinct accent and cadence stem from her Gullah Geechee heritage rooted in South Carolina. I would have to hear her speak.
Baby D
Hear her speak. I'm gonna listen to the song y' all just played. I will be even more offended if I hear her speak and she sounds like she's from Charleston, South Carolina. I would be more offended.
Mall
Yeah, well, I like Trim's music because I miss Nikki making music, but that's so I hope that she doesn't pivot because I missed. I missed that sound.
Baby D
But, yeah, I'm just saying, man, it's not. There's no longevity in that. She's playing the short game with that. That's all.
Rory
I admire the high expectations you have for this era. No, not just the artist, the fans.
Baby D
It's not the era. It's for the art form.
Rory
No, I envy. I wish I still had that type of hope.
Baby D
To me, if you're trying to get into music and create music and do some. Well, anything.
Rory
You sound dumb.
Baby D
Anything you're doing, you should be thinking longevity. Like, I would. I would think again.
Rory
You have a very high opinion of that generation.
Baby D
Okay.
Rory
I don't think those kids are thinking about longevity just based by their digital footprint. Now, longevity is tough for the average person trying to get a job. Yeah. Like, they're thinking about today in the algorithm. Nobody has longevity in their head from that era.
Baby D
Okay, maybe. Right.
Mall
I guess she had made a cop. Did she? Was that quote real where she said about. She said that she don't think she sounds like Nikki?
Rory
I'd have to. That was, like, in text. I'd have to hear her say that. Like. Yeah, she said it don't even sound like Beyonce. Those are only two.
Mall
She said her song Coconut Water don't sound like nothing.
Rory
Okay. I don't know. It is what it is.
Mall
I mean, Mall is appalled. I very rarely do.
Baby D
I'm not appalled, but I'm just like, yo, that's. To hear.
Mall
That freestyle was crazy. I love nobody, though, but that freestyle.
Baby D
Because y' all don't. Again, y' all are missing what I'm saying. I'm attaching to how blasphemous at one point this was in hip hop. To do something like that, like, to look and sound exactly like somebody. Hip hop was like fighters supposed to be. Yeah, it's supposed to be original. Like, you supposed to. You ain't. You get mad if somebody said, yo, you sound like it used to be a fight. Yo, you sound like. I sound like, what? And it would literally be a fight if you told the artist he sounds like or she sounds like somebody.
Mall
Well, I mean, that's different, though. Cause now all them niggas from the south sound the same to me.
Daniel Cormier
Yeah.
Mall
You can replace all of them on each other's records, and they all sound the same. Only one that sound different is 21 savage.
Rory
Tomorrow's point, though, the most egregious thing ever was Shine and Biggie. But Shine still had his own style. He wasn't a carpent fucking cop. But even then, that was like, nah, I can't fuck with Shine. He sounds too much like Big.
Baby D
Yeah, that was the thing. It was like, yo, why he trying to sound like Big? And he signed the bad boy. Like, Sean went through. Like, he went through some shit. Like, just trying to be an artist. Forget the purpose.
Rory
That was his natural speaking voice.
Baby D
Yeah. And that was just his natural voice. So this to me, again, pardon me. I'm from a different time and era in hip hop. But seeing and hearing something like that is just like, what the fuck? And people are, like, enjoying this. Ja Rule, they said he was dmx. And Ja don't sound nothing like them.
Mall
They don't sound nothing alike.
Rory
Music dressing up like Tupac.
Baby D
Yeah, the no shirt thing. They were. That was like, Pac.
Rory
Yeah. The red bandana.
Baby D
And he sounds nothing like Pac. Music doesn't make any music like pot.
Mall
I think Ja Rule just got those comparisons to dmx because his voice. Right. How deep his voice is, which is something he can't even control.
Rory
And it didn't help that someone that just had two number one albums said, hey, that guy sounds exactly like me. That didn't help either.
Mall
Yeah.
Baby D
I'm just saying.
Rory
Yelling out loud in the same voice, he sounds just like me.
Baby D
I'm from no Time, man. Like, that was not the wave. Like, you will get. You will get. What did. What did Kanye tell a girl in the room to do? Shut up before you get what he said.
Rory
Which time I don't.
Baby D
Damn. I wanted to use that word right there. But, yeah, that's. That was you would get when he
Rory
was in, like, the hotel.
Baby D
Exiled.
Rory
Okay?
Baby D
You will get exiled from hip hop at one point, if you try to sound and look exactly like, somebody, like, people will slam the door and you, like, get out of here.
Mall
Time is changing, especially with these labels. Because if they know something works, if this is a proven thing, like, they don't want the same thing that Rory said. That's why they keep remaking old movies and Marvel movies. If we know this works, we're gonna stick to this. Because we tired of losing money.
Baby D
Did y' all see the Doomsday trailer?
Mall
No, I didn't see it.
Baby D
You didn't see it?
Mall
It looks amazing.
Baby D
None of y' all saw that? It's, like, at a billion views. Y' all didn't see it?
Mall
It's 3 billion.
Baby D
Like, a billion people.
Rory
I couldn't get past the lotto Doja Cat or nobody.
Baby D
Yeah, that. That. That. That was probably just as long as Doomsday was. But, yeah, the Doomsday trailer. Yeah. This might be. This might be. This might be the greatest Marvel movie ever.
Rory
Oh, it's gonna have a lot of people.
Mall
It's better than I play Rocky.
Rory
You got Rocky? You got.
Baby D
No, I said this might be the best Marvel movie.
Mall
Oh, so you don't think it's gonna be better than I play Rocky?
Baby D
Marvel movies.
Mall
But what I'm asking you is, what I'm asking you, do you think it's gonna be better than I play Rocky? Cause you said I play Rocky.
Rory
I better watch that tone before Frank come up here.
Mall
You said I play Rocky is gonna be the best movie, like, of the year.
Baby D
I said one of the best movies of the year.
Mall
Okay.
Baby D
If I recall correctly, do you think
Mall
that this is gonna be better than I play Rocky?
Baby D
This, of course, this is a Marvel movie. Absolutely. This is the movie of the year. Without a doubt.
Mall
Okay?
Baby D
This is a movie. I don't wanna hear about Odyssey. P. Shut the fuck up with Odyssey. I don't wanna hear about that.
Mall
He white retelling, don't he?
Baby D
I gotta go see it, though. Cause I'm hearing great things about it. But if y' all didn't watch this doomsday trailer, this is definitely gonna be the best Marvel movie ever.
Mall
I'm excited. Y' all know how I feel about Marvel.
Baby D
Yeah, this is. This. This trail is incredible.
Mall
I gotta go back and rewatch all the fucking shows, too, though.
Rory
But what, like. What about this one? Do you, like, think separates it?
Baby D
Because everybody that's, like, got Ops, like Magneto and fucking Professor X gotta fucking become friends again.
Rory
Okay?
Baby D
Like, everybody that's Ops, everybody that's in order to obviously, you know, fight the Doomsday villain, they all have to come to like you. We don't. We not beefing with each other.
Rory
This was, like, all of that.
Baby D
Yeah, all of that. They got a tie to Bandanas together. This is Bloods and Crypt.
Rory
It's like when Tommy, Ghost, and 50 came together for one last time.
Baby D
It's the same exact.
Rory
When they met in the elementary school they went to.
Baby D
This is it.
Rory
Got you. Okay.
Baby D
Everybody's putting their beefs aside. This is a bigger thing that we're. This is the most. This is the biggest force that we've ever had to face in the Marvel Universe movie.
Rory
They fight in Israel.
Mall
Yeah.
Baby D
Slow clap. Ferrari. That's too slow claps.
Rory
You probably love that JD Vance and Rogan interview, didn't you?
Mall
I love it.
Baby D
This is slow clap. Yeah, but not Doomsday trailer. You gotta watch this, though. Definitely. Movie the year. I think it's coming out right before Christmas, so, you know, they get that whole holiday rush.
Rory
All right, well, I'll see it.
Baby D
You have to.
Reese Witherspoon
No, you.
Rory
I don't like. I'm not super into the Marvel stuff, but I like good movies. They're cool. I'm not, like. I'm not gonna dress up like you.
Mall
Wait a minute.
Baby D
Who dress. You think that I dress up to go see a Marvel movie? Maybe the. Get the. Out of here. You know, I'm not.
Rory
Yeah, you may have some, like, supreme collab that I don't know about with Wolverine.
Mall
Oh, you should have seen the hood niggas from Brooklyn dressing up to go see the Devil Wears Prada with their girlfriends.
Rory
I did not see that.
Mall
Prada head to toe.
Baby D
Head to toe to go see Devil Wears Prada with they girlfriends.
Mall
Prada head to toe.
Rory
That's why I could find a pair of Prada sneakers in storage.
Baby D
I mean, I'm not saying you can't wear Prada sneakers to go see Devil Wears Pride, but head to toe.
Mall
Prada head to toe, yo.
Baby D
I guess so.
Rory
You did it in 07.
Baby D
I've never wore a full Prada outfit in my life.
Rory
All right, 06.
Mall
Have you ever worn anything full other than God's feet?
Rory
Yeah.
Baby D
Ralph Lauren polo for sure.
Mall
Nike for sure.
Baby D
Nike for sure. John Elliott.
Mall
Yeah, talk to him.
Baby D
I'm just saying.
Mall
I have.
Baby D
I just don't know if I'm putting on Prada or head to toe to go see Devil Wears Prada, too. You get what I'm saying? It's like, all right, fam, what we doing? Am I the devil, like, on a date with my girl? I'm the devil. Like, all right. I mean if that's what is doing, I don't know what they doing.
Rory
Mal Damaris Flight was delayed and she couldn't rebook because she didn't have service because she didn't have Boost Mobile. That proves that you don't have to overpay for great wireless.
Baby D
Hate when that happened.
Rory
If she would have had Boost, she would have been home on time. It wouldn't be this tired right now and she could only pay $25 a month forever. But instead she likes to just hang out in airports with the other wireless people. We don't even mess with them.
Baby D
So who are they?
Rory
Tamara Stop overpaying and leave the airport and switch to a fair price@boost mobile.com
Baby D
today based on average annual single line payment of AT&T Verizon and T Mobile customers compared to 12 months on the Boost Mobile Unlimited plan as of January 2026. For full offer details visit boost mobile.com
Rory
hey, it's Ryan Reynolds here from Mint Mobile. Now I was looking for fun ways
Gronk
to tell you that Mint's offer of
Rory
unlimited Premium Wireless for $15 a month is back.
Gronk
So I thought it would be fun
Rory
if we made $15 bills, but it
Gronk
turns out that's very illegal, so there
Rory
goes my big idea for the commercial.
Gronk
Give it a try@mintmobile.com switch upfront payment
Reese Witherspoon
$45 for three months, $90 for six six months or $180 for a 12 month plan required $15 per month equivalent to taxes and fees. Extra initial plan term only greater than 50 gigabytes me slow when network is busy. See Terms.
Rory
This show is sponsored by BetterHelp. Better Helps 2026 State of Stigma Report surveyed 2,000Americans and revealed that 85% of Americans believe getting support is wise, yet 74% say society discourages people from doing so. We're halfway through the year. I think it's time to evaluate where you're at and get the mental help that you deserve. Client reviews at better help over 30,000 therapists better help is the world's largest online therapy platform, having served over 6 million people globally. And it works with an average rating of 4.9 out of 5 stars for a live session based off over 1.7 million client reviews. Please take the time halfway through the year. Don't end this year going damn, I wish I would have got some help. Don't let stigma stand in the way of support. Start therapy with BetterHelp. Sign up and get 10 off at betterhelp.com Rorymal that's better. H-E-L-P.com Rorymal hey everyone, it's Cal Penn,
Cal Penn
host of Irsay The Audible and iHeart Audiobook Club. This week on the podcast I'm sitting down with Wil Wheaton, who played Gordie Lachance in stand by me 40 years ago ago and now narrates Stephen King's the Body, the novella that inspired it all. We talk about what it's like to return to a story that shaped his life, channeling his memories of River Phoenix in the recording booth and why the friendships you have at 12 might be the most important ones you'll ever have.
