KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts

KUT and KUTX news and music podcasts for Austin, Texas and beyond

Elizabeth McQueen

Who Shot Megan?

Confucius and Fresh talk about the online controversy surrounding a Lil Durk impersonator and Tekashi 6ix9ine and discuss their thoughts about Megan Thee Stallion’s interview with Gayle King.

You’ll learn Hip-Hop Facts about Mary J Blige’s appearance in the “Not Tonight Video,” how Napster contributed to the success of Shaggy’s song “It Wasn’t Me,” why the “Men In Black” soundtrack is important, and more!

Fresh states the Unpopular Opinion that Lauryn Hill’s “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill” is the single greatest album by a female artist of all time.

Confucius talks about the FDA’s plan to ban menthol cigarettes, Joe Biden’s plea for $33 million in aid to Ukraine, Elon Musk’s recent purchase of Twitter, and more in Confucius Reads the News.

 

 

Rest in Power DJ Kay Slay

Fresh and Confucius celebrate the life of DJ Kay Slay, and debate whether Future really is the best rapper alive.

You’ll learn Hip-Hop Facts about DJ Kay Slay, DJ Drama’s Gansta Grillz, and more!

After T-Pain called out the city of Dallas over low ticket sales, Fresh states the Unpopular Opinion that artists can’t be mad about low ticket sales.

Confucius talks about the fall of Netflix, Future’s comments about whether he wants more kids, Florida’s decision to revoke Disney’s special status,  Jerry Seinfeld’s friendship with Wale, and more on Confucius Reads the News.

Tales of Jay-Z

Confucius and Fresh talk about how important Hot 97’s Summer Jam was to the culture in the pre-internet era, and discuss whether the West Coast has fully gotten its due as a rap coast.

You’ll learn Hip-Hop Facts about the first hip-hop record to go diamond, how Big KRIT’s “Glass House” came to be recorded in Austin, who Atlanta rapper Baby Tate’s mother is, and more!

Fresh states the Unpopular Opinion that Chicago is not getting its due for the amount of influence that the city has had on the culture.

In Confucius Reads the News Confucius talks about Elon Musk’s bid to buy Twitter, Greg Abbott’s decision to bus migrants to Washington D.C., Patrick Beverly’s celebration at winning the 7th spot in the playoffs, and more.

 

 

Grammy Time

Fresh and Confucius talk about the 2022 Grammy Awards and discuss T.I.’s recent run in with another comedian at a comedy club.

This week on Hip-Hop Facts you’ll learn about the high school rap battles between Busta Rhymes and Jay-Z, what happened when Warren and G Nate Dogg performed “Regulate” at the Billboard Awards, why Biggie wrote who “Who Shot Ya?” and more.

Fresh states the Unpopular Opinion that Top Dawg Entertainment is overrated.

Confucius blends his old segment Confucius Says with Confucius Reads the News when he talks about Kentaji Brown Jackson’s appointment to the Supreme Court and discusses the value of fearlessness in life, and the lack of value of haters .

The Slap!

Confucius and Fresh give their takes on Will Smith slapping Chris Rock during the Oscars and talk about Doja Cat’s announcement that she’s retiring.

This week on Hip-Hop Facts you’ll hear interesting things about the real singer on Will Smith’s “Men in Black,” how Fat Joe is connected to Grandmaster Flash, why Prodigy’s verse never ended up on M.O.P.’s “Ante Up” Remix,  Why Pusha T may resent McDonald’s and more!

Fresh states the Unpopular Opinion that hip-hop journalism is in as good a space as it’s been in a while.

Confucius talks about the return of NASA’s Mark Vande Hei after 355 days in space, the latest COVID booster news, the slap, and Joe Biden’s comments about Putin.

 

Ladies Night

In honor of women’s history month, Confucius and Fresh are focusing on women in hip-hop and R&B this week! They talk about Latto’s recent statement that a male rapper wanted to exchange sex for a feature on her upcoming record.  Plus, they talk about how Da Brat’s influence in hip-hop is underrated.

