New Rory & MAL - Best of Rory & Mal: Week of 12/15

Episode Date: December 21, 2025

This week on New Rory & Mal, Ebro In The Morning gets cut from Hot 97, Rory and Mal speculate who will take over the morning drive for New York's most storied hip-hop radio station, Nas and DJ Premiere drop a project that was worth the wait, and the guys kick it with Ghostface Killah at Mass Appeal #volume All lines provided by hardrock.betSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed human. The volume. If Drake DME die slowly, I mean, I wouldn't get depressed, but I'd, you know, I'd lock my doors. You would lock your doors. You would go down and see if the door was locked. Why he wasn't locked already? See if Iceman was outside.

What's up with your man? I like it. I like it. Die slower, pussy. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Oh, you niggas that was talking. shit all year, clapping for that

bullshit rhetoric that they was pushing about me. Yeah, die slow. I want to see all you niggas failed. What does that mean? It means die slow. I hope your next show don't work out either. Drake is not hoping that Ebro is putting to the ground

next to me. How you know that? He's not. He's not that type of person. But he's saying die slow like, yo, yeah, fuck your career. Career-wise, but we got some shit for you. One could take

as a threat and maybe pursue a lawsuit. Hey, Rosenberg. I didn't like that. I didn't like Rosenberg pumping that. I would take that as a threat. You should sue. Like, come on, man, with the bullshit.

No, he was. I didn't like that. I didn't like that. And I fuck with Pete, but I didn't like that. He was making a joke based off the lawsuit that Drake. No, I get it. Like he's saying,

he breaches. I mean, suing's okay. Yeah, but this, it was, it was that coming out of that face. Can you sue someone for saying we got some shit for you? Well,

the way. You could probably get like a restraining order. Like, yo, it's a threat. Oh, someone good if you wanted. Yeah. If you wanted to take it as. I was like, come on, man. You know, that's not.

Drake is not going to do anything to eat, bro. No, of course not. But that's why you shouldn't say we got some shit for you unless you even do it. Yeah, but we got some shit for you. You can be a bunch of things. It could be, I got you on a song. Got some bars about you on the song.

I got some info that I heard about you from some women that you may have dated before. It could be a lot of things. It don't mean that I'm going to show up to your house with the owls and fucking and bring bodily harm to you. Like, it don't mean that. Bring the potters.

Yeah, it don't mean that. It just means, we got some shit for you. Do you think this is a bit hypocritical of what you just said about Waleigh? Why should Drake give so much power to these people on the internet discussing him? No, no, he's just, he's not.

To the point that you say, die slower, pussy, we got something for you in the DMs and you're worth a billion dollars in the biggest artist, second biggest artist in the world. To me, that's, he's letting people on the internet get to him.

If he didn't care, he wouldn't, he wouldn't DM so he dies slow. This is somebody that was the program director of a radio station in New York City that was pushing a message for over a decade. But they've been pushing a rhetoric about him

based on a song that came out last year. Ebro has been very vocal about that. He's been said a lot of things about Drake over the past year. I mean, we can go down a clip of things that Ebro said about Drake as well. Listen, I don't watch every single Ebro show to know every bad thing he said about Drake,

but I also think the level that Drake is at. that can go to your point of what you made with Waleigh. It's people on the internet, there's no power. Even when Flex was trying to beef with Drake and Drake was on stage at the garden saying, fuck Hot 97, they were playing Drake 50 times a day. It didn't affect his, it's not like he got blackballed

from Hot 97. It's not like they stopped playing his music, which affects your livelihood. You know what you do. They were beefing with Drake. Flex was beefing with Drake and had to play 10 Drake songs in his set. Yeah, but here's the thing, Roy,

because you're asking for, Drake to, you know, be the bigger person. You're asking him to... I'm just making a point off the while. No, he, he wanted... I don't care. I actually laughed at this. Yeah, sometimes he wants to play petty.

Sometimes he's going to be petty. Sometimes. Yeah. Career. Yeah, exactly. So sometimes I'm going to say, die slower, pussy. Sometimes I'm going to say that. I'm going to be in the studio.

I'm going to hear that you just lost your show, got canceled. And I'm going to be like, oh, shit. He was talking so much shit about me this year. Let me send him a nice little message. I just, and I'm not saying this. about Drake. I think it's the overall internet now. When drill music and streamers all like connected and they started using drill slang and metaphors in real life is when things got weird. Like smoking on packs and like all this like you know it's actually like really about like murder right?

Yeah, they're saying that on sort of those guys are actually doing it. That's when things when anyone felt like they could say anything on the internet. Like, die slower pussy. I just, I think that's a wild thing to DM somebody. It is. I just do. And I think everyone is speaking like they're all drill rappers,

no matter who you are. People feel like, that's just acceptable vernacular now to say certain threats that have a meaning of actual violence. We smoke around that pack tonight. Like, wait, you know that derives for someone that was murdered, right?

I just think it's people talk crazy in DMs on streams, on Twitter. It's nuts the things that people are saying to each other with ease. And they're not even, I'm not saying this about Drake. And they're not even like that. Like, listen, do we joke around this and that? I don't use certain words because I'm not prepared to, I'm 35 years old. I don't want any violence.