Gronk
I know Gordie Lachance.
Rory
I am Gordy Lachance.
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Rory
a little kid, I was Gordie La Chance. When I was you didn't know it.
Cal Penn
Listen to Earsay the Audible and iHeart Audiobook Club on the iHeartradio app or wherever you get your podcasts this summer.
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Mall
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Mall
Exactly.
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Rory
What's worse, you're on a date and your man wears all Prada to Devil Wears Prada or he goes to the Doja Cat concert and raps every verse to her face.
Baby D
What's worse?
Rory
Yeah, that's more of an ick.
Mall
More of a ick? A man rapping out loud at a concert is crazy. Yeah, that's more the ick. You know I don't like. I like Stushman. I don't like that. I think it's cute. Like if it was my friend but as my man. No, you can't be like rapping word for word.
Baby D
No matter who the artist is.
Mall
No matter who the artist is.
Baby D
I agree.
Mall
Unless it's like if will we Survive to let out.
Baby D
But other than that might be the worst song.
Daniel Cormier
All right.
Rory
You guys would have broke out in hives at Yankee Stadium. Then every man was rapping word for word.
Mall
Oh, for sure, for sure. But that's different. That's Jay. It's cool to rap. Jay. Jay's cool.
Baby D
So the artist has to be cool.
Mall
The artist gotta be cool.
Baby D
You have to deem the artist to be cool.
Rory
All right, Say the artist, the uncle.
Mall
Most artists. Artists ain't cool. There's not a lot of cool like artists. Can you think of, like, a lot of cool, like, artists? We'd be like, damn, they're cool.
Rory
I think Nas is one of the coolest artists.
Mall
Nah, Nas is very nice.
Rory
Nas is very cool.
Mall
Nas and J are cool.
Rory
Their era in particular. But they're older than me, so I view. Like, when you were younger, you viewed older people as cool, but even their peers. But sometimes you found out they were corny when you got to that age,
Mall
their peers think they're cool. Yeah.
Rory
Like, I think everyone from Wu Tang is cool. As, like, just that era. To me, they're all cool. I'm trying to think of. I don't. I mean, I haven't, like, hung out with artists to the point of knowing if they're really cool or not. Like, that. Of what? Like, famous ones. That people.
Mall
Meth can't be cool. He an actor. You can't be a cool actor.
Rory
You said who Meth.
Mall
You can't be a cool.
Rory
You don't think Method man is cool?
Mall
You can't be a cool actor.
Baby D
Actor. Denzel Washington is the coolest nigga in the world. What are you talking about?
Mall
He said what?
Baby D
Denzel Washington might be the coolest nigga
Mall
in the world, but Denzel played it. But I just had this conversation. Denzel plays the cool in every role he play, other than that one, he's playing himself.
Rory
Exactly.
Mall
That's the thing.
Baby D
You think he's acting.
Rory
He ain't.
Baby D
They just happen to be recording Denzel on the date.
Mall
But that's why I literally just had the conversation. Because somebody. We were having the Will Smith versus Denzel. Like, who's the better actor? I was having to act. A lot of people have that argument sometimes.
Rory
Yeah, people do.
Ashley Iconetti
Yeah.
Mall
Whether Will Denzel are a better is a better.
Rory
I personally think Denzel is. But that's just my thought. But, yeah, people have that. And if you're talking like, who is having this? People can make that. They can make a debate off success.
Mall
It's not even a huge A list. It's not even box office to me. For me, me personally, what I think. And y' all know Denzel is like. I love Denzel so much. He's extremely, extremely talented.
Baby D
Happy birthday to the legendary Denzel. He turned 80. I didn't even know he did.
Rory
You said 80.
Baby D
Denzel Washington is 80 years old.
Mall
That's crazy.
Baby D
I believe that's crazy.
Mall
80 is crazy. He can't be 80.
Rory
Get him in front of the screen now.
Mall
That man's 71 years old.
Rory
Oh, go. I was like, denzel.
Mall
Years of Denzel being alive. You were scaring the shit out of me.
Baby D
71.
Mall
71. He looks good. He'll look a day over 60.
Baby D
71. Denzel.
Mall
Happy birthday, Denzel.
Rory
Okay. Is. Is Will Smith a better actor? Because Will's probably not cool, and he's come across cool in movies. Anything. When Denzel breathes, he's cool.
Baby D
Well, Will Smith, we know he's not cool. He showed us that at the Oscars.
Rory
But the freestyle saved him, though. He got back to coolness, right?
Mall
Oh, well, coolness.
Baby D
According to Yahya. According to Yahya. I thought that was great.
Rory
Freestyle of the year.
Mall
I think that Will has more range. That's why I think that Will is a better actor. I think Will has more range because
Rory
he did one accent in Concussion.
Mall
No, it's not about an accent. Will can play a funny role. Will can play an action role. Will can play a serious role. Will can pretend to be somebody else. Will can act and just be himself in a movie instead of.
Rory
Denzel was Malcolm X.
Mall
He has ran. He has more rank. Y' all just said that Denzel. That Denzel plays himself in every role.
Rory
He said that. I didn't say that.
Mall
Yeah, Denzel plays himself in every role. There's some that he stood out where it was a little bit different, but for the most part, he plays himself. Will doesn't do that. Will has a lot of.
Rory
What do you mean? Of course his own personality is going to blend in. But what do you mean by that?
Mall
I just ex. I literally just explained it to you. You think Denzel could be a comedian in a movie?
Rory
Probably, if it was well written.
Mall
You think?
Rory
I think he has the. The ability to look at a script and figure out what they're trying to get across. Because he's one.
Mall
You think he has that ability? Has he ever shown that ability? Do you remember him showing you that ability that you.
Rory
You know, that he was in a.
Baby D
He could be a comedic actor?
Mall
Yes.
Baby D
Yeah.
Rory
No, I don't think Denzel's taken, like, a traditional comedic role, but Denzel is funny without being funny, which makes me think that he could do that if he wanted to. Like, even in flight, when they're at, like, the end at the hearing and he's like, I'm drunk right now. I fell out of my chair laughing. Like, Denzel can be funny even if it's not. It's funny.
Mall
Denzel, the person is naturally funny.
Rory
Yeah. So that's why I'm saying, like, okay, you have a point. Because there's not, like, a direct example of him being in a straight hobby shit. To say he couldn't do that is kind of crazy. And I mean, well, yes. Has arranged. Because he started on a comedy.
Baby D
Denzel's viral clip of I'm Leaving Here
Mall
with something that's comedy, that's hilarious, but that's not acting. That's him being himself. He's naturally a funny person.
Baby D
That's what I'm saying. I think he could be.
Mall
I don't. I don't think that Inside man, he was.
Rory
The lyrics.
Mall
I don't think it's. You're looking at me like, explain that. I don't think it needs to be explained that Will Smith has shown. I won't say has. Let's say has shown in his filmography that he has more range than this.
Rory
He's a better comedic.
Mall
It's not even just comedy. It's not even just comedy.
Baby D
Well, I mean, Will comes from tv, and it was a comedy, so it was like, you know, okay, all right. Comedy, drama, I guess.
Rory
No. Well, first of all, I want to make. I think Will Smith is a. A great, great actor.
Mall
You don't have to agree that. You don't think that Denzel is a better actor than him. That's fine. That's opinion only. But when I add. When I say he has more range and he's showing more range, I don't think that's pretty.
Rory
The range only speaks to one. One part of acting, and to me, it's the comedic part, because I think Denzel beats Will in every other category besides comedy. But if that's the deciding factor of the full range thing, then sure, Will could have more range.
Baby D
The difference between Will Smith and Denzel is. Denzel's a thespian. Will Smith is a lesbian.
Rory
Slow clap for more medium clap. It was a medium clap.
Baby D
That wasn't a.
Rory
The man is a hater.
Baby D
That wasn't a slow clap. Baby D. That was funny. Fuck you, baby D. How long you
Mall
been sitting on that while we was. That's what he was thinking about.
Baby D
Cause Denzel comes from theater. That was his origin from theater.
Mall
Denzel is an amazing.
Baby D
Will Smith's origin is rap, hip hop, and then obviously Fresh Prince. So it's like, you know, then he moved into film. But Denzel started in the theater and then moved to film. So it was just a different type of actor.
Mall
Different type of actor.
Rory
Yeah.
Baby D
And I'm joking about Will being a lesbian. He's not a lesbian.
Rory
Well. And also why that debate even exists is because they're both black. Like, I don't think that'd be a.
Baby D
What do you mean they're both black?
Rory
That's why I think people have that. I don't think they should be in a debate because they're different type of action. I think De Niro and Denzel would be a better debate than Will Smith and Denzel because they're. They're different type of actors.
Baby D
They're different type of actors.
Rory
I'm saying the only reason that people are having that debate is because.
Baby D
But I mean.
Mall
Or they're also like De Niro. De Niro actors.
Baby D
But De Niro has done. De Niro has done comedies, though.
Mall
He has, yes.
Baby D
Now, was he trying to be funny in those comedies? Maybe not, but it was funny. Like Diner also kind of the Fockers. He wasn't trying to funny Meet the Fockers, but. But his role was funny, though. You get what I'm saying?
Rory
Protagonist of. Yeah, yeah.
Baby D
That type of.
Rory
But he's hilarious.
Baby D
I think Denzel can do that. I don't think Denzel's can do Kevin Hart type of comedy or Dave Chappelle comedy in a movie. But I think the way Dinero was in Meet the Fockers, I think Denzel could do that.
Mall
You think Denzel could be a superhero?
Baby D
Yeah, he is a superhero. He's Malcolm X.
Rory
Got you there.
Baby D
He was Jake Shuttlesworth.
Mall
You got me.
Baby D
You know what I mean?
Mall
You ate me up.
Baby D
Or else he could be a superhero.
Mall
I love Denzel. It's my baby. I love him.
Rory
Did you never talk about the saddest part of he got game at the end when they was like, we got over on you, Denzel. He went to Big State, but you didn't technically do it. Sit in Attica for the rest of your life.
Baby D
Yeah. So we know the government was gonna do that. He was gonna fuck him over. Great movie, though.
Rory
How do we even get on that topic?
Mall
What were we talking about?
Baby D
About actors.
Mall
Oh, about playing yourself in every role. But where do we get from there?
Daniel Cormier
Cool.
Mall
Oh, being cool.
Baby D
Oh, rapping at a concert. Being cool.
Mall
Yeah. Who's cool?
Baby D
Who's cool? Yeah.
Mall
Cool rappers. Denzel is super cool.
Baby D
Super cool. Super cool Denzel.
Rory
Okay, then what. Then what era are you asking for cool rappers to get back to that this era? I don't know. I have no idea. But I'm not cool, so I don't want to be that guy that is the gatekeeper of cool when I'm not.
Mall
I'm just like, that everybody looks up to. Like, cool. Like, damn. Like, they're cool. Like, cool don't exist no more.
Rory
Kanye was cool.
Mall
No, no, he was never cool. He came out being a nerd. Like, he was never the cool.
Rory
He ushered in the new world where nerds became cool and high fashion became cool, and everyone dressed more like Kanye than anyone else in hip hop.
Mall
Yeah, but that cool influence, if you're
Rory
influencing how everyone is dressing, to me, that is probably one of the biggest examples of being cool.
Mall
That's not what. Well, that's not what I refer to when I refer to it.
Rory
ASAP and his crew were cool as fuck when they came out.
Mall
No, ASAP and them was cool, but to the younger generation, that's not what I refer to when I refer to cool.
Rory
Oh, what do you mean, though?
Mall
I mean, when I say cool, I mean, like, the cool. Like, laid back, like, almost, like, don't talk. Like, just that type of cool where she.
Rory
Larry June is cool.
Mall
Good job, Larry.
Rory
And he's positive and shit. Like, that's cool to me. The fact that all you gotta say is good job to the crowd and everyone cheers, like, that's some real cool shit to me.
