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”.
Nicki Minaj
Time > Money
Confucius and Fresh discuss Swizz Beatz recent comment that for him, time is more important than money. Then they discuss whether being a public figure makes dating more complicated.
You’ll learn Hip-Hop Facts about Dr. Dre’s and Ice Cube’s un-released record “Helter Skelter,” who the role of Rob was originally written for in the movie “3 Strikes,” what the highest-grossing hip-hop tour of all time is, and more.
Fresh states the Unpopular Opinion that it is beneath Lil’ Kim to do a Verzuz with Nicki Minaj.
Confucius talks about the alleged assassination attempt on Vladimir Putin by Ukraine, Ron Desantis’s recent trip to Israel and his ongoing troubles with Disney, the recent bill that passed through the Texas Senate that would allow the Secretary of State to overturn elections in Harris Country, and more on Confucius Reads the News.
Cappin’ for Unhinged Creatives
Kanye West has made more than his fair share of outrageous headlines this past week, leading Confucius and Fresh to wonder…why continue to cap for unhinged creatives past their point of no return?
And when it comes to the current generation of younger rappers who seemingly can’t dress themselves, is it generational taste, or just objectively gaudy?
Hip-Hop Facts features tidbits on DJ Premier, Lil Jon, and Frank Ocean plus anecdotes on 8 Mile, Men in Black, and more.
Fresh’s latest Unpopular Opinion makes it clear: put Nicki Minaj alongside her rapper peers instead of atop the pop pedestal.
Finally, Confucius Reads the News on Steve Bannon’s prison sentence, Nick Cannon’s latest kid, Elon Musk’s Twitter purchase, and Rihanna’s new single.
Commercialization vs. Culture
Inspired by yet another Rolling Stone article, Confucius and Fresh kick off this week’s episode with a discussion on how Hip-Hop’s increasing commercialization affects its cultural relevance.
As the Nicki v. Cardi spat continues, the fellas talk up the importance of women in Hip-Hop, especially when it comes to lyrical effect on men.
Fresh’s Unpopular Opinion suggests cities ought to stop “adopting” artists as their own asset, before Confucius Reads the News about Kanye West and Parler, Biden’s Student Loan Forgiveness Program, and Jay-Z’s Bacardi lawsuit.
Being Blackballed in 2022
In this week’s edition of The Breaks, Fresh and Confucius kick off the conversation with a reflection on what it means to be “blackballed” and if it truly continues to exist in the current industry climate.
The fellas move on to a debate about whether or not Cardi B is overrated compared to Nicki Minaj, especially in terms of collaborating with fellow female artists.
On Hip-Hop Facts you’ll learn about some unexpected writing credits, the anniversaries of Loud Records, Def Jam South, and beef at the 2012 BET Hip-Hop Awards.
Fresh’s Unpopular Opinion puts a spin on the discourse between DJ Akademiks, LL Cool J, and others about how much credit hip-hop pioneers deserve in light of not warning new generations about the perils of the industry.
Finally on Confucius Reads the News, get a recap of the latest headlines on Kanye West, Harry Styles, N.O.R.E., and Donald Trump.
RiRi is Prego!
This week on The Breaks Confucius and Fresh discuss the importance of owning the things you create and talk through Nicki Minaj’s run-in with City Girls. They tell you Hip-Hop Facts about the beat to Camp Lo’s “Luchini AKA This Is It,” the truth behind the title of Drake’s hit “Marvin’s Room,” how a person gets a Roc-A-Fella chain, and more. Fresh states the Unpopular Opinion that if Nicki Minaj releases a record it will be the record of the year. And Confucius talks about Rihanna’s pregnancy announcement, Biden’s announcement that a U.S. operation killed the leader of ISIS, the recent freeze in Texas, and more in his Confucius Reads the News segment.
Listen to the latest full broadcast of The Breaks Saturday night show.
Confucius Talks Depression
In this episode of The Breaks
- Confucius opens up about his experiences with depression and talks about the importance of mental health with Fresh.
