hip hop podcast

Funkmaster Flex Does it Again

In this episode of The Breaks

Hosts Confucius and Fresh talk about the reconciliation between Snoop Dogg and Eminem, and about Dr. Dre’s recent recovery from a brain aneurysm.
Both hosts discuss Funkmaster Flex’s rise to prominence, his influence in the industry and his penchant for saying things that put him on the wrong side of history.
In this week’s installment of “Random Hip Hop Facts” The hosts tell you interesting tidbits about Swisher House, Jermaine Dupri, Angie Martinez, Usher and more.
In his Unpopular Opinion Fresh states that he hopes musicians will think twice before leaving Austin for another city to further their career.
In his “Confucius Says” segment Confucius encourages people to listen with compassion to those in need.

The Breaks are on every Saturday 10pm-1am on KUTX 98.9.

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

Bonus Episode: Interview with Chaka from Riders Against the Storm

In this bonus episode of The Breaks, Confucius and Fresh talk to Chaka from the Austin Hip-Hop Duo Riders Against the Storm about his experience as the first Black chair of the City of Austin’s Music Commission, his work to create the Black Live Music Fund, why he created the DAWA fund, and what’s next for Riders Against the Storm.

Respect Andre 3000

This week on The Breaks, Fresh is flying solo while Confucius is out:

He talks about Young Thug’s reasons for not wanting to work with Andre 3000.
He unpacks Kevin Hart’s conversation with his fans on the Clubhouse app about comments he made about his daughter in his latest standup special.
In the wake of many people’s dismay following the latest release of the Grammy nominations, Fresh states his Unpopular Opinion that Black music deserves to be represented accurately in the Grammy Awards

VOTE!!!

On this episode of The Breaks

Hosts Confucius and Fresh talk about how they have already voted
They both talk about D.J. Funkmaster Flex’s recent comments about T.I., and discuss how they feel like his opinion is just another expression of New Yorkers’ disdain for Southern hip-hop.
Fresh states the Unpopular Opinion that Bryson Tiller is overrated.
In his Confucius Says segment Confucius encourages all people, especially Black people, to exercise their right to vote in this election.

WTF Ice Cube?!?

This week on The Breaks

Hosts Confucius and Fresh discuss Ice Cube’s decision to work with the Trump campaign on the “Platinum Plan” for Black America
Both hosts continue their discussion from the last episode about the lack of rap at this year’s virtual ACLfest. They state that even if no national hip-hop acts agreed to allow their performances to be aired, the organizers could have looked to Austin’s local rap scene to have some hip-hop on the bill.
In his Unpopular Opinion, Fresh implores listeners to do their research when it comes to getting involved in politics.
In his Confucius Says Segment Confucius encourages people to remember that life is short, and they shouldn’t involve themselves unnecessarily in other people’s problems.

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No Rap at ACLfest?!?

Confucius and Fresh share their thoughts on the glaring lack of hip-hop acts on the virtual Austin City Limit Festival Lineup.
Both hosts debate whether or not Gucci Mane is the greatest A&R rep in recent hip-hop history.
Fresh and Confucius express their surprise at learning that Big Sean’s first advance from Kanye after signing to G.O.O.D. Music was $15,000.
In his Unpopular Opinion, Fresh argues that Sauce Walka does not get enough credit.
In his Confucius Says segment, both Confucius and Fresh implore everyone listening to go out and VOTE!

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Not Today Kanye

This week on The Breaks

- Confucius and Fresh talk about Kanye’s quest to regain control of his masters, and explain why they’re skeptical about his appeals to other artists for support.
- Both hosts talk about how surprised they were to hear that Outkast had considered making a mixtape for DJ Drama’s mixtape series Gangsta Grillz and discuss why they think it might not have happened.
- Confucius and Fresh discuss how and why music tastes change.
- In his Unpopular Opinion, Fresh states that Austin radio is in a very, very good place.
- In his Confucius Says segment, Confucius encourages people to keep those they don’t like from living rent-free in their heads.

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Wakanda Forever

This week on The Breaks:

- Confucius and Fresh honor the memory of Chadwick Boseman and explain why his life and work made such an impact on them — especially his portrayal of Black Panther.
- Both hosts discuss the NBA’s strike over the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
- Fresh shares the Unpopular Opinion that Jermaine DuPri is the best star-maker working in the music industry today.
- Confucius points out that sometimes even the most selfless act can still be a tad bit selfish in his Confucius Says segment.

