On this episode we discuss the line up for this years Summer Jam showcase happening at Stubbs BBQ. We also discuss if Houston has moved past its former DJ Screw influenced sound. Hip-hop facts includes The Fugees, Ghostface Killah and Redman. Unpopular Opinion this week is about how genres are always changing and growing.
Austin hip-hop
Good Hair and Music In The ATX
On this episode we interview Geto Gala, fresh off their trip from London for SXSW London. We also interview artist Chakeeta B about her upcoming new album and her hair festival the Kinky Curly Coily Festival. Hip-hop facts include Lil Kim, K-Camp, Rapper’s Delight and more. Fresh, and Chakeeta B’s, Unpopular opinion includes Lil Wayne’s current standing in the culture of hip-hop.
Damn Knicks
On this episode we discuss the New York Knicks losing in the Eastern Conference finals much to Fresh’s pain. We also discuss if rap beef is still relevant in these days and times. Hip-hop facts include Dr. Dre, Denzel Washington and Whitney Houston. Fresh’s Unpopular Opinion this week is that the west coast is emerging as the new south.
Did We Give Hip-Hip Away?
On this episode we discuss if the culture of Hip-Hop was too easily given away to streaming services without a fight. We also discuss the pros and cons of using A.I. in hip-hop. Hip-Hop facts this week include Aaliyah, Whitney Houston and Red Hot Chili Peppers. Unpopular Opinion is about about having too much access to celebrities.
Day Party On 6th Street! Maybe?
On this week’s episode we discuss the many changes coming to the historical 6th Street in downtown Austin. We also discuss if gatekeeping is helping or hurting the music scene. Hip-hop facts about R&B singer Keri Hilson and the first black woman singer to upload to Youtube.
Do We Glorify Drug Culture Too Much?
This episode we discuss hip-hop’s effect on drug culture and if we play into too much ourselves. We also discuss hip-hop artists going back to one producer per album, like in the golden eras.
2024 Year-in-Review
Don’t worry, it’s not a clip show! Confucius and Fresh recap moments from The Breaks that made this year one for the books.
Is Drake going to be okay?
Confucius and Fresh talk about the implications of Drake’s latest lawsuit, what to expect from Austin hip-hop and R&B going into 2025, and an Unpopular Opinion on the status of regional hip-hop.
Who benefits more from the marriage: Jay-Z or Beyoncé?
Confucius and Fresh weigh who gains the most from their industry relationships: Jay-Z or Beyoncé and Young Thug or Gunna, plus an Unpopular Opinion on the future of white rappers.
Do celebrities respect Austin?
Inspired by a recent visit from T.I., Confucius and Fresh talk about how celebrities treat Austin before moving onto the role of Black celebrities in politics and an Unpopular Opinion on 50 Cent.
Has GloRilla overtaken Cardi B as hip-hop’s “it girl”?
Confucius and Fresh confer on GloRilla’s growing popularity, check the pulse on Austin’s hip-hop scene, and predict the state of Drill music’s foreseeable future.
Been There 3 Interview
Confucius and Fresh are joined by DAWA/Riders Against the Storm’s Chaka and Been There cofounder Aaron Brown to discuss Been There 3: A Party to Support Our Unhoused Neighbors happening November 2nd at Radio East to benefit The Other Ones Foundation. Hear that, a chat on the relationship between hip-hop and Halloween, and an Unpopular Opinion on Kendrick Lamar’s recent choice of media outlets.
The Gumbo SmackDown!
Confucius and Fresh cover both sides of the upcoming Gumbo SmackDown on October 26th through interviews with WWE Hall-of-Famer Mark Henry and Whip My Soul co-founders Antonio & Tia Echols. Hear that and an Unpopular Opinion on BET Hip-Hop Awards choice of venue in this episode.
Qi Dada: Before there was light
Qi Dada (Riders Against the Storm) explores what people can learn from the darkness, and reexamines the different meanings of “dark” across the board – from dubious origins to something that’s comforting and even enlightening.
(SPF 1000) Vampire Sunscreen is a listener-supported production of KUT & KUTX Studios in Austin, Texas. You can support this podcast at supportthispodcast.org.
Credits:
Host, Creator, Producer: Laurie Gallardo
Producer: Elizabeth McQueen
Editing and Mixing: Jack Anderson
Original Music: Rene Chavez
Photo and Video: Michael Minasi
Art: Dave McClinton
Does Hip-Hop beget violence?