Right. Even when I was cut homey off in traffic, I just, I was staring straight. I don't want to fight. I'm past that point in my life. So I don't speak that way. Yeah. I'm not going to threaten someone that way unless we're going that way. So I don't know.

I just think everyone on the end and out easily just says shit that has. has power behind it if you think about what you're saying. But do you understand why Drake said that? I don't know. I mean, did Ebro call him a pedophile? I don't know. If someone called me a pedophile, yeah, in my head, I probably, I'd probably hope that their career failed. He called him what? He called him a sickness. Oh, yeah, I did see the sickness bar and I did see Ebro try to clean that up saying that his fans were the sickness or whatever. No, Drake has every right to feel that way.

I just think everyone is just talking too crazy in the last two or three years. Me too. I agree. I agree with talking way too. I get a crazy. I agree. Me too. I get a lot of crazy things. I feel like I'm not mad at a jerk for being petty because whenever some shit happened to somebody that did me wrong, I'm always the first to say, oh, God, don't play about me.

So I know how it is to feel that way, but words do mean things. So you can say he didn't mean it like that. He just meant his career should die. But die slower, pussy is like words have meaning and words have power. They do. They do. He sat back and listened to a lot of words about him over the last two years. That's fine.

It is. That's what I'm saying. Die slow is fine. I've never been in that situation. So I'm really honestly not here to judge how he reacted to it. Because I've never been in a position, Drake has been in and been called a pedophile. Maybe I would react worse. I don't know.

But it's just a wild thing to say to somebody. Yeah, it is. You're right. I'm not saying it's not. I like it, though. That's what I'm saying. I like it. God, so all you niggas.

My fo'o makes sure all your kids don't grow. You didn't tell your lady Uber driver, you'll throw on that funk flet. This morning, no, I did not. But for all of those who have not heard, Ebro in the morning show has come to an end? Yes, Ebro show consists of him, Peter Rosenberg and Laura Stiles, all friends of the show. I mean, congrats on a crazy run. Ebro was, what, program director for 20 years, then on air for 10. I always loved their show.

I think Rosenberg is one of the few people that actually gave a fuck about hip-hop at a radio station. And Laura, always an amazing personality. And was the best villain, and this is going to sound misogynistic, but I'm just being truthful. Sometimes they just throw a woman into a radio show because they need a woman. Laura Stiles has been a part of this culture and loves hip-hop and is knowledgeable about hip-hop. That's what made her role so much better that they weren't like, yeah, let's just get a chick that's attractive and, you know, she can be like, ha-ha-ha. Like, Laura was like really, really contributed all the time and it was amazing. I always loved their show.

I know they got a lot of shit because they made a lot of enemies, but their numbers were always. really good. What enemies did they make? Um, I mean, they're back and forth with, which has always been in radio, but they're back and forth with power when power was capitalizing. Oh, radio beef. Yeah, yeah. Oh, okay. Yeah. Um, and you know, Ebro sometimes, uh, rubbed certain, like, when you had, I think it was, was Kodak Black when you tried to get in the rap. Like, there's, there's been moments where they've rubbed people the wrong way, but I think that's what radio is supposed to do to some degree, as long as you're being somewhat respectful. Um, but congrats on, a crazy run.

Like, I think that's amazing, but I also feel like it was good for them. Like, I even hit Pete, you know, just sent them a text. Thank God this is over.

Like, radio needs to, to adjust and pivot to the times. And of course, they were trying to do it with, you know, YouTube and Breakfast Club is a perfect example of how you do pivot,

and that's why they're in the Radio Hall of Fame. But it was, come on, man. You have to revamp. Like as much as I thought Charlamagne and envy should have stayed because of what they built there. I also think new blood is important and pivoting is important because radio, for the most part, if you think about it when we were growing up, they treated radio like clubs. Like we're changing the name every year. Yeah.

Like people talk about Stars generational run, which it was. I was one year at Hot 97. Yeah. Like usually unless it's an Angie Flex, big boy, radio people leave. This changes. DJs change. Everything changes. And New York radio has been not stagnant by any means, but it's been the same fucking

people forever. So I think it's beautiful that Flex took over the split. New blood. Yo, Flex is just clean in house so he could take every fucking slot. No, no, no. To be fair, Flex said he's only taking over today. Just filling in. Just filling in today.

We don't know what tomorrow looks like for the radio station. But, I mean, Flex did take over today, another familiar voice and familiar, you know, personality. I did not listen, but I just don't know what Flex's morning swag would be. Flex is amazing for evenings. I love a bomb on my way over the GW. Yeah. Like, I think that's great. Screaming is great at that time.

What is Flex morning swag like? I don't know, man. Maybe he got into his, you know, R&B bag. I didn't listen to it. But maybe he got into a little more R&B heavy for the morning commute. But either way, I do. think that, you know, we spoke to Pete a few months ago. He came by. He gave us a little insight on things shifting and changing. I don't think this was a shock to them the way it was a shock to all

of us. Yeah. And I also don't think it really has anything to do with numbers. Because at the end of the day, yeah, you two numbers are super important. But the real radio charts are what radio advertisers are looking for, what program directors are looking at. And hot and breakfast club, like, Month to month, it's switching. It's not like the way we see Breakfast Club dominating in the digital space. It's not that way on the radio. So it's not like they were failures by any mean. I just think this new company that bought it from Emmis doesn't give a fuck about hip-hop.