Baby D
That's some cool shit.
Mall
That's cool.
Baby D
Larry June is cool.
Mall
Larry June is cool for sure.
Baby D
Larry June is definitely a cool rapper. He, you know, he got juice balls and shit like that.
Mall
Which one of y' all gonna take. Take ownership of the orange?
Rory
We had that conversation the first time we kicked it with Larry at Made in America. And he. His answer was cool as y' all can have it, too.
Mall
Damn. He sharing. That's cool.
Rory
Sharing cool as fuck.
Baby D
Larry's cool. I like Larry. That's my.
Rory
He was so cool when we went go kart riding with him and Alchemist Me. Al and Molecular were competitive and trying to beat each other. I think he lit up. Like in the go kart place. He was behind us going five miles an hour on the go kart track. Lean like this. We're trying to race and looking like Nerds. Larry on lap one, Larry like this.
Baby D
I lost the Al by like 0.8 seconds or something like that. I was pissed. I ain't like that. I need to do over. I need a rematch, man.
Mall
ASAP was cool until he said he was slipping on semen. I think that's when he lost his cool points.
Rory
It's not his fault, though.
Mall
Yeah, but you ain't have to tell us that. We love you asap. But you ain't tell us that Fab was cool. Fab was the definition of cool. He was cool.
Rory
Fab was definitely cool.
Mall
He was cool.
Rory
Like 50s era. 50 was more perception of fear than. I think there wasn't. Besides people like me that bought those wife beaters, no one was like, I want to be like, like, and dress like 50. That wasn't really. That wasn't really.
Mall
A lot of people wanted to dress like.
Rory
People bought G T shirts and. But 50 wasn't like a style icon the way maybe I would say ho was a style icon, but when he said something, people wore it. 50 wasn't really that. That wasn't his thing. But he was coming at the tail end again of the gangster rap. And Kanye's era came in.
Mall
Yeah.
Rory
And people was wearing big ass T shirts in the south. Like, yeah. 50 really wasn't that, per se.
Baby D
The coolest rapper ever is Snoop, though.
Rory
Yeah.
Baby D
They gotta be Snoop Dogg.
Mall
Snoop do. Snoop is cool. Because Snoop, I don't think Snoop cares about being cool. And that is what makes him cool. Like, I don't even think he'd be trying to do to be cool. And it's just like, cool.
Baby D
Well, that's what makes you cool. You're not trying to be cool. You just. Just are.
Mall
Yeah.
Baby D
You know what I'm saying? But Snoop is probably the coolest rapper ever.
Rory
Yeah. I think Three stacks and Big Boy, like, as a duo is like the coolest yin and yang. Both of them are completely different, but both super cool. Yeah, that would put outkast there.
Mall
But see, there's people that will look at you and look at you and say, you're crazy for saying that. When I say cool, I mean, like, everybody would think they're cool. Most people would not think that they're cool.
Baby D
That Andre 3000 is cool.
Mall
That Andre. Yeah, they were. They weren't labeled as, like, cool the way they, like. Well, Andre, the way he dressed and stuff like that. That's not typically cool. That wouldn't be.
Baby D
Andre 2000 is one of the coolest dudes ever. Ice Cold was his Name Ice Cold.
Rory
What's cooler than being cool? Ice Cold.
Baby D
Yeah.
Gronk
What?
Rory
Yeah. I'm not saying that it's because everyone couldn't dress that way.
Mall
Yeah.
Rory
Like it was.
Baby D
Yeah. You wear the shit that everybody can't pull off.
Rory
If you had a little bit of money when Kanye first came out and you just wanted to buy a Louis Vuitton backpack and a polo, you could do that. That. That was accessible. You had to go thrifting and search for, like, you have to go find Eagle feathers in Vancouver to go dress like three stacks. But people thought he was cool and big boy was. He was on the pimp. Like he was cool as.
Baby D
Rest in peace Nip.
Rory
Nick was cool as.
Mall
Cool. Super cool.
Rory
He comes from the. The Snoop. Snoop family tree of cool.
Baby D
Yeah.
Rory
Nip was cool as.
Mall
Naturally cool.
Rory
Yeah. Damn Peach. When he came to, I was like, oh, this is not a facade.
Mall
This.
Rory
The aura changed when he walked in. Like he was by far the coolest person in there.
Baby D
Yeah.
Rory
He came just. Just him and Lauren London in a Porsche. No security. Like he. Yeah, he was the coolest person in the room. And it wasn't even close. Like he. He was one of those.
Baby D
Rest in peace, Nip.
Rory
Yeah. While we're speaking of west coast shit, right before we started recording, YG was detained in LA for the Draco. I've heard people say Drakeo Draco. Which one is it? Because I get corrected every time. Drakeo, Dracheo. It's Draco. Yeah. Thank you. Okay, wanna make sure, because I've said Drakeo before and I've been threatened by the west coast and I think he was one of the modern greatest of the west. And I think everyone has used his flow. So I wanna get it correctly, but YG was detained in connection to his murder. There was a search warrant at his crib or studio or wherever it was. But tonight, as you're hearing this, we don't know if it happened or not, but there is the verses against gang and YG in a few hours. But if he was detained, maybe they released him already.
Baby D
Yeah. Detained doesn't mean arrested, obviously, but, you know, away from just being able to do the verses, it is very interesting that he was detained and is being investigated in connection with Draco's with murder. So it means, you know, that's not a good thing. You don't ever want to be part of an investigation. You don't ever want to be detained by police for anything. But we will have to wait and see what comes of this. If anything comes of this. But yeah, I mean, he. He isn't arrested, so he should. The verses should still be able to go on tonight. We kind of felt like something was gonna happen leading up to this. I don't know if it was this, but I.
Rory
No, I didn't expect this. I mean, because, you know, the murder was almost five years ago and, you know, I'm not trying to down the efforts of the Los Angeles Police Department, but usually if it's been that long, it kind of feels like maybe the cops have checked the out.
Baby D
Yeah.
Rory
So, yes, that is a little surprising. And in connection to yg, I'm not even going to pretend nor want to know whatever history ties between that or whatever what happened at the festival. None of my business. But yes, I will say that the timing is definitely interesting to say the least. So I'm sure we'll hear much more about that as the days go. I talked to a lot of people on the west coast over this week. They thought we were kind of crazy.
Baby D
Why?
Rory
In our discussion, we didn't really pick a winner. We said we weren't particularly sure and did say that YG has a lot of records that would work well in a versus and at parties. Everyone I talk to thinks YG is gonna clean him up. And these are people from the west coast that grew up on Game as well, around my age. Like, nah. And versus those YG records, especially since they're doing it on the west coast and there's gonna be a West coast crowd, the reactions to those records are gonna look different.
Baby D
Didn't we say that in here, though? Like the. Like YG has the records that at a verse has probably performed better. I feel like we said that when I think.
Mall
Yeah, I think they just heard us giving Game a lot of credit. And they probably interpret it like they think it's going to be a sweep.
Baby D
A sweep.
Rory
They're on that side.
Baby D
No, no. But I think the game is not getting swept in a. I think our
Mall
New York bias comes in a lot because we look at Game the way we look at Game and over in New York.
Rory
Listen, and I. I want to make this very clear. This is not anyone on this podcast opinion. Even if you try to clip it, whatever somebody from the west coast said said pre beef YG would give Kendrick a long night in verses. How people revere YG in a versus setting is much higher than I. I expected. But I. If they go, they go out every weekend. I'm sure YG is a great majority of the songs that they hear with how Long he's been around in the
Baby D
hits that he has.
Rory
So I. I get it, but I. I hope this does happen tonight. Obviously, YG has some things going on, but I like both their music, so I'm here for this one.
Baby D
Yeah. I mean, again, the. Versus setting with a crowd being there. Obviously we know the records that both of these artists have, but I can see how people are leaning towards YG having the better performing records when it comes to this type of platform. Game probably has better songs.
Mall
I'm glad for that.
Baby D
Game is probably the better rapper. But when we talking about just throwing on a record and the crowd reacting, YG has a lot of those. He has a lot of those records where as soon as it drops, there's a reaction. He has a lot of those. You know, those. Those party club atmosphere, cookout. Like, he has a lot of those records. Game has some in it as well, but. But YG probably makes it more of a focal point to have those type of songs.
Rory
Yeah, yeah. You saw that Stat Quo clip where he was saying he's had a lot of conversations with Game where he felt like Kendrick was dissing him for like the last 10 years. Some of those were a little. They were reaches. But I do think that Kendrick has diss Game before.
Baby D
You think Kendrick has diss Game?
Rory
I think in that full clip. And we don't have to go through all of them. Cause some of them were just such
Cal Penn
a reach
Rory
that I think it was just Game being Game. But I. I do think that Game was dissed. Not dissed or not like us, but was mentioned and could take it as a diss when he has said, let me put y' all on Game. The settlers was using town folk. I mean, Game did bring Drake to Compton to do that song where. Where Drake did diss Kendrick in Compton. Let me put you on a. Game is on the documentary. His name is Game. Yeah, I think that was a.
Mall
That's a shot.
Rory
I think that's a really fair. Like, everyone was like, yo, Game is nuts. I was like, I don't.
Baby D
Is he.
Rory
Let me put you on Game. If town folks. They're both from the same town. Was using settlers, and he's calling Drake a settler throughout the entire record. Listen, Game's not crazy for saying that Kendrick dissed him. That's all I'm saying.
Baby D
I'm just saying if I'm game, I would have some questions too.
Rory
Yeah.
Baby D
I would want to ask Kendrick, like, yo, fam, that bar like, what you meant.
Mall
Why you say bar like that?
Baby D
You get on my nerves right there.
Rory
What you.
Baby D
You meant by that?
Mall
He said that bar.
Baby D
Yeah, let's talk about that bar right there.
Mall
Like that war right there.
Baby D
Yeah, let's talk about that. Because I'm. I got questions, that's all. I'm not mad at Game for having some type of feelings towards certain things being said. And not only that, to me that makes sense why, you know, Game didn't show up to the pop out because he's probably always felt like there was something there between him and Kendrick anyway. Not Game, obviously. His alliance and his, you know, he sided with Drake. Drake is his guy. But I think away from that, I think, yeah, I could see Game kind of having those feelings for a while. Like, yo, he felt like Kendrick was sending a couple shots his way. Like, you know, in a competitive, not a beef nature, but like being from the same city. You know what I'm saying? It's like, nah, like I'm, you know, it's like that type of competitive thing in.
Rory
Okay, but in a, like, rapper brain, which you have to add that context into this. Game gave Kendrick, you know, it was probably first shot from a professional, reputable rapper. Like, Game mixtapes had K Dot on it, took him on tour. Like, yeah, for sure. They've had a very long, long relationship. And not to say that Game owes him anything, per se, but as a rapper, I may have some type of. An issue of someone I've known for that long being cool, taking someone dissing me to my hometown to shoot a video where you're dissing me.
Baby D
Yeah, I can see that.
Rory
Like, if you're standing on a Compton block saying, if I didn't go pop and stayed conscious, I would have all of your fans like, damn, you gonna take them to Cedar Block to say that. I could see Kendrick not being like, yo, fuck Game. But like, that's kind of weird. Like, if it was just a record, I get it. But he's legitimately dissing me on the song.
Baby D
Yeah.
Rory
So I could see Kendrick feeling a little bit away. Yeah, but that. That's rapper ego. This rap, something that. Not real serious.
Baby D
From the same city, you know, it's.
Mall
It's a. It's a.
Baby D
It's a competitive thing. It's a rapper ego thing. I don't think it's a real beef, like some street. I don't think it's that.
Rory
No, no, no.
Baby D
But I think it's definitely like the rapper ego being from the same city type of like nudging for position type of thing. Like good, healthy competition. I don't think that there's any real ill feelings between these two, but, you know, obviously people are gonna try to paint it that way. And then Game not going to the pop out and addressing why he didn't go and things like that, it kind of put, I guess, a little further wedge in between him and Kendrick's relationship, if you will. I don't know, you know, personally, their relationship, but, you know, just on the outside looking in, it's.