- Confucius and Fresh celebrate Freddie Gibbs’ recent success and explain why they wish he would chill out a little bit.
- In this week’s Installment of Hip-Hop Facts, you’ll learn the truth about the beef between Kris Kross and Another Bad Creation, how Lil Cease squashed his beef with the Outlawz, how Left Eye helped Kris Kross figure out their style, how Young Thug is directly responsible for the rise of Lil Baby and more!
- Fresh states the Unpopular Opinion that yes, there are at least 20 rappers who can rap as well as Biggie Smalls!
- In his Confucius Reads the News segment, Confucius talks about Wack 100’s comments about Bobby Shmurda, the failure of the Voting Right’s Act in the Senate, Jaheim’s Verzuz Challenge to Usher, Donald Trump Jr. retweeting Nicki Minaj, and more!
You can hear the latest full broadcast of The Breaks Saturday night show
Dr. Nicki vs The Vaccine
This week on the Breaks:
- Confucius and Fresh discuss Nicki Minaj’s recent comments about the COVID-19 vaccine.
- Both hosts discuss whether Drake’s music has become redundant after the release of his latest record “Certified Lover Boy.”
- In this week’s installment of Hip-Hop Facts you’ll learn about the origin of the term hip-hop, how KUTX DJ Jody Denberg grew up in the Bronx around the time that hip-hop was being created, how RBX never wanted to be a rapper and what happened when the Lords of the Underground threw UGK’s demo tape out a window.
- In his Unpopular Opinion Fresh answers the question “Is Drake the GOAT?”
- In his Confucius Says segment, Confucius encourages listeners to surround themselves with people who respect them and don’t cause trouble.
You can hear the latest full broadcast of The Breaks Saturday night show.
Dame vs Jay
This week on The Breaks:
- Fresh is still out, so Confucius discusses Nicki Minaj’s recent collaboration with BIA, and how happy he is to see her back making music
- Confucius talks about Drake’s latest dating shenanigans.
- In this week’s installment of Hip-Hop Facts you’ll learn about “Elevators” by Outkast, “Passing Me By” by The Pharcyde, “Summertime” by DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince and “Unforgettable” by Drake.
- Confucius discusses Lil Baby’s recent arrest in Paris.
- Confucius explores the rivalry between Dame Dash and Jay-Z, and explains why he thinks the two of them may never mend that rift because of Dame’s propensity to talk too much to the media.
- In his Confucius Says segment, Confucius talks about how much he misses his co-host Fresh Knight, who’s been under the weather, and talks about how ready he is for him to come back.
Listen to the latest full broadcast of The Breaks Saturday night show.
Kim Verzuz Nicki?
This week on The Breaks:
- Fresh is still out, so Confucius talks about the recent news that Lil’ Kim would like to do a Verzuz with Nicki Minaj.
- Confucius breaks down the Verzuz battle between Bobby Brown and Keith Sweat
- In this week’s installment of Hip-Hop Facts you’ll learn interesting tidbits about Nas’ classic records “Illmatic” and “It Was Written,” Aaliyah’s “At Your Best,” Jah Rule, Keith Sweat and more.
- Confucius talks about the recent altercation between Lil Uzi Vert, his ex girlfriend Brittany Byrd, and artist SAINt JHN.
- In his Confucius Says segment Confucius defends Austin artist and activist Jonathan “Chaka” Mahone against the unfounded allegations that local artist manager Wane levied against him on twitter.
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’ Mt. Rushmore of Rap
The week on The Breaks:
- Fresh is out, so Confucius answers the question put forth by Rap Caviar — Who are the 4 best rappers of the 2010’s? For Confucius it’s Drake, Kendrick, Future and Nicki Minaj.
- Confucius puts forth that of his top 4 hip-hop artists, Drake is hands down the biggest artist of them all.
- Confucius discusses the release of DMX’s posthumously released record “Exodus.”
- In this week’s installment of Random Hip-Hop Facts you’ll find out info about Lil Jon, the writing of “Still D.R.E.,” why Jay-Z skipped the Grammys and what the most bootlegged album of all time is.