I think they're just trying to shit. Like the way Elon, when he bought Twitter turns to X, fired everyone on fucking staff. And it's like, you know what AI is going to run this here? I see what our overhead is. I see what we're making. Sorry, guys. Ebro, you've been here for 20 years, so your salary is a certain thing. We're not paying that anymore.

Like, that's what I think. And Emis, I think, was more of a, still a corporation, but more of a niche corporation than I forgot this one that bought it. Man, they don't give a fuck about hip-hop. So you don't think this has anything to do with the radio RICO? I don't know. I don't think Ebro, Rosenberg, and Laura specifically. No, I don't think any of them are involved in any RICO activity whatsoever.

do I think even though people have been giving me shit of like, I'm on my Candace Owen shit, like where's the evidence? That shit is still coming, pause. And I think a lot of the shifts we've been seeing across the board, not just with Hot 97, but other radio stations. I think there's a trickle-down connection to some of it where budgeting may land when things start to go to shit. So I don't think directly,

but I think their overall bottom line no longer is caring about growing the Hot 97 brand. What is going on in at Hot 97? Because we've seen Summer Jam significantly downsize, and it hasn't been as, you know, let's say, star-studded, as it's usually been throughout the years. Well, I mean, that has, that's... Is it music?

No, no. That's a festival culture where, you know, Summer Jam is a staple. And I think, didn't we talk about this with Pete when he was here? They're competing with people that have fuck you money, Whereas, you know, Summer Jam isn't backed by Verizon, where Verizon can just start a fucking festival tomorrow and get Bad Bunny as a headliner. Like, they're a small fish in a big pond

now that festival culture is a thing. And fans only have so much money per month. And what? What do you think I'm going to go to? Rolling loud or Summer Jam? If I have $55 this month, where do you think I'm going to go? Yeah. I think I'm going to go to fucking city field

and see all the rolling loud acts, or I'm going to drive to Long Island to see the summer jail. They can't compete. Well, I do think that things do need to change. Change is good. Obviously, you know, even with radio, you come to a time where you have to shift things and change with the times and the culture.

I don't know what this looks like for high 97 moving forward. But it is a real thing now. I mean, not as many people listen to radio as before. We all are our own DJs to it. a certain extent now, music comes out, create our own playlist. So, I mean, maybe you listen to radio for, you know, some of the commentary and some of the, you know,

the personalities that are there. But as far as the music, and this is what, you know, radio is all about, the programming. I think, I just think people just are tired of hearing the same old shit over and over when it comes to radio. I think people want to hear more of the things that they like. They don't want things to be programmed. they fed to them.

I think people want real good music. They don't want the radio to tell us or to cater or curate a playlist and say, hey, this is what we want you to listen to all day on loop. I just think people moved away from radio and started listening to their own music and their phones. I mean, radio is still super, super important. Of course, there's been a decline and, you know,

talk radio, yeah. Our age have, you know, typically go more to Bluetooth and their iPhone and want to play the stuff that they want to play without commercials, this and that. But radio is still very much a thing of middle America. Again, when I say middle America, I don't actually mean middle America. Middle America can be in North Jersey.

It can be in Long Island. Middle America still does get in their car and just, they're not as invested as we are where it's like, I want to hear this song, then I want to hear this song, then I want to hear this song. Some people just get in their car and want to hit a button and fucking drive.

That's still a huge part of the consumer. I just don't know what's going to happen in the next 40 years when all the kids younger than me are now the adults driving their kids to school. I don't know if they're going to be the people that just want to hit one button in drive. Oh, no. So they need to make shifts for what's going to happen to the next 40, 50 years now with radio in my opinion. And again, I'm not even going to speak as an expert because I don't

know what that shift is. I really don't. I don't know enough about the radio business to know how they should pivot. But it is clear that change is coming, as important as they still are. And will remain to be important. They got to change something. And I guess I view this more as a media personality than I do a fan. If I'm Ero, Laura, and Pete, what else is there for me to do here? What's left here? If this company has no interest in growing this brand or letting us do anything, why am I here? Yeah. So I'm sure, yeah, it's probably sad that, you know, they've been there for so long and that's been such a big part of their identity. How long were they on the radio? He got there when I was a senior high school. He was in 0-7, right?

07, 08, Ebro's been there since I was born. Laura got there after K. Fox left. I'm not sure which year that was. Maybe like 2012, 13, 14, somewhere in there. But Laura's been there for a minute. But what more is there to do here? Yeah. Like, of course, we all have bills.

So yeah, I'll keep a job. What am I doing? Nothing's going to change here if the people that bought it are not interested in that. So if I'm then, yo, good running. It's been a good run. Let's keep our brand going.

Like, they still have their own show. Like, Ebro in the morning, they can take and do, they could still stay as a, a crew. Like, their numbers, even on the audio podcast side are good. Like, I would just move on and keep the show. I mean, if that's what the three of them want to do.

Laura may want to do her own thing. Ebro may want to just focus on Apple. Pete may just want to go wrestling. I don't know. But I'm saying the three of them still have a show that they can continue on. Like they don't have to stop just because hot doesn't want to. Well, thank you to Ebro, Lauren, and Pete for, you know, the years of radio and entertainment.