Mall
It's.
Baby D
There's definitely something between these two, but I don't think it's like a beef. I don't think it's that.
Rory
That would have been a good gauge for Tonight's versus because YG's set at the pop out was great, and you could see the reception that he got for that, like, 10, 12 minutes that he did. I'm curious what the reaction would have been because I game popping out that stadium would have went nuts.
Baby D
Oh, yeah. Oh, for the. For the pop out.
Rory
Yeah. If game.
Baby D
This is what I'm saying. Like, it's so crazy, you know. Again, I think this verse is going to be very interesting just to see, you know, the hookah. Because now it's again, it's. It's who's in the room. The energy in the room is who's there? What is the crowd? Is it a younger crowd? Is it a little older crowd? Like, who's in the. Who's in the room?
Reese Witherspoon
Who.
Rory
I just hope YG goes by himself. If you have the cops knowing where everybody is. No, if I know yg, I'm not going to Innocent, guilty. I'm not going to any. There's an address of where we're going to be in a time after people are getting detained.
Baby D
Yeah.
Rory
Why do you should.
Baby D
Oh, it's gonna be heavy.
Rory
Why do you should go there? But just him and Karen civil.
Baby D
Yeah, that's.
Rory
It should show up to that.
Baby D
What time is that tonight?
Rory
I feel Khaled, man. I feel him, man.
Reese Witherspoon
Why?
Rory
Listen, the. The very few people that I'm grateful for that keep asking me where my album is. They don't know that. I just saw the Jay Z show, so I gotta push it back. I saw. I got inspired that like, nah, let's push this back. I was gonna put it out the next day and I was like, nah, yeah, no, I can't do that. Come on. I just. I just saw. Feeling it like, I can't. Come on.
Baby D
You got a spy about album that came out 30 years ago. That's what's up Khaled.
Rory
Just heard reasonable Doubt that day.
Baby D
Yeah, that's what's up.
Rory
But I mean this. All right, I want to say this respectfully. I feel like it's going to come off. Like, it's not. This is not a shot at Khaled. But Khaled's marketing is to be full of shit.
Baby D
What do you mean?
Rory
He's. He's one of the best marketers of. They. They hate us. They've been doubted. Like, no one knows who they is. It's all just full of taglines. He's a great marketer. It's. It's like, you know, it's like riddles.
Baby D
Yeah.
Rory
He's a character of himself and I don't mean that in a bad way. That's why he's so successful. That's why we love him. Like, this is gonna be the greatest song of all time. It's like, we know it's not better than the Rihanna Bryson seller record. Don't tell me that this little baby song is gonna be that. It's not.
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Not.
Rory
His whole marketing scheme is being full of. So it's right on par.
Baby D
Yeah.
Rory
Pushed it back because I saw. I went to Roots Picnic and I said, nah, no more album.
Baby D
Yeah, yeah, that's.
Rory
That's all Khaled's whole thing. He's like a motivational speaker too. That's also full of.
Baby D
Yeah, but it's different. It's different this time, though, as a person.
Rory
He's not full of. I want to make that clear. I don't know.
Baby D
No, just. It's just promoting.
Rory
As a marketer, he's full of.
Baby D
And marketing's full of everybody in the market, in the promotion. Promotion is full of. At some point you gotta. You got. That's part of marketing promotion. You got to put some in the game.
Rory
Like if Khaled did these real serious sit downs and like long podcasts, we really got to know him and the inner workings of how he. Then I'd be like, well, this is corny. But everything Khaled has done to promote other artists, his label, his music has been this. And this is why we like it. So, yeah, I laughed at it, but I respect that he keeps coming up with even more creative lies to why his album's not out.
Baby D
Yeah, I mean, I think we all know why his album is getting pushed back or why he's pushing back his album because I'm pretty sure he has enough music to put his album out, if he wants to put it out.
Rory
I mean, Khaled is. Is Smart. And I. Because he is this great marketer, Khaled doesn't have the ability to just put a album out and it be successful if he just drops something. He doesn't have a core fan base that's just going to be to pay attention and do that. He needs to have a big single with two A list artists and do a proper rollout. That's why I didn't believe two weeks ago that that shit was coming out.
Daniel Cormier
Like he.
Rory
There's no records.
Baby D
Who would those two A list artists be right now?
Rory
I don't know because I think that's, that's also why the last two Khaled albums I felt weren't that great. It's funny, his, his albums sometimes are really a reflection of where music is at currently because Khaled is going to get the biggest artist no matter what. And at the the time, like, you know, he got Drake and Lil Baby, but I thought that song was Dirt, like it reflected the times. And right now I wouldn't know who that would be either. To your. Your question, that's why he keeps pushing it back, because he's not going to get. I don't think he's going to get a record from the big three. I don't think he's going to get one from Nikki. I think he could get one easily from Future or Travis Scott, but they'd be throwaways that I don't think would be that great. I don't know if there's a. With his strategy, if there is a pool of artists that he can really pick from, where Khaled will go number one with an album and how he handled the Tyler thing a few years ago. I think Khaled is a little sensitive and has a strange ego when it comes to numbers. I think he's shown us that. So I think Khaled is scared that if he puts something out, it could really flop if he doesn't have the proper A list rollout. And listen, as a whole Avenger, I don't know if hov doing the intro can save you. I don't know if that's gonna get it done because that's what saved it last time. And that was just one record.
Baby D
Yeah, but I was just ready to say there's only one artist he creates he could probably have on the lead single right now where it would do something and that's Jay.
Rory
He's done that so much and I'm listen, if Khaled wants to go get a J, no one's gonna complain.
Baby D
Go get Kendrick.
Rory
Kendrick's not doing that, though.
Baby D
Go get J. Cole.
Rory
I don't think Cole's doing that.
Baby D
Then who are you going to get?
Rory
That was kind of what I was just. There's no pool right now that I
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think
Mall
you said, who?
Baby D
Let me just say it. Because Pete said, why wouldn't J. Cole do it? Let me just say it. Nobody wants to hear J. Cole on a lead single from Khaled.
Rory
If Khaled.
Baby D
That's not who J. Cole is.
Rory
Khaled.
Mall
I don't want to hear that.
Baby D
Nobody wants to hear that unless 21
Mall
Savage is on it. Sorry.
Baby D
J. Cole and 21 Savage don't think that's going to happen anytime soon.
Rory
I just, like, Khalid's biggest strength to me as an executive producer was creating moments. And I just don't know if there's artists that have moments that we care about like that right now in the Khaled lens. Like, yeah, it would be cool for Cole to give him a record, but it would have to be a moment where it's with an artist we don't expect Cole to be with or on a beat that we don't expect Cole. Cole to be on. Like, unless.
Baby D
Unless he wants to go all the way left field and do some type of hip hop record with Taylor Swift. Post Malone, he's gonna have to pivot. His pivot gonna have to look like a travel in the NBA. Like, his pivot. He gonna have to drag his pivot. Like, because. And let's just be what it is. You had two Drake songs. You don't have those no more anymore. I don't care who you are. That shifts your entire out.
Rory
Okay. But I also kind of feel the same way about that and not same with the J thing. Like, no, I would never be mad if Khaled went and got another 5 minute J verse. No, I'd never be mad if Khaled went. He's done that every time. I'm talking about lead single and I'm saying that that can't. Like, that doesn't really get it done.
Baby D
Didn't put out a song.
Rory
I don't know.
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I don't think so.
Mall
I haven't heard it.
Baby D
I feel like I saw a Khaled video.
Rory
You're thinking of him with Joe and Jada and Stove Gun. But I. Again, that wasn't his record. That was him. He just happened to be on the episode that day. Oh, yeah. Maybe Hoven Juan were in the office listening to one of them.
Baby D
Yeah, that didn't work.
Daniel Cormier
Yeah.
Baby D
I knew he put a record out. I just couldn't remember the record.
Rory
Khaled has to find some. I'm not saying some new sound in some, like, abstract way.
Baby D
I'm way, way, way.
Rory
Putting the same artist on the same beat. It's not gonna do anything.
Baby D
Hold on, hold on, bro. This is different. I totally forgot about this record. Future in Little Baby single.
Rory
The snippet. When the snippet came out, we said that was gonna come and go.
Mall
Well, Lil Baby ain't really getting it done for the number one single no more.
Baby D
Future's on the song.
Rory
Yeah, Future.
Mall
But at the time, Future didn't have
Baby D
an album out, debuted at number 70. Damn, bro. Yeah, this a. This a bigger conversation to have, man. About to look real different. Number 70.
Rory
When I heard that snippet and then that record that told me that, you know what, maybe Khed isn't lying about that. Yankee Stadium. When I heard that Future and Lil Baby, I said, oh, Okhalid is officially checked out of actually caring about the music too outside of the moment and the marketing. Because Okhalid, outside of the last two has made great albums. Like, Khaled really does have a good body of work when you get into it. I know now it doesn't appear that way, but last 10 years, yes, there's been great. Oh, moments and albums. Maybe he did get inspired and go, yeah, I've been lazy and I'm just doing lazy, dog. Shit. Yo, Future, you got something. Oh, shit. Open verse. Yo, baby, I'll email this to you.
Reese Witherspoon
You.
Rory
Let's put it out. That's lazy. Maybe he was inspired. Maybe he realized that that Future Baby record was dog. It was lazy. It wasn't a moment. And said, you know what? I got to get back to the drawing board and care about the shit again.
Mall
But even if he cares about it.
Baby D
Yeah, but he. But this is. But not to catch your baby, but to what you're saying. Roy, I can't roll with that. Because he announced the 17th as a release date after that song didn't work. He put that song out of April and then told us the 17th.
Rory
When you get complacent and lazy, sometimes you have a delusional point of view of your career and you think anything you put out, people are going to gobble up and love until it doesn't happen. And then you're like, oh, okay, yeah, this is kind of shitty.
Baby D
Yo. I don't. Yeah, I don't know what Khaled gonna do at this point.
Mall
But also, I think it speaks to. Like you said, it shows the landscape of hip hop. His albums usually show the landscape of hip hop. At the time, we have been talking about the landscape of hip hop not being the greatest right now. So I don't even think that's on Khaled at this moment.
Baby D
Because even if we can't do that.
Rory
No, no, we can't do that. All right, then show me how good you really are.
Baby D
We can't.
Rory
Then show me how good you really
Baby D
are as a. Nah, nah, nah. I'm gonna tell y' all why we can't make that as an excuse. Because if he had those two Drake records, this album would be out.
Mall
Okay, but that's.
Baby D
So we can't say the landscape of hip hop. We can't say none of that.
Mall
That. But that's not what.
Baby D
That's not.
Mall
That's one of the ladies. That doesn't mean that the album will be good. I'm not talking about the album.
Baby D
I'm not talking about the album being good. I'm talking about the album being released already.
Mall
Okay, that's fine. But I don't. The album. Even if the album was released, it's. The album is probably not released because the album is not going to be good. But even if he had two Drake album, if he had two Drake singles, would it be released? Yes, but that doesn't mean that the album will be good.
Baby D
So now I'm not speaking to that
Mall
now, if you don't have the Drake singles, then the album has to be good, which is probably why it's not coming out. Because where. Where would you go to make the album good? Where would you go outside of the same people that you've already put out?
Baby D
To me, I'm no music executive. I'm just a fan of the culture and music and hip hop. To me, the album is not out because the lead single did not work. The little baby song.
Mall
Well, yeah, of course.
Baby D
Did not work.
Rory
Nah. Of course.
Baby D
So all of this, I got inspired, to Rory's point, maybe he did. Maybe he felt like, damn, like, I need to really go in here and pay more attention to detail to the music. Like, not just grab people and put them on records because of their names and thinking people will click on the song because of their names. Whatever it is. I'm saying it's a safe assumption that if he had those two Drake songs, this album will be out. Now, whether that album will be good or not, that's subjective. I'm saying the album would be out is what I'm saying. And it's not because he had to pivot. Future Little Baby record didn't work. Now what to Damaris's point, is there anything else on this album that's good? Anything that's gonna get people like I don't know. But if the. If I'm. It's a safe assumption that if he had the lead single which would would have been a Drake record, and then had another Drake record on the album, this album would have been out.