Don’t Argue with Stupid

This week on The Breaks Fresh and Confucius:

Discuss the success of Cardi B’s new song “WAP” featuring Megan the Stallion.
Talk about the recent arrests of two men for the 2002 murder of Run DMC’s Jam Master Jay.
Theorize as to why Akon might be hanging out with Tekashi 6ix9ine.
Debate whether Kim Kardashian’s involvement in the effort to free C Murder will be make an impact.
In his Unpopular Opinion, Fresh hopes that Jay-Z can let go of any lingering pettiness he might feel towards Nas.
In his Confucius Says segment, Confucius says that it’s not worth it to try to understand other people’s baffling decisions.

WAP!

This week on The Breaks Fresh and Confucius:

Talk about why they love “WAP” by Cardi B and Megan thee Stallion and explain why they’re frustrated by the backlash surrounding the song.
Celebrate the birth of hip-hop on on August 11, 1973. That’s when DJ Kool Herc threw the “Back to School Jam” at 1520 Sedgwick Avenue in the Bronx, NYC.
Debate what it means for a song to be “a hit.”
In his Unpopular Opinion, Fresh states that the XXL Magazine Freshman Class is still relevant.
Confucius encourages people to rethink what closure means in his Confucius Says segment.

Kanye, Megan and Nick

This week on The Breaks, Fresh and Confucius:

Discuss Kanye West’s rally in South Carolina and his recent erratic behavior.
Talk about Tory Lanez’s arrest on gun charges after police find Megan Thee Stallion in his car suffering from gunshot wounds.
React to Nick Cannon’s anti-Semitic comments on his podcast.
In his Unpopular Opinion, Fresh argues that Black music executives are also complicit in the exploitation of Black musicians.
In his Confucius Says, Confucius argues that you can still respect someone without respecting every one of their decisions.

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Kanye for President?

This week on The Breaks, Fresh and Confucius:

Discuss Kanye’s West’s announcement that he is running for president.
Touch on the impact of COVID-19 on Austin’s live music venues.
Talk about ACL Radio’s Blues on the Screen curated by Jackie Venson.
In his Unpopular Opinion, Fresh urges the biggest Black artists in Austin to speak out about their experiences of racism in the Austin music scene.
In his Confucius Says, Confucius explains that loyalty is a two-way street.

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Shutting Down…Again

This week on The Breaks, Confucius and Fresh:

Discuss the uptick in COVID-19 cases in Texas, Texas’ second wave of shutdowns and the impact on the service industry in Austin.
Talk about how Tekashi 6ix9ine finally scored a No.1 on the Billboard charts with his collaboration with Nicki Minaj, “TROLLZ”and debate how important reaching No. 1 really is.
In his Unpopular Opinion, Fresh calls on more R&B artists to put out music that reflects the current moment.
In his Confucius Says, Confucius looks at how people have treated Noname after she released “Song 33” in response to J. Cole’s “Snow on tha Bluff” and encourages people to stop trying to silence Black women.

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Lana del Rey vs The Breaks

This week on The Breaks, Fresh and Confucius:

Respond to Lana del Rey’s comments to the culture following four black female artists topping the Billboard Chart.
Celebrate The Notorious B.I.G.’s birthday and explore his impact on hip-hop.
Discuss Tekashi 6ix9ine’s comments surrounding the rise of “Stuck on U” by Ariana Grande and Justin Bieber’s to Billboard’s No.1 spot.
In his Unpopular Opinion, Fresh defends Lil Wayne as the third in the rap equivalent of the trifecta of Michael Jordan, Lebron and Kobe.
In his Confucius Says, Confucius encourages people to remember what they learned during lockdown as we all come out of quarantine.

Listen to this week’s episode of The Breaks

Listen on The Apple Podcasts App, Spotify or Stitcher

The Breaks are on every Saturday 10pm-1am on KUTX 98.9.You can hear the latest full broadcast of The Breaks Saturday night show.

Nelly vs Ludacris

This week on The Breaks Confucius and Fresh discuss:

- - The most recent Verzuz battle between Nelly and Ludacris
  - Their own verzuz style battle on Saturday, May 23rd at 8pm when they face off about which was a better year in hip-hop — 1998 or 1999. Watch on the Instagram on the @KUTX account or the @TheBreaksKUTX account.
  - How history was made when Doja Cat’s “Say So” remix featuring Nicki Minaj reached number one on the Billboard charts, and Megan Thee Stallion’s “Savage” remix featuring Beyonce reached number two. This is the first time that four black female solo artists have held top two spots on the chart.
  - In his Unpopular Opinion, Fresh defends the Netflix show Black AF and tells us why he thinks the show’s critics are being too harsh.
  - In his Confucius Says segment, Confucius argues that the music industry in the United States and the Austin music scene in particular need to accept hip-hop and R&B as mainstream and not hold them to a higher standard than artists in other genres.
  - The Local Song of the Week is “Do You Mind” by Nayome

Listen on The Apple Podcasts App, Spotify or Stitcher

The Breaks are on every Saturday 10pm-1am on KUTX 98.9.You can hear the latest full broadcast of The Breaks Saturday night show.