This week you’ll learn Hip-Hop Facts about Mona Scott Young, Lil’ Kim’s connection to Slick Rick’s song “Teenage Love,” who was in the Notorious B.I.G.’s “One More Chance” video, the story behind the coats in Salt-N-Pepa’s music video and more!

Fresh states the Unpopular Opinion that Slaughterhouse was never that big of a deal.

In Confucius Reads the News Confucius talks about the war in Ukraine, Critical Race Theory, the recent tornados in the Austin area.

You can hear the latest full broadcast of The Breaks Saturday night show.

Chaining Day

This week on The Breaks Fresh and Confucius discuss Dame Dash’s claim that the only valid Roc-a-fella chains are the ones that he’s given out.

In this week’s installment of Hip-Hop Facts, you’ll learn about Ron Browz’s involvement in Big L’s song “Ebonics,” how the Notorious B.I.G. wrote the entire album for Junior M.A.F.I.A ,  how Keir Worthy was the first person to bring hip-hop to SXSW, and more.

Fresh states the Unpopular Opinion that Warner Bros and DC Comics need to stop making Batman movies.

Confucius talks about Lil Durk’s comments about his fiancé and her body count, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and Chris Brown’s recent sexual assault scandal.

You can hear the latest full broadcast of The Breaks Saturday night show.

Jeen-Yuhs

Confucius and Fresh discuss the Kanye West documentary “Jeen-Yuhs” and talk about The Game’s comments about Kanye and Dr. Dre.

In this week’s installment of  Hip-Hop Facts, you’ll learn interesting tidbits about the Young Gunz song “Never Take Me Alive,  the Connection between 50 Cent’s album The Massacre, and The Game’s record The Documentary, who was actually in Kanye West’s hip-hop bear mascot and more.

Fresh states the Unpopular Opinion that there are no hip-hop superstars outside of Kendrick, J Cole, and Drake.

And Confucius talks about the president’s State of the Union, the beef between NBA Youngboy and Lil Durk, the war in Ukraine, and more.

You can hear the latest full broadcast of The Breaks Saturday night show.

What Mayor Adler has to say about the Live Music Fund

Hear what Austin Mayor Steve Adler has to say about the history of the Live Music Fund, why he raised concerns about the Live Music Fund Event Program, and what he thinks should guide the conversation moving forward.

The Return of SXSW

Confucius and Fresh talk about the return of in-person SXSW and debate whether bloggers like DJ Akademiks are actually journalists.

In this week’s installment of Hip-Hop Facts, you’ll learn why Andre 3000 said “The South got something to say,” how Queen Latifah was once Monica’s manager, how Bow-Wow got discovered & more.

Fresh states the Unpopular Opinion that top rapper lists are needed. And in Confucious Reads the News, Confucius talks about the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Kodak Black’s comments on fatherhood, Governor Abbott’s push to criminalize the families of transgender children, and more.

You can hear the latest full broadcast of The Breaks Saturday night show.

Musician pay for live shows in Austin hasn’t changed in 40 years. Here are some other ways they’ve found to make money with music.

Austin musicians are making the same amount of money per gig as they did in 1979. In the latest episode, we look at gig pay through the years and talk to musicians Greg Clifford and Beto Martinez about how they’ve found ways to make money from music that don’t involve playing live.

Drummer Greg Clifford is pictured in his home where he produces lo-fi music on Feb. 8, 2022, in Austin. Michael Minasi/KUTX
Musician and producer Beto Martinez is pictured in his home studio on Feb. 9, 2022, in Austin. Michael Minasi/KUTX

 

Fight in the Bowling Alley!

Confucius and Fresh discuss DaBaby’s recent fight with DaniLeigh’s brother in a bowling alley, and debate when being braggadocious in hip-hop goes from okay to corny.