Rory
Well, I mean that's. That's just a catch 22 of your whole marketing plan being getting a listers together. And then the concept of a list superstars is now gone when it comes to the new crowd. So now you have to go back to drawing board like that's it. And he kind of shot himself in the foot when he dissed Tyler when
Baby D
he didn't get the number one.
Rory
She's like, nobody trying to hear that shit, bro. Tyler outstreams every record you put out in the last however many years outstreams anything future Lil Baby is going to put out right now. That whole world that you thought was nerds and weirdos are making one incredible music. Two, streaming very well, selling hard tickets. They're relevant, people care about them, they want to support them. And you dis that entire universe because you thought the only way to get to the top is to fuck with a listers. Now he has to go and maybe beg Bad Bunny to do something with NBA Youngboy. Like he's.
Baby D
I'm sorry that's a sick ass collaborator
Mall
but I want to hear it.
Rory
I do too. You can that one done. I'm not mad at it.
Baby D
That's a sick ass collab. Benito and NBA Youngboy.
Mall
I want to hear it kind of.
Baby D
That's a sick ass collab.
Rory
I wouldn't be mad, but that. But I'm saying if he. If he wants to get back to creating good records and moments, he's gonna have to do that. Cause you dissed a whole. A whole part of music right now.
Baby D
There's a major shift that has happened in music, especially in our genre, in our culture. There's a major shift that has happened creatively, artistically, sonically. I think a lot, a lot has changed. And I think we're just starting to like we're in it now. So we're gonna start seeing it, we're gonna start feeling it. But yes, it's apparent that there has been a major, major shift in music. So yeah, Maybe he can get Jid and Cole co working with everybody else other Than Jid. Yeah. And y'.
Daniel Cormier
All.
Baby D
So. So y' all not gonna say that I was right. Like, you still not ready.
Rory
We gave you your flowers after. When Jid came in here because his flowers died.
Baby D
No, I don't. I don't remember getting flowers, Baby D. I don't remember getting flowers.
Rory
I'll get the monthly subscription. So you. They go to your house.
Mall
Yeah, they go to your house first of every week.
Baby D
I just don't remember getting flowers. That's all I'm saying.
Rory
No, when. When Jid tweeted and deleted all that, I came in here.
Mall
We had a whole conversation, bro. I. I like.
Baby D
No, no, no.
Rory
I argued you down, and I was completely wrong.
Baby D
No, no, no, no, no, no. But something else happened since then. Oh, I haven't seen Cole put out a whole album where he was working with. What's the dude's name?
Rory
Oh, his man's from. From North Carolina.
Baby D
Whole album with homie.
Mall
The whole album is crazy. I think he gave him two songs.
Rory
No, he produced. He produced the entire thing.
Mall
He produced it.
Rory
He produced the entire thing in his own three records. Two verses in it, and one of them's a hook.
Ashley Iconetti
Okay, so.
Rory
Okay. But I tell you, it's not a bad project either, by the saying this.
Baby D
I need more goddamn flowers.
Rory
Respectful.
Mall
Respectfully. Everybody clowns Cole's production all the time anyway. So it ain't like he.
Baby D
It ain't like Kanye produced it gonna swing for Cole.
Rory
No, no, it's. No, it's actually. She's doing the opposite, and I was gonna make that point, too. Respectfully. I don't think Jid wants an entirely produced J. Cole.
Mall
That's why I'm like, that.
Baby D
Ain't nobody J. Cole doesn't want an
Rory
entirely produced J. Cole album.
Baby D
I'll be missing the point.
Mall
Yes, he do. He do want that.
Baby D
But he did it for the first
Rory
one, and then after.
Baby D
That was like saying, jid wants an entire album produced by J. Cole. I'm saying what I've been saying. Them niggas ain't on no songs together.
Mall
We been said that. We agreed with you mad long ago.
Baby D
No, but then this came out, and y' all didn't say nothing about that.
Mall
You want us to agree with you
Baby D
again, at least be like, yo, Ma, I ain't gonna lie. It's. Yeah, it's looking. It's looking like they not. They don't fuck with each other.
Mall
We already said they don't fuck with each other.
Baby D
Nah, you ain't say that. You ain't say that you did not say that. Your word to me. You ain't say that. You did not say that.
Mall
We said damn, Ma, you got a point. You probably right. They don't fuck with each other because of the tweets. It's obvious something's wrong. We had a whole episode about it.
Baby D
You said that?
Mall
Yes.
Baby D
Or did Rory say that? I don't know if you said that, baby. I don't know.
Rory
He's. He's holding out for the Khaled moment with Jid and Cole. This is. Yo, that in that entire PFG album is part of Khaled's rollout to start the tension between the Jid and Koshi. That's all it is. That's gonna be the moment.
Baby D
Damn, man.
Rory
You want to be a cool moment that Khaled could do if they're in a good place. What Quavo and Offset.
Mall
That would be a cool moment.
Rory
I would like that moment just because they're family and everything that happened, but that would be a moment.
Baby D
Yo, look what he. Callie. Gotta get family back.
Rory
Yeah. No, now it's time to. Yo, now it's time to be an executive.
Baby D
Gotta be good, though. I don't care about policing up a relationship. The music gotta be good. If the music ain't good, none of that matters no more. Like.
Rory
Well, anything on the hard drive, I want them to save for whatever Migos tribute album that. That they put out. Save all that. Don't give that to nobody. But I think Quavo and Offset, if they were in a good space personally, both are. Have the ability to make a great song together. A new song, the two of them in 2026.
Baby D
Do we think Khaled goes cardi.
Mall
I'm assuming so he's some.
Baby D
Both together.
Mall
Cardi. Cardi squared.
Rory
Working.
Baby D
Call it cardier. Does he go there? No, I don't want to hear that.
Mall
I don't want to hear that either.
Baby D
I'm just throwing. And we just. We just. We just whiteboarding right now. We just throwing.
Mall
Which is probably what the he was doing. Cuz he trying to figure out who
Baby D
the oh, he doing more than.
Mall
Unless you going to keep reusing the same artist over and over and over again for every album. Who are you? Unless you jump completely into the new generation, you have to jump completely into the new generation.
Rory
But this is. This was also inevitable too because people do start to age. Khaled did a great job of even when he was starting to age, still fucking with the young artists. It's not like all the Khaled albums were all legacy acts or artists his age. He was fucking with the young artists, but he may just get into the age that this new set of young artists just really ain't for me. Like, this was eventually going to happen. Khaled tried to stay relevant and did with a generation below him, and I applaud him for that because that's difficult. But two generations below you. Yeah, because Cal is not cool to them. And I don't mean that as a slight. The young kids, that. That's not their thing.
Baby D
Cali gonna get a Pharrell and J record.
Mall
I want to hear it. Yeah, no, I want to hear it.
Baby D
Like, I could see that being a move or.
Rory
Or clips. Clips in jail.
Mall
You think Beyonce gonna breathe on a record for him?
Rory
Listen, Beyonce has been sitting next to three chairs for the past month. It means act three is coming. Like, y' all not paying attention to the clues that she's given us. Yeah. Now Beyonce's act three tomorrow.
Mall
Act three is not tomorrow.
Rory
As they're listening to this, act three dropped.
Mall
No, actually, babysitting. She got babysitter kids right now.
Baby D
Babysitting your own kids is crazy.
Mall
Yeah, babysitter kids right now.
Baby D
How you babysitting?
Mall
No, because you're. You're a mom 24 7. But, you know, she got her kids right now. Jay usually have them when she on tour. Jay on tour. She got the kids.
Baby D
So babysitting your kids is funny.
Rory
As he doing spot dates.
Mall
It's the. You know, it's J time right now. Act three will be out in 2028.
Rory
Think 28?
Baby D
Nah. Two years. No way.
Mall
You think 2027.
Baby D
Yeah.
Rory
If not two different photos of 3ch.
Baby D
Like, I think we get act three the same day we get doomsday Marvel.
Mall
Damn. Play on words.
Baby D
Yeah, I think we get the same day, December 18th. I could see B do something around that time.
Rory
I mean, listen, Khaled is Roc Nation. Jay could ask Beyonce for a favor. What record's not making Act 3. Pass it over.
Baby D
You know why that's a tough spot? This is why that's a tough spot. And we can move on after this. But because the first single didn't work, whatever single he goes with next, there's a lot of pressure.
Rory
Yeah, you can't.
Daniel Cormier
You can't.
Rory
You can't play with this one. You can't.
Baby D
I don't think so.
Mall
Pressure. I don't think anybody's looking for it
Rory
for there to be pressure, but their internal world is.
Mall
Oh, like the.
Baby D
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Rory
I'm Talking about, I don't think could still be successful just because you have a dud in this era. You could come out three weeks later and no one's gonna remember that shit. If this shit is good.
Baby D
But it's just a lot of. But for the song to work, it's a lot of pressure on whatever artist that is. Because now. Because this would be the backup plan. Right? The first single didn't work. The next. The next one out the chamber gotta work. So if you go, huh?
Mall
He gotta go with Tim's. He gotta go with Tim's or Kehlani.
Rory
I don't know if I want to hear the Kehlani Khaled record. I I, I'm cool with a Thames Khaled record. To me, makes sense. Thames and the Thames and Gunna have a record.
Mall
Not that I know of. Let's look that up. Because I could have forgotten now I
Rory
could see attempts in. In Gunna if the right favors were were pulled.
Baby D
Tim's in Gunna.
Mall
I like that.
Baby D
That sounds palatable.
Rory
That would be good.
Baby D
I like that that sounds palatable. I'm not mad at that. I would click on that to hear what they did. I don't want to hear Bieber Bees
Rory
is always a good, good backup for Khed when he needs it.
Baby D
But we got the. How many Khaled Bieber records we got.
Rory
Cut them out.
Baby D
And I feel like if it ain't a caliber record, Bieber record gonna sound like a Khaled record. Like, I don't want to hear that.
Rory
The Biebs and Thames, that chemistry on the Coachella stage, you never know. I'm sure they've worked. I do think Khaled is going to a lot of studio sessions and listening to a lot of hard drives. I'll say that.
Baby D
One million.
Rory
I would say that he's been in
Baby D
New York for a while.
Rory
Yes.
Baby D
He's been working so well. Let's.
Mall
I mean, let's look at the billboard.
Baby D
I'm not mad at Tim's gunner.
Mall
Billboard put out a list.
Baby D
I say Pharrell, Jay.
Rory
I can see Thames and Leon Thomas. Khaled does like to focus on who like the up and coming big actors as well.
Baby D
He gotta have rap on it, though. The first single gotta be rap.
Rory
Do it, do it.
Baby D
Yes.
Rory
Some of his biggest hits are not rap at all. His biggest hit is Rihanna and Bryson. Yeah. Ain't rap.
Baby D
It's rap adjacent though. Bryson is kind of like, it's R B, but it's rap.
Rory
Nah.
Reese Witherspoon
Yeah.
Baby D
I mean, it's. It's Bryson. It's R B. That's what he does. Both. So it's kind of, you know, that's Bryson. So it's not.
Mall
And popped. Also. I'm the One is pop. Wild Thoughts is pop.
Baby D
Look who's on there. Rap. It has to be rap. It has to be.
Rory
You're saying ones. But if you go to like the top stream ones. If we want to make that matter, because it does to Khaled. Like the first four, three out of four are not rap.
Mall
Wild Thoughts.
Baby D
Which song are you talking?
Rory
I'm the one. Wild Thoughts for Free.
Baby D
Lil Wayne and Chance, the rappers on there. That's rap.
Mall
Yeah, but I'm the One is not a rap song.
Rory
It's a pop song.
Mall
That's a pop song.
Baby D
Is Wayne rapping on there?