Great interviews. And we just have to wait and see where they end up. But I'm sure we'll see Laura, Ebro, and Pete again. Yeah. I mean, they all alluded to that in their, like, IG tweets and everything. Just a change. Change is good. Change is inevitable.

So what do we think? and this isn't even local because I still feel like Hot 97 is still a nationwide brand even though it's not like a breakfast club that's syndicated in Iowa. But Hot 97 is still a national brand

because it's hip-hop. What is the next move? Because none of the streamers, the streamers are the streamers. That's where radio and they're always like, let's get new blood in there. I'm like, all the new blood

that would be good may not want to go at radio. Like they have their own thing whether it would be podcast and streaming. like Twitch, I don't know if those people that would revamp it would have any interest in going to do that. But they need somebody. Yeah. It can't be flex.

No, it won't be flex. I mean, this is out of flexes. He's saying that, you know, he's not going to be the permanent replacement. He was just taking over today. But yeah, I don't know, man. I don't know. I do think that this is a sign of things to come. I think there's more changes that will happen.

I think that, you know, there's changes that have already happened before. This is just another one on the list. And I just think that's the time we in, man. Things are changing. Things are shifting. I heard a rumor because of their privacy. I will not say what it is, and I hate being this person. But I heard a rumor of who they chose for that morning slot.

And it's the best move they could have ever made. When I was told who they picked, I was like, oh, yeah, this is going to keep hot 90s. It's the perfect person to keep that shift. moving. Morning? Speedy. No, not speedy. But I know a lot of people have complained over the years that there's not a lot of New Yorkers left at hot or at power.

And when you have a New Yorker that's relevant, that's funny, that can revamp something and is a creative fucking mind and has a cult following, yeah, that's going to keep the Hot 97 ship moving if he takes that offer. It was when I heard that, because I wasn't thinking too much of it. Like, I didn't spend my weekend wondering who Hot 97 was going to replaced with. But when I heard it on Sunday, I said, oh, genius. Can you cover your mouth? Fucking genius. I thought it was perfect. I thought it was a home run, local, innovative. Yeah. Grew up on radio, but has clearly isn't a completely different worlds. Like, I thought

that was, oh, yeah, you guys may have a fighting chance now. Yeah. I'm interested. You just had that reaction, though. That's, that's not, it wasn't a bad. I said interesting, I, I'm, which is more me processing it and thinking about it. You've had time to think about it. I haven't. Yeah. Those Speedy would be great, but I think... That was just a joke.

I think Speedy enjoys his life of one interview on his time. Because that's what I think people don't understand. Yes, everyone has full-time jobs. I'm not saying a cushy radio gig when you're on the air for just four hours is not the life. But you take a morning gig on a radio station. That's your life, though. Like you can't travel. You can't.

Even like when when Dame was, you know, jokingly giving Charlamagne and all them shit, I felt attacked too when Dame was saying it. Dane was like, y'all live in this fucking box. Y'all even have a window. Like when Dane was attacking them, I was like, God damn it, this is hurting me too. He's like, y'all don't even get to go out and live. Like, you've been in the same place. So like that's when, in my nature for the first time I want to defend Charlottoming.

Like, fuck you, Dane. We have a life. You don't have a light. I have dreams. I go outside. I have perspective. You know, saying y'all ever got a window like, damn. But I feel them.

And like, granted, it's still a dream to have this kid because you could say that about shit, sound engineers. Like, I'm sure there's been times, like, I've watched Guru Pivot to do stuff that he wants to do. But there was a time when I've heard him and Just Blaze talk about, like, duh, we were working on Beans, Freeway, Jay, Cam. We literally lived. in baseline.

I used to go street to change clothes. They used to get a hotel across the street just to shower. Because we had no life. Yeah. Like we literally lived

in a dark room. People don't talk about that part of it. Like when you're so baked into the culture in a position like radio or something like that or podcasting,

you know, it becomes a thing where it has to weekly, daily. You know what I'm saying? You have to do this thing and you have to be on air.

It's a blessing and it's a privilege to have, you know, that position and to, you know, kind of be in a spot where people look to you on their morning commutes and things like that. But there's a thing of, you know, it can box you in and keep you from growing and other opportunities that may come your way. You have to turn down because it just, you know, it doesn't coincide with your schedule for radio and things like that.

So it's not an easy thing, man. We take for granted, you know, like you said, how people have to put their lives kind of on the backburner a little bit, their personal lives on the back burner. when they have these, you know, these positions in our culture. So to have something like, you know, Ebro in the morning for so many years and that team to be dedicated to doing that for so many years, it's not a small thing, man. That's like a really big deal. And, you know, they should be proud of what they did, what they're accomplished, what they've given us. And I'm sure, again, they'll be a part of whatever change is coming, whatever change is happening. I'm sure that all three of those individuals will land on their feet.

Yeah, no, absolutely. though I am jealous of radio people. They get commercial breaks, music breaks. Yeah. We got to fucking talk. Yeah, but they're talking. Yeah, but it's four hours. No, I know.