Confucius and Fresh follow up their Rap Beef series with discussions on hip-hop and violence, Jaguar Wright’s allegations against Jay-Z and Beyoncé, and Logic’s intrinsic objective merits as a lyricist.
Thee Phantom Interview
Confucius and Fresh talk with Jeffrey McNeill of Thee Phanton and Illharmonic Orchestra ahead of an Austin appearance, do a little more prep leading up to the series on beefs, and unwrap an Unpopular Opinion on Vivica A. Fox’s stardom.
LARA’ Interview
Austin R&B singer LARA’ joins Confucius and Fresh in conversation on her new album Luvology and her upcoming tour with Rapsody. Then the fellas weigh why R&B isn’t as profitable as hip-hop and Meek Mill’s status as a top tier rapper.
BLK ODYSSY Interview
Confucius and Fresh sit down with August 2021 KUTX Artist of the Month BLK ODYSSY to talk about their newly released album 1-800 Fantasy before setting the stage for an upcoming series on beefs.
Locuust x YoursTruuly: “Acupuncture”
Feeling comfortable just in your own skin is a luxury we often take for granted. Sure, adjusting to a problematic puberty is a fairly common experience, as are life-altering eating habits even later on. But where a good chunk of population at least reaps the benefits of a cis-heteronormative construct, the trans community faces struggles even with a sense of belonging in their own skin, let alone within a still-regressive society.
With that in mind, shift your focus to Locuust. Errrr…actually YoursTruuly. Frankly it doesn’t matter, considering it’s the same person: Austin’s Xóchitl who goes by the aforementioned handles as a rapper and producer, respectively. These dynamic double double-U’s might sound familiar if you caught the Song of the Day spotlight on fellow local hip-hop provocateur Free Hamze a couple weeks back. At just shy of twenty, Xóchitl’s alter egos have already proven remarkable maturity, a saga that continues this weekend with their feature-laden debut full-length, Apparent Incoherence.
Apparent Incoherence is a relentless, risqué eleven-song swarm of poignant candor, crushing beats, clever wordplay and undoubtedly a creative A.I. we can all get behind. You can fall in love with the album live when Locuust and YoursTruuly simultaneously takes the stage 11PM tomorrow night at Hole in the Wall for the release show following openers (consisting entirely of Apparent Incoherence guests) CENSORED dialogue, Kardinal Bloo, Chucky Blk, and khxnid!. And on the LP’s sole “leak” “Acupuncture”, Locuust delivers a lyrical plague that grapples with gender dysphoria and body positivity over YoursTruuly’s Alchemist-esque instrumental, which when combined, provide a thoroughly therapeutic experience akin to the track’s title.
So in light of this week’s forecast, like Locuust says…don’t expect it to “rain in the summer”. But you can expect a downpour of multi-disciplinary talent from this young, unconventional up-and-comer as they enter mainstay status here in the Live Music Capital of the World and far beyond.
Free Hamze: “Two $idez” (feat. YoursTruuly)
Fifty years down the line from its humble block party origins, we can officially classify hip-hop as a legacy genre. And although there are plenty of genre stalwarts who themselves are “over the hill” and still cranking out quality material, there’s no denying rap is a young man’s game. In terms of the latter, it’s especially impactful when the radical energy shared by so much youth gets even more invigorated over a fire beat.
With that, Free Hamze enters the frame. This Lebanese-born Austin-based rapper’s always relished in the exotic Eastern-meets-Western intersection made popular at the turn of the millennium by The Neptunes. And that ethnic-meets-urban international sound is alive and well on Free Hamze’s next record: FREETAPE 4: Renegade Rap – produced entirely by fellow Austinite YoursTruuly, who at just nineteen years old also makes a couple vocal contributions on FT4:RR under their handle Locuust.
Safe to say, it’s a combination that demands to be seen live. And we’re in luck with two opportunities leading up to the weekend; you can catch Hamze and YoursTruuly tomorrow night at DAWA HQ and again 7-9PM this Friday for the EP pop-up release show at the Airport Blvd location of Abe’s Smoke Shop. So to give you a taste of Renegade Rap, turn up the volume on “Two $idez”, which perfectly encapsulates The Alchemist-meets-Benny the Butcher energy of The Plugs I Met that permeates through all of FT4‘s six chambers, and is a tough contender for the hardest thing you’ll hear all week.