The Breaks: 1996 vs 1997

This week on The Breaks, Fresh and Confucius:

- Talk about Megan Thee Stallion’s new Savage remix featuring Beyoncé.
- Touch on Drake’s new record Dark Lane Demo Tapes.
- Discuss their Instagram versuz battle between hip-hop of 1996 vs 1997.
- In his Unpopular Opinion, Fresh defends 1997 as a better year for hip-hop than people give it credit for.
- And in his Confucius Says segment, Confucius urges everyone to accept other people’s experiences even if you weren’t a part of them.

Listen to this episode of The Breaks

Listen on The Apple Podcasts App, Spotify or Stitcher

The Breaks are on every Saturday 10pm-1am on KUTX 98.9.You can hear the latest full broadcast of The Breaks Saturday night show.Listen to the music featured in the 1996 vs 1997 battle

The Breaks: Babyface vs Teddy Riley vs Technology

This week on The Breaks, Fresh and Confucius

Talk about the decrease in streaming during the pandemic and what it means for the music industry.
Touch on the continuing beat battles, including the technical difficulties in the battle between Babyface and Teddy Riley.
In his Unpopular Opinion, Fresh says that Diddy would smoke Jermaine Dupri in a beat battle and that Dr. Dre would beat, but not annihilate, Diddy in a beat battle.
Confucius reminds people to stick by their values especially in this time.
This week’s Local Song of the Week is TEMPLO by Angélica Rahe.

Listen to this episode of The Breaks

Listen on The Apple Podcasts App, Spotify or Stitcher

The Breaks are on every Saturday 10pm-1am on KUTX 98.9.You can hear the latest full broadcast of The Breaks Saturday night show.

Cancelled! SXSW vs COVID-19

This week on The Breaks:

Fresh talks about the City of Austin’s decision to cancel SXSW due to ongoing COVID-19 concerns and the longterm negative impacts it will have on the Austin economy, especially for the individuals and businesses that rely on the festival for a significant portion of their income. Plus, he tells us why he’s got no time for people who dismiss the impact it will have on the city
Fresh dives into the drama surrounding the release of Megan Thee Stallion’s new EP, “Suga.”
Austin artist Drint joins Confucius and Fresh in Studio 1A to play his song”Don’t Save Me,” and to talk about the making of his new EP of the same name.
In this week’s Unpopular Opinion, Fresh tells us how hardworking Austin musicians will continue to hustle regardless of whether SXSW happens or not
The Local Song of the Week is “Dismissed” by Shiela.

Listen to this episode of The Breaks

Listen on The Apple Podcasts App, Spotify or Stitcher

The Breaks are on every Saturday 10pm-1am on KUTX 98.9.You can hear the latest full broadcast of The Breaks Saturday night show.

What We Love About Female Rappers

This week on The Breaks:

Confucius and Fresh explain what they love about the latest wave of female rappers like Megan the Stallion and City Girls.
Both hosts talk about their frustration with Snoop Dogg’s episode of Red Table Talk, and express their disappointment with the negative energy people direct towards black women.
They explain why they don’t think the Coronavirus outbreak will cause South by Southwest to be cancelled.
They express their support for Waka Flocka Flame’s assertion that hip-hop is not dangerous.
In his “Confucius Says” segment, Confucius cautions against entitlement and encourages artists to put the work in if they want to get played in the Breaks.
This week’s Local Song of the Week is “Amplifiers” by Deezie Brown.

Listen to this weeks episode of The Breaks

Listen on The Apple Podcasts App, Spotify or Stitcher

The Breaks are on every Saturday 10pm-1am on KUTX 98.9.You can hear the latest full broadcast of The Breaks Saturday night show.

Hear the music from The Breaks played on their Saturday Night Hip-hop show

Interview with Eimaral Sol

This week on The Breaks, Fresh sits down with KUTX’s Artist of the Month Eimaral Sol to talk about her journey from Killeen to Austin via Houston. They also discuss the inspiration behind her music, her thoughts about The Grammys and her takes on the Austin Chronicle Music Poll and Austin music scene.

This week’s Local Song of the Week is “Numb” by Jay Wile.

Listen to this episode of The Breaks

Get your tickets to the 2nd Annual Love Lockdown featuring Eimaral Sol, Jake Lloyd, Jay Wile & Arya at Stubb’s Austin Indoors on February 13th!

Listen on The Apple Podcasts App, Spotify or Stitcher

The Breaks are on every Saturday 10pm-1am on KUTX 98.9.You can hear the latest full broadcast of The Breaks Saturday night show.

Hear the music from The Breaks played on their Saturday Night Hip-hop show