And they've all moved to long-form interviews as well. So they are podcasters. Yeah, yeah. Breakfast Club has won podcasts of the year for the last 30 years, I believe. So, like, you know, they're a podcast. The last how many years? 30? Yeah, Charlemagne's contract is ending.

Yeah, which is a good segue. Well, not Charlemains per se. if it's the Black Effect Network signed with IHeart for five years. I think that's separate of Charlemagne's contract with Breakfast Club, but I could be wrong. Or they run coincide. Either way. But he was up there with Dolly.

I forgot what platform they were on. Shout to Dolly. And they asked December 2025 the contract's up, which I'm about to do. And Charlemagne did a great job of just dance around the question. Same shit I would do, not judging them for it. But I think with the news on Friday of the IHeart and Netflix deal, I don't think Black Effect is going anywhere. I think Black Effect will be staying with IHeart.

I think that's Charlemagne's home base. That's Black Effect's home base. New partnership with Netflix. Why would you leave? Where would you go with all those shows when you have something like a Netflix partnership coming up with IHeart? Yeah.

And yeah, I mean, I know last time I said, Darling, I got killed because I didn't know Darling was like an insult. But Charlemagne is also IHeart's darling. I mean that as a compliment. Like, I think Charlemagne can go up to Iheart and get whatever the fuck he wants. Like, they love him because he's always delivered for the last, however many years. So I think whatever Charlemagne wants with this new Netflix deal he'll get. So I don't think he'll leave it all.

More over the weekend? You're thinking about upgrading your phone. Rory, because I saw your phone and I was going to ask, I know you feel like you want the new iPhone 17. I never told a soul about that. Yeah, but listen, did you know that it's designed to be the most powerful iPhone? ever? I didn't. And did you know that if it's traffic, they'll come to you? No. See, well, you know, so I got good news. When you order a new phone online with Boost Mobile, they'll send an expert to your home or right here to the studio, Rory. Okay, I knew Boost was like that.

Yeah, they'll give you your new iPhone 17 Pro and they'll get you set up on the Boost Mobile plan within minutes, no hassle. No hassle. Visit boostmobile.com to get started. Delivery available for select devices purchased at boostmobile.com. Terms apply. A win is a win. A win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me. Cliver Taylor the fourth. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment. And the next, we'll talk about life. mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast. It's a space for honest conversations,

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or wherever you get your podcast I'm John Green. You may know me as the author of The Fault and Our Stars, and now I guess also as the co-host of The Away End, a brand new world soccer podcast. I'm Daniel Alarcon, a writer and journalist, and John and I have known each other since we were kids. My first World Cup was Mexico 86. I was nine years old. I watched every game and I fell in love. On our new podcast, The Away End, we'll share with you the magic of international football, all leading up to the 2026 World Cup. For us, soccer. Football. Is a story we've shared for over 30 years since Daniel was the star player on our high school soccer team. Very debatable. And I was their most loyal and sometimes only fan. I love this game.

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That sounds delicious. Oh, you're lucky. I'm not a drug addict. You are. I'm not an alcoholic. You are. You are. I'm lucky I'm not a killer.

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All right, well, we got some new music over the weekend, Rory. Yes, it was a good, good music Friday. Good, good music Friday. Remember good music Fridays? I was at Def Jam. Yeah, great Fridays. We got a Nas and DJ premiere album. Yes.

How's that? After years of, you know, the culture kind of talking about it and wanting it, we obviously knew that it was happening this year and we finally got it over this weekend. Rory called me, well, you text me. I text you yesterday. You text me Sunday, Sunday night. I asked for a specific person's opinion on it. Because that person is who I look to.

I'm not going to say, because some people are going to ask, like, what was his opinion? And we're not doing that. Yeah. Yeah, I was curious what someone we revere in the hip hop world, what they thought of it. And their review was very similar to what I saw on the timeline. And what I was texted a bit, that some people were underwhelmed by, some of the production. And this is why I'm glad I don't really look at the timeline

before listening to a project. Did I feel like every beat was Nas' like or second childhood or devil's pie? No. But clearly Nas had a lot of shit to get off his chest because I need one of those like Twitter pages that has the stats of rapping and how many words. That's like the most rapping I think I've ever heard,

like the most words I've ever heard on a Nas album. a good way. Nause had a lot of shit to say and get off his chest. I don't know if the premier beats that you guys were looking for are set up for an artist that has a vision like that at that current moment. I just don't know if you're going to get New York state of mind when Nas is in a different mind. Like if Nause was on there kind of given regular Nause flow 16 hook whatever, I could be like, yeah, I would like a Nause's like in this mix. But he just had so much to say that was so important that Premier could have played him 15 Naz's likes type beats. And he could have went? Nah. I want this one with a wider landscape where I can talk more. And that's

what I took from it as I can totally understand somebody that just wants to bang some Premier and Nas in their car. I'm with you. I get it. I don't think there's anything wrong with judging this album on the production side. Music is to be judged. It's your opinion. I just don't think that was Nas's vision. I don't know if Prim should get that flack. Because you don't know what was happening in that studio. Prim could have played a hundred bangers for him. He was like, nah, I think I want these more simplistic pullback beats so I could talk the shit I'm talking. That's what I thought of the criticism. I personally really like every time I listen to it, I catch more. It's a very, very intricate Nas album. The shit was like a book. The shit that they give Naz, like Kufi Naz,

that, this is that to me. Like he was, it was a dissertation, it was a fucking TED talk. And I mean that in a good way. Like, even when people gave 444 some shit, even though I think those no IDBs are fucking crazy. When they gave 444 shit on the production side, it was like, well,