Mall
It's not a. Just because of my rapper doesn't make it a rap song. It's a pop song.
Baby D
I said it needs rap. You have to have a rapper on the record. Which is why I said I like Tim's Gunner. That is palatable to me. But you need Gunner. You gotta have rap on this somewhere. He can't just give us full straight R B as the lead singer.
Rory
Does Grease have any rap on it? It no Wild Thoughts.
Mall
No.
Baby D
You might r the Young Miami. Young Miami wave.
Mall
I don't think so.
Baby D
Nah, bro.
Rory
If. If Khed was. If this was like 10 years ago and that Young Miami record came out. Yes. I could see Khed in Young Miami. That would be the next single for sure. But I don't know if Young Miami, maybe that's going to give that to Khed.
Baby D
Like, maybe that's why she left the tour.
Rory
That's that. Cuz Khed said she gotta go do the record again. Mean. Disrespectful. I don't know if Khed's in that position now where every artist is like, oh, that's the cool thing for me to do right now. So I. We'll see.
Mall
But remember, Holy Key was a thing.
Baby D
I know. I know who he got to go get. I ain't gonna say it, cuz I don't work for Khed. But I know who he got to go get. I know who could save him right now.
Mall
Trey Songs.
Daniel Cormier
Who?
Mall
So sorry.
Baby D
No, I know who. I know who could. Who could give him a bomb right now. For sure.
Mall
But Joke.
Baby D
You got to pay me for that.
Cal Penn
All right, we'll.
Rory
We'll bleep it.
Mall
Can you say it? Because we wanna Don Tolliver. Oh, I figured you would say that.
Rory
Yeah. But also now you're acting like the commenters that I hate. Like, that is. That's kind of. I'm sure Khaled has thought of that. Like, I'm sure that's. That's been a conversation in a ROC Nation office that, hey, we should go get that guy.
Baby D
Guy. They did one together years ago.
Rory
Yeah, but Don is in a whole different whole space. Right.
Baby D
Whole different. I like that. Whole different space. He's in a whole different space.
Rory
Yeah, that, that would definitely work. For sure.
Baby D
No worry.
Rory
Now today's show is brought to you by our presenting sponsor, Hard Rock BET Sportsbook Mall. Football soccer is over and I know a lot of people are waiting for American football time. They say it's a slow period, but that's not what we say at Hard Rock Bet. It is baseball time. It's time to get the same game parlays and get the Yankees back. In your algorithm. Especially at Hard Rock Bet, they have you covered. The average first inning lasts just 17 minutes, making first inning bets one of the fastest and most exciting ways to get into the action Mall. Will there be a run? Who knows? Or will it be a no run first inning? That's for you to decide.
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Exactly.
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Cal Penn
Hey everyone, it's Cal Penn, host of Irsay, the Audible and iHeart Audiobook Club. This week on the podcast I'm sitting down with Divergent author Veronica Roth to talk about her sprawling new novel, Seek the Traitor's Son. It's a sci fi fantasy epic about two protagonists on opposite sides of a war and a prophecy neither of them wanted.
Ashley Iconetti
My first book was Divided and when that came out, like, because it was so popular, I think it attracted like mostly positivity, but the negativity I sucked in like a sponge. And I think it was like critiques of things I liked. When I was like, you know, I was 23 and I wrote this book and it had all my like dorky little cheesy or maybe unrealistic loves in it. And I started to feel a lot of shame about those things. And so for the rest of my career I steered away from those little things that like, make you feel pleasure when you read. But I also was like saying no to these parts of myself that I then was like, screw it. Yeah, so that's this book.
Cal Penn
Listen to Earsay, the Audible and iHeart Audiobook Club on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts.
Ashley Iconetti
This is Ashley Iconetti from the Ben and Ashley I Almost Famous podcast Ben. I've been reflecting a lot lately on how many big life moments our listeners have experienced with us.
Rory
Yeah, it's pretty wild.
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Reese Witherspoon
Reese Witherspoon here. Checking into my favorite hotel in Paris.
Rory
Bonjour.
Baby D
Bonjour.
Reese Witherspoon
I'm traveling with my Wells Fargo autograph Journey card. So I earn rewards wherever I book. Travel five times points with hotels, four times with airlines, three times on restaurants and other travel, and one point on other purchases. Phew, that was a lot. I need to lie down. Is the room ready?
Rory
Visit Wells Fargo to.com autograph journey terms apply. Did you guys see the billboard rip take Keith? Yes, definitely.
Mall
Rmp. Sorry, his name was just listed as the producer for that track.
Rory
We got another list. Of course. Halfway through the year. How could we stop? But at least R and B is getting some looks on these. Halfway through the year. The staff picks from Billboard hottest R B Acts of 2026. Kind of just more on the side of reading them. I don't know if we're gonna get a big argument out of this one.
Mall
I love how they put this, how they put staff picks now so that Billboard doesn't get like, now the art. All the writers get like, yeah, in trouble for it.
Baby D
The hottest K1 at number 10 is already wrong for me.
Mall
But where would she be?
Baby D
She gotta be higher than top five.
Rory
All probably side is really K1 is
Mall
hotter than Giveon right now. Y' all know I love Giffy.
Rory
That is a fact.
Baby D
Duran Bernard, he might need to be higher. He was just nominated for how many Grammys?
Rory
A lot.
Mall
Yeah, well, let's see who's higher than them before we make that judgment.
Baby D
Brent.
Mall
All of them. People need to be hired in Brent, respectfully right now. And I love.
Rory
I mean, I really like Brent's album, but I hear you.
Baby D
Word. Okay.
Mall
Duran K1 and they said hottest. I don't know about Giv give you on.
Rory
Yeah, I don't know.
Mall
Okay, they have Givon. I mean, they have Duran at 8 and they have Brent at 7. Joe Scott at 6. Okay,
Rory
listen. Where I just disagree with this list is the word hottest. That's what I'm focusing. Yes, hot, like I like Jill Scott's album, but hottest, like even to give. I don't know if Givon's the hottest.
Baby D
No, Chris Brown is selling out stadiums.
Rory
Well, he's number five.
Baby D
Okay.
Mall
Ray is number five.
Rory
Ray of four, who I really love.
Mall
Ray is really hot, but I don't know if she's hotter than Chris Brown right now. Tim's is hot. I don't know if Tim's is hotter than K1 in Durand right now.
Rory
Is she R B and is she
Baby D
R B, and is she R B, which is.
Mall
Her R B songs go crazy, but I don't know if that's the bulk of her.
Rory
The core of her stuff is definitely Afrobeats. Her solo stuff is Afrobeats to me. But it. She sings R and B on Afrobeats. So, yeah, she can go in 20, 26, maybe. That is R and B. Afrobeats is one of the biggest genres, but there's going to be some type of gray area.
Mall
Okay.
Rory
Like, I wouldn't say she is an R and B, but she's not like a solely an R and B artist like Kehlani is.
Mall
Leon is two.
Baby D
He was number two last year, so he ain't.
Mall
Kehlani is number one right now.
Rory
I'm not mad at that. I just think Chris Brown should. Should be top three.
Mall
Yes, I agree. Chris Brown is hotter than Leon. Leon Thomas is hot, but Chris Brown is always hotter than these people.
Rory
Y' all know how I feel about Leon, but I love Leon. The person that's opening up for the
Mall
guy can't be higher on this than the guy.
Rory
What we talking? The opener can't be hotter than the headline.
Baby D
I almost. I almost was gonna buy tickets to that Usher Chris Brown show, but then I saw a clip, and Usher got. Usher got his ass out. I'm like, yeah.
Mall
Oh, Usher got his ass out.
BetterHelp Ad
Oh, wait.
Baby D
Tickets right now?
Mall
Cool.
Cal Penn
Yeah. I'm like, I'm cool.
Baby D
Cool, Man, I can't. That ain't for me. I think that's for the ladies. I think it's the ladies only tour. Respectable for those legends, but I think I'm going sit this one out.
Rory
Well, in the clip, you'll probably know when that set is. Like, when he brings the lamp out. Just close your eyes.
Baby D
No, no, no, no. I'm cool.
Mall
Let me zoom in.
Baby D
I think this is the ladies only. Ladies only, I believe. I think that's what the tickets say, bro.
Rory
I mean, it's. It's just butt cheeks. Not like he got a dick out.
Mall
You barely saw a crack.
Rory
That's a whole crack.
Mall
I see more peaches crack in this office than that.
Rory
Yeah, that's not gonna stop me from singing. You got it bad at the show.
Mall
Like, mind you, the person on the phone zoomed in. If you were at the show, I don't even think you would notice that.
Rory
Maybe that was just at that show and his pants sagged. Like, maybe that's not part of them?
Baby D
No, that's part of it.
Rory
Oh, it is part of it.
Baby D
Yeah. First of all, Usher is. He might be in a midlife crisis. Let's talk about it.
Mall
Oh, hell.
Baby D
He got his ass out on tour. On his tour right now. And we love Usher. Super legend. He got his ass out at the show, and then he came to the Yankee Stadium with Jay Z with his. With his chest out.
Rory
Yeah.
Mall
I mean, he's an R B singer. Let's bring back. No, let's be R B.
Baby D
You gotta. You could put a shirt on, man.
Mall
No, R B used to be a Jay Z show.
Baby D
You could put your shirt on. Nah, that got a leather jacket on with no shirt.
Mall
Ooh, R B.
Baby D
This is Jay Z's concert. So put a shirt on, fan.
Rory
How many rappers take their shirts off?
Mall
You keep saying this is Jay Z's concert.
Baby D
Ain't no rapper take their shirt off at Jay show. Who had their shirt off? That was the only in the whole arena stadium with the shirt.
Mall
I guarantee R. Kelly had his shirt off at one of them shows.
Rory
Yeah, it was two shows.
Baby D
And no, he didn't. What we talking about after?
Rory
I'm sure he took his shirt off
Baby D
to cover his eyes. Maybe three. And no, he did not. Yeah, I'm just saying. I was just going through something right now. He trying.
Mall
I think he going through something. He has R B. I know he's
Rory
the eldest, but how many rap shows is rappers just with a shirt off the whole time?
Baby D
We talking about at a Jay Z concert. Why do y'. All.
Rory
I've never seen Tupac, Jay Z show.
Baby D
I'm talking about. Y' all keep talking about a rap show. I'm talking about Jay Z's.
Mall
What is. Okay, so it's still a rap show. What makes his show so different?
Baby D
All right, never mind that.
Mall
People can't have their shirts off at it.
Rory
And they were performing throwback. They were a confessions record.
Baby D
He's a guest. He's a guest.
Rory
I've definitely had my shirt off at a guest house before.
Baby D
That's why they ain't invite you back. You're a guest. Keep your shirt on.
Mall
Yeah.
Rory
Usher, man.
Baby D
Nah, man. You singing the hook, the game.
Mall
And YG got a new song produced
Rory
by Swizz and Timberland. The day that the verses created by Swizz and Timberland happened. Coincidence? I just know if today is the day to talk about organized crime.
Mall
Well, maybe they had, like, scheduled it to come out. Maybe it was pretty.
Rory
No, actually, no, it sounds. It sounds great. I mean, good West Coast Sample like
Baby D
that sample probably 200 times already, but
Rory
still works every time.
Baby D
No, that's what I'm saying. Like, that's. That's what good call record was to grab the ear. Like, this sounds familiar. I noticed this. This song. But it's like, you know, you a
Mall
hater a little bit.
Baby D
How a little bit?
Rory
That telling us to keep a shirt on is. Is. Is hating at a Jay Z.
Daniel Cormier
It's.
Baby D
Hey, I'm not saying keep his shirt on at his. Him and Chris Brown show. When you coming out to sing a hook with Jay Z, you can put a shirt on, bro.
Mall
Maybe he spilled. It was. I mean, they was backstage for mad long. Maybe he spilled something on it in the meantime.
Baby D
There was mad merch in the building. There was merch everywhere that could have put on.
Rory
I should just put on a merch. Te with leather pants.