In this week’s installment of Hip-Hop Facts, you’ll learn interesting tidbits about Kanye’s “All Falls Down,” 50 Cent’s album Get Rich or Die Tryin’, The Lady of Rage, Missy Elliot, Lil’ Kim, and more!

After the news about Isiah Rashad, Fresh states the Unpopular Opinion that hip-hop is ready for an openly gay male rapper.

In his Confucius Reads the News segment, Confucius talks about the reaction to the Biden administration’s community-based harm-reduction programs for drug users, Snoop Dogg’s recent acquisition of Death Row records, Marjorie Taylor Green’s incorrect usage of gazpacho, and more!

You can hear the latest full broadcast of The Breaks Saturday night show.

RiRi is Prego!

This week on The Breaks Confucius and Fresh discuss the importance of owning the things you create and talk through Nicki Minaj’s run-in with City Girls. They tell you Hip-Hop Facts about the beat to Camp Lo’s “Luchini AKA This Is It,” the truth behind the title of  Drake’s hit “Marvin’s Room,” how a person gets a Roc-A-Fella chain, and more. Fresh states the Unpopular Opinion that if Nicki Minaj releases a record it will be the record of the year. And Confucius talks about Rihanna’s pregnancy announcement, Biden’s announcement that a U.S. operation killed the leader of ISIS, the recent freeze in Texas, and more in his Confucius Reads the News segment.

Listen to the latest full broadcast of The Breaks Saturday night show.

 

Live music doesn’t always pay the bills. So what else can you do?

In this episode, you’ll learn how much money the average Austin musician makes per gig, and why it can be hard to make a living playing live music.

Then you’ll learn all about an alternate revenue stream for musicians — sync licensing. Nathalie Phan, founder of SoundSync Music, will explain the ins and outs of sync licensing from an agent’s perspective and Austin rapper Tee-Double will walk you through the artist’s perspective.

During Nathalie’s segment you’ll hear the song “Black Tea” by Slug, Elijah Fox, Soul Food Horns and Yasper.

During Tee-Double’s segment you’ll hear “Caped Up” from his album Local Transplant.

Nathalie Phan is pictured in her home on Jan. 31, 2022, in South Austin. Michael Minasi/KUT

 

Hip-hop artist Tee-Double is pictured in his home studio on July 15, 2021, in Austin. Michael Minasi/KUTX

 

All About Samples

This week on The Breaks:

  • Confucius and Fresh take a deep dive into samples and hip-hop. You’ll hear about the samples in  MC Hammer’s “U Can’t Touch This,” Big Krit’s first two albums, Joe Budden’s “Pump it Up,” Sisqo’s “Thong Song,” Puff Daddy’s “Been Around the Word,” Vanilla Ice’s “Ice Ice Baby,” Jay-Z’s “Hard Knock Life,” Biggie Small’s “Juicy,” and more!
  • Fresh states the Unpopular Opinion that Frank Ocean’s cover of the Isely Brothers of “At Your Best (You Are Love)” is better than Aaliyah’s cover of the same song.
  • In his Confucius Reads the News segment, Confucius talks about Cardi B’s recent legal win, Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer’s retirement announcement, the recent SWAT raid on NBA Youngboy’s house, and more!

You can hear the latest full broadcast of The Breaks Saturday night show.

Confucius Talks Depression

In this episode of  The Breaks

You can hear the latest full broadcast of The Breaks Saturday night show

Could affordable housing save Austin’s music scene?

In the latest episode, you’ll learn how Austin non-profit Foundation Communities helped musician James Shelton find affordable housing the central Austin. And you’ll get a crash course in how affordable housing works from Foundation Communities Executive Director, Walter Moreau.

Walter Moreau of Foundation Communities is pictured on Jan. 12, 2022, outside of Bluebonnet Studios. Michael Minasi/KUTX

Read “The Artist Loft: Affordable Housing (for White People)” from the Atlantic

Read “The Rise of White–Segregated
Subsidized Housing” from The Institute on Metropolitan Opportunity at the Minnesota School of Law.

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