Jay had a lot to say, so clearly no ID is pulling back on some of these. Yeah, he's mixed on top of the shit for a reason because what he's saying is more important than what you're listening to production wise. But again, I'm also one of those people that picks production over lyrics any day. I've heard shitty rap songs with good production. I'm sorry, rap songs with shitty lyrics and good production that I've liked. I don't know if I've heard production I hate in good lyrics

and I'm like, I'm going to listen to that again. Yeah. Production is always number one for me, even though words are so important. But yeah, if Nas had all this to say, then you're going to get like a clean canvas, not a Naz's like type of canvas. You're not going to get a new. York state of mine campus? I'm on the other side. I was a little underwhelmed by the album, only because I think after getting six Nas hit boy albums

and the music finally get into a space where because for years people have given Nas slack, like, you know, his production is lackless. Which I've always disagreed with it. Why they put that on Nas, I don't know, but whatever. So this album, I was expecting the music to kind of come, again, coming off all of the hit boy stuff

I was expecting the music to be a little different than what they gave us. I wasn't expecting it to be exactly what hit boy and Nas did because this is obviously Preem and Nas. But it wasn't, to me, the music wasn't, you know, lyrically, Nas is going to be Nas on every track. He's going to do what Nas does. So I'm not, never worried about that. But I think the music on a lot of the tracks didn't carry Nas's lyrics as much as they could have. Were you expecting more of the ransom premiere album that came out in October at the reinvention?

Were you expecting more of that type of pram? I'm not saying I'm not saying I expected that type of pram. Again, because the artist is different. So, you know, the producer has to kind of cater to whatever artists they're working with. But, you know, this album, the music, to me, is not as strong as I would have hoped it to be. again, Nas lyrically is always in shape. He's always talking. You know, now he got real slick shit to talk about, you know, opening casinos and things like that.

This whole language is different now. Just the music didn't really keep me and grab me the way I thought it would have been. You know what I mean? Like this is something that people have been asking for for years between Nas and Premier. So when we heard that they were finally doing it, we was all excited. I just think that it didn't live up to now. If we got this album before we got all of the hit boy albums, maybe I feel a little different.

But coming off of all of those hit boy records and that music being what it was and as strong as it was to this was kind of underwhelming because again, I'm only judging you off of your last, your last effort. Obviously with the hit boy one, you get records like The Cure where Nas is just saying crap, I think that was on King Disease 3. He was rapping, rapping on the hit boy shit for sure. but I think it was more of a balance of production

and pulling back a bit on the rapping because of the production. I think he enters this one with the opposite thought of just getting everything he had to say, which I'm fine with because we have those six hit boy albums that are kind of in the other vein. But I feel like on pause tapes you get the Nausepreme feeling I think people wanted. Madman, I think you get it.

Like, it's a balance. I just don't know if, I don't know if people should judge this album this quickly based off who these two people are. This is a slow burn for you? I think people should give it another chance because I don't think it was designed to be the blow your ears

into another stratosphere on the first listen while we all waited at Thursday at midnight to just get in the car and play it. I don't think that was what they were going for. I think this is something you need to listen to more and like appreciate more.

I appreciate it. I just can't. The music to me is just not what I would have hoped it to be. Don't think I don't have my critiques. Like, you know, shit. I started at my life is real, obviously at midnight.

But I wanted to skip to number three, New York State of Mind part three. Do I think that holds up against New York State of Mind part one and two? Absolutely not. I don't, I don't, I don't think you should have. I don't know. I don't dislike the song.

I just like the title. Okay. I can understand that. I don't dislike the song at all. It's not a skit for me. I just disliked the title. I think scratching in all that stuff, you could have just scratched something else,

and it still would have been an amazing song. Like... We need more drums on here. We need more drums. Again, that's why I think Nha's one, like a clean slate. But you got to have drums, though. Listen, I'm always avid. As much as I love Griselda and a lot of that sound,

and they still have drums, but I was still one of those, like, yo, I love that hip-hop is still happening, but can we get drums back? I like drums. Yeah. I hate that drums have become extinct. in the quote-unquote underground hip-hop shit. Like everybody just wants to rap over a fucking sample

and some keys. Somebody at a fucking snare. Right. So I feel you. Especially preem drums because preem drums are I, shit, probably the most iconic drums in hip-hop history. Like, of course you want premed drums. So I hear you. I'm not mad at that critique at all. Yeah. I just don't, I just don't know if that's what not.

No, I get it. We wasn't in the studio when they created it, but, you know, this is what they gave us so we can only go for what the final product sounds like. But for me, it was a little, little underwhelming. But again, you know, this is like childhood shit for me to finally get a nods and DJ premier album. So I'm happy that we got it.