Baby D
He could have put on a Doucet T shirt. He could have put on a Yankees jersey. He could have put on all kind of shit. No, he's in his. I'm telling you. He know. He knows. He's the eldest statesman in R B. He on tour with this young, hot Chris Brown. He want to show I'm in shape. I'm 40 plus years old. My.
Rory
That's all right. That's not a midlife. Like, if he looks like Bobby Brown now and came out without a shirt, I'd be like, this may be a midlife price. You should put a shirt on.
Baby D
That's called body shaming, Baby D. Am I correct?
Rory
Oh, I think.
Baby D
Is that called body shaming, baby D? Am I correct? Am I correct, baby D? Is that body shaming, yes or no?
Rory
I think we need more of that in the world. Yes. I am body shaving.
Baby D
See, I'm not body shaming.
Rory
My body doesn't look great. I keep my shirt on.
Baby D
Put a shirt on at a Jay Z show, you don't got a sexy out at a Jay Z show. This ain't that. This up here.
Mall
You wasn't about Beyonce being half naked with the doves.
Baby D
What?
Mall
Or I mean, with the dancers. Not the doves, the dancers.
Baby D
Beyonce was not half naked. She had on the T shirt and shorts.
Mall
Them shorts was this long, boo.
Baby D
All right, so she didn't have fucking capris on. So now. So now that means she was half
Mall
naked, ass was out, and that's. Okay.
Rory
Great. And respectfully.
Mall
Yeah, well, nobody complain about that because it's Usher. We can't. The ladies can't get nothing.
Baby D
I'm just saying this is. It's That's. First of all, that's Jay's wife. So cool. Nigga, you a guest. Put a. Put a shirt on, bro. This is hip hop. This ain't sexy time. Don't you come try to sexy out Yankee Stadium.
Rory
A song throwback, A confessions record. Yes, it was sexy time. It was sexy time. It was sexy time of the show.
Baby D
He did that song Mad Times with the shirt on. He performed those records, Matt. Matter of fact, I saw him at his show at Barclays last year and he had a shirt off.
Rory
Yo ma's talking like Jadakiss came out with a shirt off. We talk about an R and B singer named Usher.
Mall
Dude, I don't think he's going through a midlife crisis. I just think. I think he, he, he still got
Baby D
sit down when he sit down with. What's my guy's name that. Everybody sit down when they having a midlife crisis.
Rory
Oh, you know what? I'm gonna get them all here.
Mall
Jay Shetty.
Baby D
Who's that?
Rory
Damaris. What's more of a midlife crisis? Usher coming out with his shirt off or Jay Z at his age with security wearing a bulletproof vest on stage? What's more of a midlife crisis? What's more of a midlife crisis?
Baby D
How's that a midlife crisis? Like, first of all, he was. That's.
T-Mobile Ad
He.
Baby D
It's a, it's a. It's an anniversary to his 30 year out. It's 30 year old album.
Rory
That's a uniform that represents his music. Usher without a shirt is a uniform of his music. That's what R B singers do.
Baby D
No, it's not.
Rory
And I think there's nothing wrong with Jay wearing a blood vest. I love it.
Baby D
That ain't take their shirt off.
Mall
That's because these don't have nice bodies no more. And that's my point again, y'.
Cal Penn
All.
Baby D
Back to body shaming.
Mall
Make R B singers.
Rory
We want people to be healthy. Y make arm stop drinking, lean and do some sit ups.
Baby D
I'm saying at a Jay Z anniversary show, you could come out, do your R B. You can put a shirt on.
T-Mobile Ad
Okay.
Rory
If you can wear a bulletproof vest, which I thought was great. I thought that was the coolest that hov could wear for those anniversaries. I think somebody his age, from his era as an R B artist when they're in shape should go, no shirt. We're representing the eras.
Baby D
Crazy as hell.
Mall
I want, I want Fine back in music again. Remember ll? These rappers don't look like LL no more. Every rapper is ugly as the fuck, and I'm tired of that shit.
Rory
Name them.
Mall
Nah, I'm cool. But I want him to look like LL again. Like, I bring sexy back to music, yo. That's all I'm saying.
Baby D
Can we break right?
Rory
No.
Daniel Cormier
Well, before.
Rory
Before we do. What happened was rappers used to take steroids. Now they take Ozemp.
Baby D
Pick,
Rory
whatever.
Baby D
You stopped us to do that.
Rory
I was going to go into a conversation, but then you got mad.
Baby D
Was like, I was sit here, like
Rory
I was going to go to a conversation. But then you looked like, I don't want to talk.
Mall
No, he got a pee.
Baby D
He wanted to talk about oic. Shut the up.
Rory
It's an epidemic.
Mall
No, go ahead, Rory. Keep talking.
Rory
Let ma pee.
Mall
What you were saying about oic? You talking about midlife crisis. You can't even get up off the couch. Oh, I was the one. I kept trying to make, but Ma kept stepping on it. Peach was over here crying. I was trying to segue, but Ma kept stepping on the Segway. Peach is over here dying. I'm like, I'm trying to move a time, bro.
Rory
Was it about oic?
Mall
No, I was trying to. I was trying to. No, I was trying to say that. What the was I trying to say? The Billboard list, like, transfer from Khed.
Rory
Yeah, I did. I did hear you do that. Yeah, I did hear that.
Mall
That piece over here. We was over here dying.
Rory
Yeah, a couple times.
Baby D
I mean, to step on your transmission, baby. D. My bad.
Rory
Transmission.
Baby D
Yeah, I mean, to step on it.
Rory
All right, well, since we're on transmissions before we get to new music, can we talk about last week?
Mall
Okay. What happened last week?
Rory
That was, like, one of my favorite new music Fridays of the year.
Mall
What?
Baby D
Drop.
Rory
It was like my. My type of R B all decided to drop in one day. Like it. It took me a week to even get to everyone's project. Masego.
Baby D
Fix your face, Shout out, say go.
Rory
It's my favorite Masego album to date.
Baby D
It's hard.
Rory
It's. It's his best music. Ombre. Peyote. Incredible.
Baby D
And. And I don't like the fact that y' all ain't talking about everybody talking about Jay cutting this here. Why you ain't talking about Sego cutting his.
Mall
Well, I didn't see it.
Rory
I mean, the first single. Yeah, it was. That was part of it.
Baby D
Yeah. Like, I mean, Sego cut his, too.
Mall
That's what's up.
Rory
Yeah. Dame.
Baby D
You know what I'm saying? Like, just cutting their head. They gonna cut his sh.
Rory
Skino why you not talking about Sego?
Baby D
I ain't that long. Like to cut it.
Mall
I mean, but like, I like to see you. You know what I'm saying? With. With wavelength, with waves.
Baby D
You want to bring the waves back. I may bring the waves make me seasick.
Rory
I got vertigo already.
Mall
It's really slow clap.
Baby D
We on three slow cl. He got three slow claps today.
Mall
That is.
Baby D
He got three. Yo, at the. You got to test your heart monitor for stroke. You might be stroking out again.
Rory
Check. Check the comments that. That one's going.
Daniel Cormier
The Internet.
Rory
The Internet will prove that that one was a good joke. You guys are wrong.
Baby D
Yeah, that's a slow burn. That might be a slow burn right there. You're right. That's a slow burn for sure.
Rory
But also, I have to give Malls some flowers outside of like.
Baby D
Yes, please.
Rory
Ombre. We already know what time it is with her happy chefs. This project out. But it does add into Mall's theory of lesbians making the best R B music. We forgot to add Ombre onto that list.
Baby D
I'm trying to tell y'. All. You're not listening. You're not doing the science with me. The lesbians are running R and B right now.
Mall
Is it that the lesbians are running R and B or is it that everybody's a lesbian?
Rory
Two things can be true. Percentages.
Baby D
Two things can be true. But Sid dropped in a dope project
Rory
beard, which is a hilarious title.
Baby D
Hilarious title. We know what Sid doing. Ombre. Another dope project.
Rory
Did you get a chance to listen?
Daniel Cormier
Yeah.
Rory
How good is that? Crazy to me.
Baby D
She doesn't have a bad project.
Rory
She's so good.
Baby D
Like Ombre. Another dope project. Like, it's the lesbianas.
Mall
Because the best music is made about women. That's why. That's why hip hop ain't good no more. All they want to talk about is disrespecting women. If you was to talk about loving women immediately.
Rory
Now that's. That's just. Today they started.
Mall
And male R and B talk about loving women. It'll get better.
Baby D
Well, I mean, the R B, the R B artist. There's this. There's some gay representation on that side as well. Good.
Mall
R B Duran cleaning up, smoking.
Rory
I had him in my second favorite album last year.
Mall
And they say Leon Thomas look like.
Baby D
See, we not doing that.
Rory
You ain't say that when he was here to his face.
Mall
They said it. We
Rory
make jokes, but we would make it to their face if they were.
Baby D
But you retweeting it, though. You retweeting I didn't retweet.
Mall
Leon know I love him.
Baby D
Whenever you say they. First of all, that's the December.
Mall
And Leon laughed at it. He. He on the real. I'm referring to he. He's on the real laughing. They say that he looks like a lesbian.
Rory
Okay. If he's okay with him.
Mall
He laughed at it. It's funny,
Baby D
Leon. I'm only laughing cuz you laughing like, I ain't laughing if you ain't laughing.
Mall
But we know Leon's not gay. Leon get. But they say he look like a.
Rory
You don't know his situation.
Mall
Oh, my bad. I'm sorry.
Rory
He can be in a committed relationship.
Baby D
He might get. And like, I didn't say they.
Rory
I meant, like, he may have a girl.
Baby D
I'm just saying we don't know. We don't know.
Mall
I. I think I know that Leon don't get. Okay, well, don't. Don't want the. That he may get.
Baby D
Let's just change this up here.
Mall
What?
Baby D
That was the craziest.
Rory
Ombre's girlfriend is gorgeous.
Mall
Yeah.
Rory
A beautiful relationship.
Baby D
That's good. Shout out to Ombre. Another dope project, man. Love Ombre.
Rory
Steve Lacey came out as well. Oh, yeah. It was a great music Friday last week. Like, can't say enough about it.
Baby D
Steve is gay, right?
Rory
I don't know. And I know some people find that offensive, but I'm not sure. And I think that may have been a thing.
Mall
I don't know. He's fluid small. Stop talking.
Rory
I don't know.
Mall
Please stop talking.
Baby D
What? I'm. Why y' all get mad? I'm asking. I'm searching for the answers. I'm asking questions.
Rory
He's strict. AI said he's strictly straight.
Mall
He identifies his sexuality as flu.
Baby D
Is not strictly straight.
Mall
He's fluent like you said, Mom. Oh, okay.
Baby D
See, I be saying shit, and y' all be thinking I'm trying to be funny and just.
Rory
I defended you. I said I wasn't sure.
Baby D
He's fluid.
Mall
Yeah, he's fluid.
Cal Penn
Yeah.
Mall
Fluid and queer.
Rory
All right, so, okay, so outside. Outside of Sego, it was a very LGBTQ friendly R B Friday.
Baby D
Yo.
Rory
That as someone that is strictly straight.
Baby D
Right?
Rory
Loved.
Baby D
Yes.
Rory
What a Friday.
Baby D
I supported last Friday.
Rory
What a Friday.
Baby D
When it was on the calendar. I know what type of holiday it was, but. But the representation was heavy, and I support it.
Rory
Y' all saw. Speaking of Durant, did you see what homie on Vlad that was allegedly fucking Stefon Diggs. That was the craziest clip I've seen.
Baby D
I didn't see that. I don't really click on.
Rory
Like he said, there's. He said he heard Durant say there's a difference between heterosexual and straight. And he's like, I don't know what that is. So I just want to make y' all know that I am completely straight. And then he went on to describe Stephon Diggs taking him out shopping. Like he was one of the girls. He was like, in my opinion, we weren't in a relationship. I don't know if we were, but I'm straight.
Baby D
I don't know if we were in a relationship.
