PHILADELPHIA – Rory Farrell and Jamil “Mal” Clay are two of the most respected voices in hip-hop. Clay is the younger brother of Kareem “Biggs” Burke, one-third of the founding group of Roc-A-Fella Records alongside Dame Dash and Jay-Z. Farrell spent years working in the music industry from Sony Music to MTV throughout his 20s. Both personalities stepped into the spotlight when they joined “The Joe Budden Podcast.” The podcast, which alternated hosts early on before solidifying the on-air trio of Budden, Rory and Mal with occasional feedback from engineer Parks, became one of hip-hop’s most popular podcasts. The show toured America, sold merchandise and turned down a reported large offer from Spotify before the group began having creative differences. Once the group broke up, Rory and Mal created their own podcast, a production that features skits and frequent in-person interviews. At the 2022 Made In America festival, the duo spoke to rolling out about the festival and Jay-Z’s legacy.
How does it feel to be here? What have been some of your favorite parts of the festival so far?
Mal: It feels good to be out here post-COVID. The lineup is pretty dope, I saw Tyler’s set last night, he was amazing. I saw Uzi’s set. I was looking forward to Kodak, he was late getting here, so there was kind of an issue with that, but it’s been a great experience so far.
Rory: Victoria Monét was amazing. Jazmine Sullivan was amazing.
Mal: JID.
Rory: JID was incredible. Probably my favorite performance of the weekend so far. I didn’t get to see Tyler while he was on tour, so I was happy to see him here.
You guys oftentimes tell podcasters to be consistent, but outside of that, what advice do you have?
Rory: Don’t do it. [Laughs]
Mal: [Laughs] Stay away from it.
Um, have fun. Don’t overthink it, don’t overproduce it. It’s supposed to be raw, it’s supposed to be not-so-polished, and you’re supposed to have fun. Stay unique and stay true to who you are [and] the way you want to come across on your platform.
What do you guys have coming up next?
Rory: We’re on tour.
Mal: Newrorynmal.com.
Yeah, tour. Trying our hands at some other things. [We’re going to keep having fun, trying things, and exploring new territories.
What makes Jay-Z so special?
Mal: He can rap a little bit … but like we were just talking about — staying true to yourself … and trying new things. I’m sure Jay never thought he’d have a festival with some of the biggest artists in the world performing, but here we are.
Rory: I would say he’s the epitome of how hip-hop is going to age. He’s the best representation I’ve seen because hip-hop’s such a young genre. What a beautiful example we have of how hip-hop can age, it’s not just a young man’s sport … I just think he’s the perfect example of how hip-hop should age.