But it just didn't live up to my expectations of what I thought it would sound like. But I'm not saying it's a bad album. It just didn't live up to the expectations that I had for it. No, and again, I want to make clear, when I saw everyone critiquing it, it wasn't a bunch of people hating. Like, it was music people really telling their opinion on it. It wasn't one of those, like, just hate train things. So I can appreciate people disliking the project and give their reasons.

I saw a lot of like song breakdowns per rating each one. I was like, well, how could you be mad at that person? That's not hate. Yeah. That's just the opinion. Yeah. So that I was at least happy to see that any critiques and negative comments about it came from a place of somebody that was actually trying to listen.

Yeah. Not somebody was just like, oh, turn that old shit on. No, you can't talk to those people. Those people are going to, they're going to trash anything that didn't come out when they were born. Yeah, they trashed at 1159. Yeah, it's not even out yet. But also on Friday, congrats again to our brother Conway.

You can't kill God with bullets out now. 18 records, right, an hour exactly. I mean, like, I don't know. At this point, Conway's the same shit we say about Gibbs. Like, just the discography of this point is kind of untouchable. For me, this is one of Conway's best hours. Top to bottom. On the same side.

still rapping at a very high level. Not many people can rap better than Conway. But what I told him last week listening to it, the music on this album, he stepped it up, you know, on the production side, the music side, getting more into like, you know, he's not too many features.

A lot of the songs is just him by itself, doing the hooks, everything. So to see Conway evolve in that aspect of his craft is dope. But yeah, I love this album. This is one of my favorite favorite Conway albums for sure. It's up there with my personal fit.

It's up there with me, The Alchemist One. God Don't Make Mistakes. It's up there as well. I think him and West have a really good quality of topping their previous work. Constantly. Every time I think this is my favorite West Side Gun album,

he puts out Pray for Paris. Like it's just every time they find new ways to make straight rapping interesting again. And again, I think production-wise, too, these are some of my favorite beats that compel. Absolutely. So I can't say enough of that. It helps to have a few Justice League records on there, too.

Yeah. You know, that can't be mad. That'll help any artist, any project. I love that you put Yale on this shit, though. Yeah, yeah, absolutely. I thought that was great. Was the slick Rick, we actually, we just talking about this week,

the fade-to-black movie when you perform with Beyonce at the Garden Yeah, yeah, yeah. And Slick Rick came with all the jewelry. How long has your relationship been so close that way? Because from the outside, when he pulled up and just was taking all the jewelry out, I didn't know y'all was going to come. I didn't know he was going to come.

With all his jewelry? No cause none of this shit. I didn't say nothing. Listen. I didn't say anything. Yeah. I can feel it. I tried to say that.

I know what he was doing. That's how I'm like, I'm not even feed into that shit. I knew we feel it. Yeah. You don't mean? But I didn't know he was going to slide. I don't know if that's a need. You know what I mean?

You know what I? But because I reached out to him and I was like, yo, because I had a bag for him to be like, yo, listen, I'm going on the stage with Beyonce. Yeah. You know what I'm mean? At the garden. Yo, Rick, let me just hold something,

whatever the case may be. This is that the third. But you know, that's his prize possession. So, yeah. At first, I don't know. I don't know if we, I didn't think he was going to come. You know what I mean? No, no.

No, no. I didn't know he was going to slide through whatever the case may be. Arrived at the venue. Yeah. Yeah. So I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm like, you know, so I wasn't even thinking about it. Like we didn't even talk about it no more because I think he might have told me like, yeah, or said something in whatever case me. Anyway, he was like, I think it was happening.

So when I'm there, you know, be back there, you know, me and Beyonce, this and that and the third. And then all of a sudden, like, you know, you. He came out of nowhere. She's on stage doing her shit. Yeah. Yo, he came to me at the, I think while that shit was on, while she was on stage doing that. We could hear the record was playing.

Yeah. The footage. And it was like, he just, he was like, he had his little bag and he just started throwing them shit on me. Yeah. Like, I just got heavier and heavy and heavier. It was like, yo. I can't wrap this way.

It was like the power of rig. Rick was over. Like, oh shit. Yeah. So I walk out. I'm walking out. And all of a sudden, and the verse just left me.

It left. I'm like, but my part is getting ready to come. And I don't, it's getting ready, you know, I'm getting ready to, it's getting ready to go. Yeah.

So I'm like, I'm like, oh shit. I asked my manager, I say, yo, what's, what's, what's the fuck? What's the shit? What's my first? You just need the first bar. That's all I need. The first bar.

I couldn't get it. Yeah. I couldn't get it. So I'm like, oh shit. See on fucking stage. Oh, my God. That's giving me anxiety. And the way of y'all's coming up.

I'm like, oh, my God. I can't go over for the $30,000, $20,000 and just either get booed or just like don't go. Yeah. So I'm like, oh shit. So I'm like, it's coming. Like, she's just, she's getting closer, it's getting closer, getting closer. Yeah. So I start walking up, walking up.

I'm, the shit gone. So all I can see is like, it's slow motion. I saw just Dame Dash face when he looked at me from the side. Because niggas ain't seen me with all that shit on. Yeah. He just looked at me and said, oh, I didn't hear him. I just read his mouth. Yeah.

Like, oh, shit. Mm-hmm. Boom. Like, and I'm like, the steps is right there, nigga. Just go. I sit on God, and I'm like, oh, shit. But when it came, it was God. Yeah.