Rory
If you're straight, you know you're not in a relationship with a man if you not straight.
Baby D
You know, you. You in a relationship. Like, you know if you're in a relationship or not. Like, what are we talking about?
Rory
So he would. And then he went on to say, this is a quote.
Baby D
You don't know if you're in a relationship.
Ashley Iconetti
This.
Mall
It's before you. A girl has been in a relationship with you, and you ain't been in a relationship with her before. And you ain't know. You ain't know that that was your. She was out here calling you her man.
Baby D
Okay, Missing what I said. I said, you know, when you're in a relationship, you know, when you're not in a relationship, in your mind, you might want to be in a relationship, but you know that ain't your man. See, that's delusion. That be the delusion. And I can't. I can't fight the delusion for you. That's your battle to fight. Right? We both know we ain't in no relationship. We kick it, we hang out, we do those type of things. But, you know, if you see me on a random Tuesday at lunch with a young lady, you know, you can't come up to the table acting crazy. You know, you can't do that.
Rory
Of course, but because you're straight and she's straight, there is a possibility that that could even exist. Right?
Baby D
Right.
Rory
But if a man has that same delusion, it's still no way we're in a relationship because there's not even a chance we're fucking.
Baby D
Right? Yeah.
Rory
And then this guy said, didn't this guy reach out to both of us to try to come on the show to clear this up?
Baby D
Yeah, he did.
Rory
He went on like a mass DM streak to every podcaster to come on the show. He said, and I quote, in my bitch ass mind, I didn't realize that he was only buying bags for the girls and me. The camera guy they were with didn't get a bag. His brother didn't get a bag. He said I was getting gifts like I was one of the girlies.
Baby D
I got news for you.
Mall
Stop.
Rory
I was waiting for it.
Baby D
Stephan Diggs is buying the girls and you back. I got news for you. I mean, he trying to hit Ma. Just saying.
Mall
Can this be backed up?
Rory
Excuse me?
Mall
I mean, say, can this be backed up? Can we. Like, is this. This proven or is. Is he on a smear campaign?
Rory
No. Well, he's in some litigation with.
Reese Witherspoon
Yeah.
Rory
Because he got. He was assaulted by his.
Mall
Yeah, I remember he was.
Baby D
Yeah, he just submitted like over a thousand, I think emails or text messages to the authorities and like that. So, I mean, he's. Listen, man, he. He. He don't seem like he going away. And I've seen he had a little back and forth with Cardi, too. I think he. Cardi has said.
Rory
I mean, that usually happens with exes and baby mothers, right?
Baby D
Yeah, yeah, that's right on par. So, yeah, I just. To me and we just talking. But to me, in all seriousness, when you was heterosexual, you don't go. Heterosexual men don't go through like this.
Rory
You don't think he had the we bay meme moment where he was like, I was one of the girls.
Baby D
Yeah, like that don't. That's not a real thing. You don't. You don't go through that.
Mall
Calling him a light skinned lizard. Funny as. That's actually mad funny.
Baby D
Who called him that?
Mall
Are they saying Cardi caught him?
Baby D
That, that.
Mall
But I don't. I. I don't know if that's like confirmed, but they said Cardi called him a light skinned lizard. That's actually mad funny.
Baby D
I mean, listen, man, it is love who you love, man. Is what it is. But you can't be beating up because they don't want to give you no butt, though. That's crazy.
Rory
Or send your brother to go do it.
Baby D
Yeah, like, you can't be doing that.
Rory
That's a gay Rico.
Baby D
Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's a. Richard greco.
Rory
Yo, he put him in the richard grico.
Baby D
You is in the greco.
Rory
Put him in the dick greco.
Baby D
Yo, you is living sick lives out here, man.
T-Mobile Ad
Holy.
Baby D
Oh, my gosh. That's some funny right there, man. Them is in a Greek go, baby.
Rory
Unsuspect. They didn't even know.
Baby D
Yo, man, this is craziness. Yo. That is wild as.
Rory
Let's go through this real quick.
Mall
Rory did you see that? Victoria Monet has a new album coming out, the Bears.
Rory
What if we were dating and you found out my past. That a man. A man took me shopping and bought me bags.
Baby D
And I.
Rory
And I still got the bag. I take it on dates with us.
Baby D
Your bang.
Mall
Oh.
Rory
Anyways, Victoria Monet, another lesbian. She's bisexual.
Baby D
Oh, I'm sorry. Sorry.
Rory
Yeah.
Baby D
Bisexual.
Daniel Cormier
Yeah.
Rory
She puts a toe in the pool.
T-Mobile Ad
Yeah.
Baby D
Yeah.
Rory
She put her album cover out. Classic already. No skips Frequency of Love.
Baby D
She on there talking bad.
Rory
Aoy. Look at the COVID
Baby D
I mean, October 2nd.
Mall
Yeah.
Baby D
Damn.
Mall
But she did drop us. She dropped a single, which is great. Yeah.
Rory
But I mean, I'm glad she gave us this image.
Mall
Reach Out. You know, K Trinidada produced. And D Mile, if I'm not mistaken. Reach out single Reach Out. Yeah, it sounds really good. I remember the Internet was. Yeah, the Internet was like fake turning on her, saying she didn't have a sound. I think that's such. I think Victoria has a very strong sound. Yeah, she has a very strong sound, which we can contribute a lot to D Mile, but.
Rory
Yeah, and what's wrong with also not having, like, just the signature words sound?
Mall
She has a signature.
Rory
I think she does. But, like, there's also nothing wrong if you don't have one.
Mall
Well, they were saying, like, we don't know what to do with her. We don't know what to put. Where to put her. They don't know how to market her. You know, the Internet is stupid, but
Rory
Jaguar 2 was incredible. Whatever.
Baby D
They did do the same market on the Internet, saying, we don't know how to market. Y' all are not marketers. Like, like. What you mean on the Internet? Like, we don't know how to market it. Y' all not marketers, so you shouldn't know how to market Victoria Mon name.
Mall
Exactly. But I'm excited.
Rory
Shout out. Shout out to Punch. I'm not being a dickhead, I promise. I saw somebody tweet, yo, I love Absol, but we should, like, put him in the studio with Pharrell and lock in. And Punch replied, damn, you should be in the business. I'm sure Absol wants to work with Pharrell.
Baby D
That's funny.
Mall
And lock in. That's one hell of a like who even. What even made your brain?
Baby D
Yeah. N. No. No rapper has ever thought about locking in with Pharrell. Like, even. Don't even think about that.
Rory
But yes, today, New Music Friday, Shout out to last week, but we do have Tyler full project. She just put out, like, a ep, Right. A pretty quick turnaround. Definitely a few months. But I. With Tyler. But the way y' all speak about Tyler is how I feel about Tims. When we had that argument of, like, the next Rihanna, her EP was.
Mall
Sorry, just to go ahead. Her EP was last year. This. This time last year.
Rory
Oh, okay.
Mall
Yes.
Rory
I don't know why I thought. I thought it was at the top of, like, this year. That's why I'm all right.
Baby D
Stroke, bro, that threw everything off of you. It's co all over again for you. Don't worry about that.
Rory
That's true.
Baby D
All track of time is a construct.
Mall
He might be able to clap on the 2 and 4 now.
Baby D
Maybe we'll have to test that.
Rory
That was kind of the trash part of, like, I thought I was going to come out with. With powers.
Baby D
But, yeah, work.
Rory
No, Just brain fog. Yeah.
Baby D
Sorry. Come on, buddy.
Rory
That's it. But, yeah, How y' all speak about Tyler is all the things I attribute to Thames. But I'm still here for it. I like Tyler a lot. We're gonna. Is that Willow Smith? I'm here for that.
Baby D
I.
Rory
With Willow. I did not know Cypress Hill had a project coming out. Baby Drill. All right, all right. Last week was more for me, but there's some here.
Baby D
It's a lot. I mean, it's a lot of music dropping, for sure.
Rory
I know Damaris is really excited for that Boston Rich.
Daniel Cormier
She.
Rory
What? You said it off mic.
Mall
Why would I be excited for that?
Rory
Out of the entire list. Off mic, you said?
Mall
I said. Oh. I didn't know he was putting a project out.
Baby D
That's b. Oh, Lale's putting out a single.
Rory
It's out already.
Baby D
Chad Hugo. It's out.
Rory
Out. And the video, it's great.
Baby D
Fire.
Rory
It's going to work, too. Like, it's a really, really good record.
Baby D
Yeah, she texted me and told me she was putting out some new, so I got to check that out.
Gronk
Yeah.
Rory
Video's dope, too. Yo, the. The Pharrell Chad Hugo beef. It's about to start, man.
Baby D
Why you say that?
Rory
We've saw the stuff behind the scenes with certain lawsuits and little things here and there, but Chad's always quiet. Chad's talking his now.
Mall
Yeah.
Baby D
Okay.
Rory
I don't think Chad wants to be quiet anymore. I'm not saying a real beef, but I think this is the start of Chad coming outside.
Baby D
All right.
Rory
And I think that's going to start the conversation, which I don't deem to be true. I think they're both incredible producers.
Baby D
The.
Rory
That helped each other out in every way. But that's going to start the online like, yo, I told y' all for real, didn't do anything. And it was always Chad. I think that's going to start happening.
Baby D
Oh, we know that for sure.
Rory
But it's. It's a really good record. But, yeah, that's. That's New Music Fridays. There's a whole list. Ryan will put it in the description, I guess.
Baby D
All right. Do we have voicemails?
Mall
Damn.
Rory
None of y' all were even reading anything, so.
Baby D
I'm not reading all that. I'm not even listening to all that. Who are we kidding?
Mall
You know what? I appreciate a real.
Baby D
I'm not listening at all. I don't. It's a lot of those artists. I don't care if they dropping something I was saying.
Rory
That's why I read the ones I cared about.
Reese Witherspoon
Yeah.
Baby D
I'm not gonna read all that just to read it like, good. They putting out music. Dope. A lot of that I'm not listening to, though.
Rory
Why is it bold that Boston Richie's putting something up?
Baby D
What do you mean it's bold?
Rory
That's what Demer said. I'm asking.
Baby D
Oh, I don't know. Why did she say that?
Mall
No reason. Huh? No reason.
Baby D
So why'd you say that?
Mall
I just felt like saying it.
Baby D
All right, well.
Rory
And she's lying. I'm gonna. I'm gonna get down to the bottom.
Baby D
Let's talk about it on Patreon. We talk about on Patreon why you said that.
Mall
Can we? Sure.
Baby D
Get into it a little bit? All right, fuck it. We going to Patreon. We'll talk to you in a minute. Be safe. Be blessed. I'm that nigga. He's a ginger.
Daniel Cormier
Peace.
Mall
No worrying now.
Gronk
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Mall
This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.
Date: July 24, 2026
Podcast Hosts: Rory, Mal (Mall), Baby D
Theme: Hip-hop hot takes, evolving rap culture, new music, and comedic pop culture commentary
Episode 523 of New Rory & MAL delivers the crew’s trademark blend of hip-hop analysis, irreverent humor, and group debate. The primary focus is on the shifting rules in rap authenticity, originality, and the current state of hip-hop/R&B. The crew also delivers their reviews of recent releases, discusses the mechanics of “cool” in rap, anxieties about performing at concerts, the DJ Khaled album delay saga, and Billboard’s hottest R&B artists list. As always, their tangents touch everything from midlife crises to pop culture memes.
This episode is a prime example of New Rory & MAL’s ability to fuse serious critique and laughter. The crew examines the erosion of hip-hop originality in the viral era, the difficulty of defining “cool” today, and the shifting roles of gender, sexuality, and marketing in contemporary music. Their deep dives into DJ Khaled, the Versus scene, and Billboard’s rankings are broken up by jokes and real insights on fandom, performance, and culture.
For listeners who miss the 2020s “golden era” or want irreverent but thoughtful insight on hip-hop’s new rules, this episode is essential.
Note: Ads, intros, and outros have been omitted from this summary per instructions.