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The podcast ecosystem has never been as expansive as it is today, and much of that is due to the success of The Joe Budden Podcast. After an explosive split between Joe Budden and the original co-hosts in Rory and Mal, the so-called “pod wars” are heating up and it has taken quite a personal turn.
For those who aren’t aware, The Joe Budden Podcast is by far one of the best podcasts in the entertainment space today due in part to its host, retired rapper Joe Budden, and his knack for creating compelling arguments and counterpoints.
In the previous iteration of the show, Jamil “Mal” Clay and Rory Farrell stood in formidable contrast to the kinetic energy of Budden. For listeners and viewers of Budden’s eponymous podcast who are aware of what ended the original pairing, the tension between the trio was noticeable for months before the on-air firing that still stands as one of the more shocking developments in the podcast arena.
Today, Rory and Mal are over 100 episodes deep into their new podcast, New Rory & Mal, and have managed to find a groove as knowledgeable music industry insiders along with a kinship that seems as genuine as one can muster.
On Twitter Friday evening (Oct.21), Rory and Mal found their names trending as a clip of Mal throwing shots at Budden went wide, which was especially jarring since the two were good friends and actual roommates in times past. It appears Mal’s words were in response to a jab Budden reportedly threw on his show. To wit, Budden has taken very light jabs at his former co-hosts and Rory and Mal have done the same albeit far less.
Without taking sides, the two podcasts have different tones and aim with Budden’s show focusing on a running list of pop culture topics and discussions that spill into passionate arguments with co-hosts Ice, Ish, and Parks. Rory and Mal’s show is decidedly laidback and conversational largely without any of the bombastic discussion that they engaged themselves in previously.
In all fairness, both shows are excellent at what they do but fans of the separate entities will undoubtedly compare the two as human nature dictates.
Below, we’ve featured a tweet that has a portion of Mal taking a direct shot at his former friend and co-host Joe Budden followed by reactions from Twitter. It’s unfortunate to witness former friends have a contentious relationship instead of celebrating their respective wins but it appears that this has been coming to a head for some time.
Check out the reactions below.
UPDATE: We neglected to get the proper timeline of this report correct and we offer our apologies. What sparked the latest back and forth between Budden and Clay was a recent episode of New Rory & Mal featuring their guest, CyHi the Prynce.
CyHi and Budden have clashed in times past regarding a rap battle between the pair that never materialized. CyHi called out Budden by offering a cash prize and highlighting Budden’s financial success with Mal adding that his former co-host has “stolen” enough money. That jab prompted Budden to respond to Mal without mentioning his name and it was off to the races from there.
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Photo: Getty