He was just like, I think he just like, kick me or slap me. Yeah. Bound. Yeah. I should sit back in there and the last. Yo, it just came. I said, yo, and I just flowed that shit. Yeah.

When she seen me with all that shit on, she was like. Yeah. Because we did rehearsal. You know, it was regular shit. Yeah. And she's seen that. Like, he came to perform. No, I was the craziest thing.

It was like, oh, shit. shit this nigger, one of them niggins. Yeah, yeah. It's crazy, but I was crazy. I was at the show that night, and when you came out, we didn't know that that was slick Rick jewelry. We just thought that was ghost on his bullshit. I'm throwing everything on the night.

And when Fade the Black came out, and we saw Rick putting it. I was like, oh, that's, that was crazy. Yeah, because when you came out with the road, but that was Tony Stark should be like, we don't know where ghosts got all this shit from. I'm telling you. But it's the garden. That might have been one of the best times,

probably the best time without the clan that I ever had like on stage like as far as like hearing the raw from the crowd No that's summertime record And all that We couldn't believe y'all

Yeah Because I was cool I'm like yo Cause Jada didn't even let Sean Paul Do his shit Nah Yeah I'm like man niggas

You're calling me Yeah yeah It's like yo So he trusted me up there Just to get ahead And be with his girl That was so crazy Because

when that record came out Everybody loved that record. That was like a couple of... Was it a case Slade that with that? I gave it to Slate. Slate, I remember when Slate put that out. I gave it to Slate because I was in Miami doing on Pretty Tony. And my man down there, uh, uh, Tom of Rock, he got the DJ Tom of Rock.

Yeah, he got, he said, yo, I got this joint for you. It's a Beyonce joint. Anything Beyonce give it to me. Right. You know what I mean? Yeah. Boom. And I heard that, it was over.

That was, that was it. I'm like, oh, I'm damn. and shit. Wait this tomorrow. Kloom, did that shit. When laid it down, came out way, he was. Yo, I sent it straight to Slai.

Yeah. Slay was the one that did it. I remember the way. But did he had to put that shit out? Yeah. You know what I didn't know he had, because he wasn't on it. Yeah.

And then he tried to play his shit afterwards and shit. I guess that might have been his shit or whatever. I don't know. Whatever, whatever. He could be lying. I don't know.

Yeah. Anyway, ain't work. Right. Yeah. I don't even know what I remember. Diddy on this shit. Yeah. No, that's something to try right.

Even if that was never the official remix. That was the official remix for sure. So how quick, like, how quickly did Slickrigg ask for his jewelry back? Because I would have exited, like, stage right instead of left. And I would have held on for a little bit. Man, listen, man, I was grateful. He came to do what he, he just did what he did. And I got out that stage.

I went back to the room. Yeah, that was it. Yo, good looking. Bow, bow, pout, shit that nigga back. that moment though that moment was like that was it because i mean i'm guessing that's the only time y'all ever performed that record together yes yeah like to be in the garden that night and see that that because nobody was expecting yeah it felt magical that shit was incredible and i forgot my shit it felt magical it was like oh knowing that now was even crazy because looking back you came

out and it was like that's that's that's ghost race yo bro i was scared you know what i mean i was tremendously scared just to go up on that stage and just be like, uh, yo. And just be stuck. It would have been time for a snicker or something. Like, you want to get away? You know what I said? Yeah.

Speaking of Snickers and KitKass and we was talking off Mike. So Mall told a story when he met Stiles people the first time and when he met somebody that he idolized, legend, that they was exactly who they thought they were. Right. During COVID, DJ Premier put you and I on text message to do a. an emotional oranges record where you had done two verses and I was going to bring a certain amount of money cash to you this is at the height of the fucking pandemic you text me back and said nah god i got diabetes you're not getting near me right you're sure it was me why you said you said

you said you're still speak to to this day oh okay i had given him the cash and uh eventually when i get that record back from Universal. We putting that shit out. That DJ Premier remix that... Oh, so I did the record. Yeah, you did two verses on it. Oh, oh, cool. You actually asked Premier about it at Barclays like a few weeks ago. He had called me. It was like, yo, Ghost wants to put that shit out. I'm like, so do I. We got so Universal. I'm playing for you when we get off Mike.

Oh, yeah. So that was hold on. So, I remember Premier did have me, yeah, something like that. That was with my group, yeah. Oh, I got you. Yeah. And he put us on text and I was going to give you the bread. And he was like, nah, God, you're not getting near me. Probably. Probably. Probably. This was like the high.

height of the pandemic. Right. Nobody was even... No, exactly. Yeah. What? No, man. I ain't want to go nowhere.

Hell yeah. I was holding my breath. You know, he'd be like, yo, if you were showing it to breath, every five minutes, I was like,

trying to see if I could hold my shit for like 30, 30 seconds, the lung time? Yeah, yeah. Then if I hold it for 30, something like that, I'm good.

I'm good. I'm good. I'm doing that shit all the fucking time. I'm going to the bath for mid, three o'clock in the morning take the piss. I'm like,

yo, all that shit? Yeah, all that shit? I'm good. Go back to sleep. Yo, niggas. Hell yeah.

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