Blakchyl

BONUS! ACL Fest with Blakchyl 2023

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!

Friday at Radio East

AMM Oct. 25 2023: Latasha Lee and Blakchyl at Radio East.
Latasha Lee

The new Eastside location of Radio Coffee and Beer has been open only a few days, and already it’s buzzing with so many upcoming shows. The AMM got word about a big one coming up this week, a spectacular benefit on Friday in support of the DAWA Fund, created to support BIPOC community frontliners financially and through culturally-relevant health-centered programming.

Black Live Music Fund and Radio will host two powerhouse performances for this event: Savor the classic R&B/soul vibes by the sensational Latasha Lee, and the absolute poetic force of a rap/R&B vocalist recently featured on a KUTX pop up set at ACL Fest, Blakchyl. And rounding out the night, all the high-energy spins courtesy of DJ Bad Apple.

It’s happening this Friday night, Oct. 27, at the new Radio East, 3504 Montopolis, in support of DAWA. Doors at 7 p.m.

Knock. You. Out.

Blakchyl: “Ja Morant” (ACL Fest Pop-Up)

If you were out at ACL Fest this past weekend you might’ve caught Confucius and Fresh from The Breaks at the Bonus Tracks Stage. What were the fellas up to other than getting their buzz on at Zilker? Interviewing a real sultry-voiced stunner, that’s what.

Austin hip-hop/R&B vocalist Blakchyl‘s been building a hell of a brand for herself in the local scene and beyond since her debut EP On Paper in 2019. Alternating between singing and rapping with a beautifully-blunted voice (somewhat reminiscent of fellow Austinite Megz Kelli’s), Blakchyl’s only gotten better on this side of the 2020s. On top of that, Blakchyl’s eagerness to work with others and ability to adapt her eloquent verbal style to complement said guests has made for some super fruitful collaborations, most notably her duo with Nez Tha Villain, G.E.N.I.U.S.’s, eponymous 2022 LP.

This year’s been a big one for Blakchyl, considering she’s already shared two standalone singles, the Call Me Sometimes EP, and, just at the top of October, her full-length Better Than I Imagined. And yeah, as alluded to before, Blackchyl also brought her A-Game to ACL last weekend, playing at the Tito’s Handmade Vodka stage Saturday afternoon, sitting down with The Breaks‘ boys, and even squeezing in a pop-up performance of “Ja Morant” for our multi-media team. It’s pretty clear that Austin is Blackchyl’s court, so we’re hoping to see this poet of a point guard shoot for the MVP in the coming years.

Blakchyl: “White Tee Shirt”

Among the many lessons we’ve learned from classic rock history, something that stands out against to current trends is the polarity of solo offshoots. Ozzy’s exit created flak within Black Sabbath’s massive fandom, David Lee Roth’s departure from Van Halen led to the havoc of Van Hagar, and Sting’s egress from The Police still hurts for some. But aside from the occasional social media beef, most hip-hop heads will turn their heads with eager ears to hear a contributor to a beloved collective break out on their own – even if it’s just to assess their intrinsic talent. On top of that, Austin’s rap scene plays less of a cutthroat competition and more of a supportive cohort. So imagine the excitement that was spurred at the start of 2019 – two years after Austin outfit Mindz of a Different Kind shared their last LP BORDERLINEZ – when MDK heavy-hitter BLakchyl dropped her debut EP On Paper. BLakchyl followed it up that same fall with the Tåsi collaboration East 10th before graduating up to her feature-laden full-length H02d in the pandemic’s early days. Last October BLakchyl introduced us to yet another collabo – this one with Nez Tha Villain – entitled G.E.N.I.U.S.. Throughout it all, MDK’s been close by and more than willing to hop in-studio with BLakchyl, no matter that it’s technically outside the ensemble’s umbrella. Today, as she continues to navigate the intersectionality of Queer Black womanhood in Central Texas, BLakchyl boldly steps into the world of singing with her sophomore solo EP Call me sometimes. This ambitious album precedes a live appearance 5PM next Wednesday at Waterloo Records for THE DROP and what we hope is the next big springboard in BLakchyl’s still-burgeoning career. The brief, R&B-beveled brilliance of “White Tee Shirt”, whose fabric seamlessly stretches between autotuned hooks and breathy verses, at least earns BLakchyl some extra respectable stripes in this promising solo ascent.