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.
Megan thee Stallion
The Drake-Future Feud / Sex Appeal
Confucius and Fresh cover the latest rap beef before weighing the importance of sex appeal in the modern era. Hear that, Hip-Hop Facts, Confucius Reads the News, and an Unpopular Opinion on industry politics.
Why El Paso Mexican food hits different
There’s a six-way race in Houston for the Democratic bid to represent part of the city in the Texas Senate. We’ll look at how it’s shaping up.
A case involving a Navy SEAL is testing a Pentagon policy designed to keep extremists out of the military.
Change is coming to a corridor in the Texas Hill Country known for its wineries. Why it could just be the beginning of more development.
Megan Thee Stallion’s new single, “Hiss,” is her first solo track to debut at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. It’s also being received as a “diss” track.
And: El Paso, with its proximity to New Mexico, does Mexican food a bit different. We’ll hear about some of the people contributing to its unique flavors.
Revamping 6th Street/Snarling Nikki
Think 6th Street could use a couple tweaks? Confucius and Fresh do too! They also couldn’t resist a chance to chime in on the Nicki Minaj/Megan Thee Stallion situation. Hip Hop Facts and Confucius Reads the News are both in fine form this week, as is Fresh’s Unpopular Opinion for Austin’s prospects as a “Texas rap city”.
Merry Listmas!
It’s the last Breaks podcast of 2022! To celebrate, Confucius and Fresh debate the importance of end-of-the-year lists and discuss their hopes and predictions for 2023.
You’ll learn Christmas Hip-Hop Facts about the songs “Santa Claus Goes Straight to the Ghetto,” “All I Want For Christmas is You,” “This Christmas” and more.
Fresh States the Unpopular Opinion that people don’t have to be formally trained in hip-hop to be considered professional rappers.
Confucius talks about the trial of Megan Thee Stallion and Torey Lanez, the outcry over Brittney Griner‘s release, Gunna’s release from prison, and more.
Megan v. YoungBoy: Who Commands a Bigger Crowd?
Megan Thee Stallion and NBA YoungBoy both have plenty of pull in their own right, but what about head-to-head? Confucius and Fresh kick off the show with a debate on crowd density, taste demographics, and more.
As part of their ongoing discussion on once-important vehicles in the digital age, Fresh and Confucius compare viewpoints on the seemingly diminished power of music videos nowadays.
On Hip-Hop Facts you’ll learn about producer Teddy Riley, some behind-the-scenes anniversary facts for Aquemni, KRS-One’s lack of control over Criminal Minded, early Screw tape appearances, and more.
Fresh’s Unpopular Opinion puts a pessimistic spin on the voice of Native Black Austinites while Confucius Reads the News about Coolio’s passing, a recent Biden rally, A$AP Rocky’s mosh pit despair, and the latest legal updates for Gunna.
State of the Austin Union
Confucius and Fresh talk about the current state of the Austin R&B and rap scene. They also discuss whether radio is still important and what needs to change for it to stay relevant.
You’ll learn Hip-Hop Facts about how Joey Bada$$ really feels about his song “Devastated,” how Dipset ended up with an office in the Def Jam building, who gave Irv Gotti his name, and more!
Fresh states the Unpopular Opinion that Megan Thee Stallion might be a little overrated.
Confucius talks about the Uvalde School Board’s decision to fire police chief Pete Arrendondo, Offset’s lawsuit against his record label, the Biden administration’s decision to forgive some student loans and more in Confucius Reads the News.
The Breaks Live at ACL Fest 2021
This week on the Breaks:
- Confucius and Fresh were out at the Austin City Limits Festival for weekend 2. You’ll hear their interviews with Austin artists Mike Melinoe and Sheila, recorded live at the ACLfest Bonus Tracks stage.
- In this week’s installment of Hip-Hop Facts, you’ll hear about the surprising connection between Megan Thee Stallion and Q-tip, how 50 Cent passed on Freddy Gibbs, Aaliyah’s intro to 4 page letter, how Rick James felt about MC Hammer’s “U Can’t Touch This,” the story of Prince and Michael Jackson’s Bad and more.
- Confucius and Fresh discuss OG Ron C’s assertion that DJ Screw didn’t actually chop and screw beats.
- Fresh puts forth the Unpopular Opinion that Texas Hip-Hop deserves more appreciation than it is currently getting and should get its flowers now!
- In his Confucius Says segment Confucius says that even though he’s been a fan of comedian Dave Chappelle he thinks the comedian needs to shut the hell up.
You can hear the latest full broadcast of The Breaks Saturday night show.
The Breaks Cancel Tory
This week on The Breaks
- Hosts Confucius and Fresh talk about the absurdity of Tory Lanez new record “Daystar” where he denies shooting Megan the Thee Stallion in the foot.
- Both hosts talk about their love for Outkast’s record “Aquemini” after the 22nd anniversary of its release on September 29th.
- In his Unpopular Opinion, Fresh states that the best rap album if 2020 is “The Price of Tea in China” by Boldy James.
- With the election less than 30 days away Confucius stresses the importance of voting in his Confucius Says segment.
Listen to this episode of The Breaks
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.
Leave Megan Alone!
This week on The Breaks, Fresh and Confucius:
- Discuss Megan Thee Stallion’s latest IG live post about rapper Tory Lanez shooting her in both feet.
- Talk about Snoop Dogg’s appearance on The Breakfast Club.
- Touch on the emerging conflict between Lil Baby and Migos.
- In his Unpopular Opinion, Fresh argues that Jack Harlow is overrated.
- In his Confucius Says, Confucius reminds us that other people’s behavior is often about survival, so we shouldn’t take their actions too personally.
Listen to this week’s episode of The Breaks
Nelly vs Ludacris
This week on The Breaks Confucius and Fresh discuss:
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- 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
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The Breaks: 1996 vs 1997
This week on The Breaks, Fresh and Confucius:
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- 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
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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
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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
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Hear the music from The Breaks played on their Saturday Night Hip-hop show
Megan Thee Stallion & The Grammys
This week on The Breaks:
- In his Unpopular Opinion segment, Fresh explains why he thinks Megan Thee Stallion wasn’t nominated for a Grammy in the “Best New Artist” category.
- Confucius and Fresh talk to Austin’s Eazy Boi about his new record “Griffin,” fatherhood and his thoughts on the city’s hip-hop scene.
- Confucius implores people to stop complaining about how there’s no good music being made today in his Confucius Says segment.
- Confucius and Fresh interview the organizers of the Down South Love – Black Friday Show Texas Hip Hop Showcase. The show which features acts like Milkweed, Vontay Galaxy and DJ Confucius Jones, will be from 7pm – 1 am at Come and Take It Live.
Listen to this episode of The Breaks
Listen on The Apple Podcasts App, Spotify or Stitcher
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Hear the music from The Breaks played on their Saturday Night Hip-hop show