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December 11, 2023

Cha’Keeta B Interview

The Breaks

By: Jack Anderson

The fun kicks off this week on an interview with Austin’s Cha’Keeta B to talk women in hip-hop and her upcoming EP Where the Wild Flowers Grow. After that Confucius and Fresh talk about  accountability when it comes to violence against women in music, the baffling ambassadorship of Lil Yachty, and more.

December 4, 2023

Remembering Mixtapes & Steering Clear of Commercialism

The Breaks

By: Jack Anderson

Remember when mixtapes were almighty? Confucius and Fresh definitely do! Hear their take on the route mixtape culture has taken, plus some strategies to avoid over commercializing the genre in 2024, how The Breaks succeeds in a primarily non-black space and more on the latest episode.

November 27, 2023

Diddy, the Grammys, and Andre’s New Groove

The Breaks

By: Jack Anderson

Between P. Diddy’s salacious allegations, rumors about next year’s Grammy Awards, and of course, Andre 3000’s boldly bizarre return, there’s a lot to cover this week on The Breaks! Hear all that on top of Confucius Reads the News and Hip-Hop Facts on the latest episode.

November 20, 2023

BONUS! ACL Fest with Blakchyl 2023

The Breaks

By: Zahra Crim

Fresh is out of town this week, but The Breaks still has new(ish) content! In this episode, Confucius and Fresh take the Bonus Tracks Stage during ACL Fest last month. The two interview Austin-born-and-raised artist Blakchyl and discuss what’s up and coming for the hip-hop artist. Enjoy the conversation and for anyone wanting more, visit KUTX for Blakchyl’s ACL pop-up session. Regularly scheduled programming AKA Hip-Hop Facts, Unpopular Opinion, and Confucius Reads the News will be back next week!

November 13, 2023

Talking Hip-Hop: Journalism vs. Gossip

The Breaks

By: Jack Anderson

Sure, rumors are intriguing. But why has hip-hop talk moved from music journalism to celebrity clickbait? And when it comes to club culture, forget your section! Bottle wars simply don’t rack up to club-wide celebrations. Hear all about it plus Hip-Hop Facts, Confucius Reads the News, and a particularly Unpopular Opinion that may upset Keke Palmer fans on the latest episode of The Breaks.

November 5, 2023

Afrotech and Hubbledvision

The Breaks

By: Elizabeth McQueen

Confucius and Fresh interview  J.M., the founder of  Austin’s Hubbledvision, and Chicago-based artist Blvck Svm about their musical collaboration and the Afrovision event at this year’s Afrotech.

You’ll learn Hip-Hop Facts about who wrote the treatment for Dr. Dre and Tupac’s “California Love” video, the debut of Will Smith’s “Summertime,” what Questlove called himself before he landed on Questlove, and more.

Fresh states the Unpopular Opinion that Texas rappers can get lazy.

Confucius talks about Mike Pence dropping out of the presidential race, Trump’s lawyer’s claim that he can’t go to jail because he has a secret service detail, the data breach at the Austin Meals on Wheels and more on Confucius Reads the News.

October 30, 2023

What Does Artist Cey Adams Have to Say?

The Breaks

By: Elizabeth McQueen

Confucius and Fresh interview hip-hop art legend Cey Adams, former creative director for Def Jam who designed album covers for everyone from Run-DMC to Jay-Z. They talk about his early days in hip-hop, what it’s been like to watch the genre evolve and grow, and his new show “Combinations” at the West Chelsea Contemporary in Austin.

You’ll learn Hip-Hop Facts about Jay-Z’s first appearance on television, Jermaine Jackson’s diss song to his younger brother Michael, and more.

Fresh states the Unpopular Opinion that the culture put unrealistic artistic expectations on Bobby Shmurda after he got out of jail.

Confucius talks about the recently discovered flesh-eating parasite in Texas, the new speaker of the House, and Bob Mendez’s legal woes in Confucius Reads the News.

October 23, 2023

MJ as the Bar

The Breaks

By: Jack Anderson

Coming off of ACL, the fellas discuss MJ (take your pick – Jackson OR Jordan) as the golden standard for success and why it may hold less water these days. Plus, Confucius and Fresh gush about the Hype Williams classic Belly.

Hip-Hop Facts enlightens us on how Fabolous got his name and reflects on the recent passing of DJ Mark the 45 King. Afterwards Fresh shares his Unpopular Opinion on the modern state of sloppy sampling before Confucius Reads the News.