Tony Yayo and Uncle Murda have stories to tell. And that’s a gross understatement considering what they’ve experienced being more than 20 years deep in the game. After touring around the world for the better part of a decade alongside their friend and rap ace, 50 Cent, the hilarious New York rappers are headed into 2026 by launching their new podcast, The Real Report. Yayo and Murda pull up to XXL‘s Talk It Up series, powered by DistroKid, to discuss the unique way the podcast came to fruition, Uncle Murda’s painstaking process behind his yearly track “Rap Up” and much more with a whole lot of jokes along the way.
Ahead of the show’s January 2026 premiere, Tony Yayo and Uncle Murda reveal that The Real Report will be the latest project released via the popular podcast network, The Volume. In true Murda and Yayo fashion, they explain a specific moment they shared with Fat Joe overseas that served as the show’s impetus.
“I ain’t realize all of this was going to happen,” Tony Yayo tells XXL in the video below. “God will bless you in different ways. We signed with The Volume. They got great production. Shout to Shannon Sharpe, shout to Joe and Jada [Jadakiss]. Where was we at? Germany or was it Turkey? I’ll let Murda tell the story of what happened at breakfast.”
On cue, Uncle Murda dives straight into the story of how push came to shove and The Real Report was born. “Yeah, we was in Germany. We had been just chillin’. We see Fat Joe, and we was just kickin’ it. Joe was telling us he was actually thinking of starting a podcast with him and Yayo, honestly. That was the idea that Fat Joe actually had. Yay’ was like, ‘Oh sh*t, deada*s?’ And I was surprised like, ‘Yo, that’s crazy.’ Then, Joe was talking about how him and Jadakiss wound up doing it. Then, me and Yayo was telling Joe we was thinking of doing a podcast. He was like, ‘Word? Say no more. I’ma get y’all a deal.’ Real talk,” Murda says.
As far as what fans can expect from The Real Report, the MCs say they’re set to bring the funny through their boisterous brand of banter. They’re also hyped about being able to enlist a high-profile cast of celebs from across the entertainment world thanks to their close relationship with 50 Cent.
“We not coming in here to step on toes,” Yayo says. “We just comin’ here to do our thing and have fun ’cause we like to talk. Especially me. It’ll be various things. We got a couple of big names already. We just plan on getting some of the biggest names. When you’re around a powerhouse like 50 Cent, it gives you an advantage. You can get big artists ’cause you’re in big places.”
With the podcast wheels in motion, it’s also the time of year when the entire culture anxiously awaits Uncle Murda’s annual “Rap Up,” the racuous, reflective song that captures the scope of the year that was in hip-hop. While Tony Yayo shares the culture’s sentiment that the “Rap Up” is an undeniable staple in the game, Uncle Murda’s process behind the annual track is one that many may not expect.
“I start scheming on it and coming up with ideas, probably like around Thanksgiving time,” Uncle Murda explains. “Yayo always feel like I might be waiting too late, which he might be right. I always push it to the limit. I damn near wait ’til after Christmas to go record the sh*t. I’m still trying to wait for something to happen. I don’t want to miss somebody getting smacked or some sh*t, something crazy happening. I be trying to wait until the last minute. That’s really the process.”
Check out Tony Yayo and Uncle Murda’s extremely entertaining interview with XXL, where they discuss their upcoming podcast, The Real Report, their unwavering loyalty to 50 Cent, their opinions on the potential direction of Diddy’s post-prison career, Yayo being the subject of viral memes and much more below.