- In his Confucius Says segment Confucius encourages listeners to be honest with themselves about who they are so that they can be true to themselves.
You can hear the latest full broadcast of The Breaks Saturday night show.
Respect Nicki Minaj!
This week on The Breaks:
- Fresh is out, so host Confucius Jones explores the legacy of Nicki Minaj after the re-release of her 2009 mixtape “Beam Me Up Scotty.”
- This week’s installment of Random Hip-Hop facts centers around LL Cool J and Jay-Z after the announcement that both of them will be inducted into the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame.
- Confucius talks about Future’s recent jab at his ex Lori Harvey on 42 Dugg’s song “Maybach, and proclaims that Future complains about women more than Drake does.
- In his Confucius Says segment Confucius acknowledges that the odds are stacked against Black and Brown Austinites, but still encourages them to do the work to fix the problems they see around them, even when it’s hard.
You can hear the latest full broadcast of The Breaks Saturday night show.
Shmurda Home!
In this episode of The Breaks:
- Confucius and Fresh talk about Bobby Shmurda’s recent release from prison.
- Both Hosts discuss Jay-Z’s latest deal with Moet Hennessy, and talk about how not everyone has to achieve the same success as Jay-Z in order to be considered successful.
- Fresh explains his confusion and disappointment around the announcement of the upcoming Verzuz battle between Raekwon and Ghostface Killah
- In this week’s installment of “Random Hip-Hop” facts you’ll learn interesting tidbits about Dr. Dre, Nas, Lupe Fiasco, Rihanna, J-Bo, Andre 3000 and more.
- In his Unpopular Opinion Fresh states that Nicki Minaj will be remembered as the greatest female rapper of all time.
- In his Confucius says Confucius says that when it comes to famous ex-friends like Dame Dash and Jay-Z, fans need to let go off the idea of reconciliation.
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’s Going on with Lil Baby?
In this episode of The Breaks
- Hosts Confucius and Fresh do a quick recap of Too Short and E40’s Verzuz battle.
- Both hosts discuss the drama in Lil Baby’s love life.
- The hosts talk about the recent news that Lil Wayne not only sold his masters, but Nicki Minaj and Drake’s masters as well.
- Fresh and Confucius talk about Rowdy Rebel’s recent release from jail.
- In this installment of “Random Hip Hop Facts” Confucius and Fresh tell you facts about November 18th, Too Short, DJ Jazzy Jeff, The Source Magazine and more.
- Fresh states the Unpopular Opinion that MC Hammer IS Hip-Hop.
- In his Confucius Says segment, Confucius encourages people to put jealousy aside when it comes to close friendships.
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.
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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Listen on The Apple Podcasts App, Spotify or Stitcher
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Kobe
This week on The Breaks:
- Confucius and Fresh discuss the internet’s reaction to CBS reporter Gayle King asking WNBA star Lisa Leslie about the sexual assault accusation against her friend and mentor Kobe Bryant.
- Both hosts lament the downfall of Nicki Minaj in the wake of her latest social media battle with her ex-boyfriend Meek Mill.
- They express their thoughts on Billie Eilish’s recent comments about rappers “lying” in their music.
Listen to this episode of The Breaks
Listen on The Apple Podcasts App, Spotify or Stitcher
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Grammys! Grammys! Grammys!
This week on The Breaks:
- Hosts Confucius and Fresh discuss the controversy at the Recording Academy, and explain why they think the Grammys are no longer culturally relevant.
- They talk about DaBaby’s recent run-in with a hotel valet.
- In his Unpopular Opinion Fresh acknowledges that even though the Grammys aren’t culturally relevant, the Grammy’s still matter to a lot of artists and that’s okay.
- Both hosts talk about Meek Mill’s Grammy weekend run-in with his ex Nicki Minaj.
- The local song of the week is “Greenthumb” by Eimaral Sol.
Listen on The Apple Podcasts App, Spotify or Stitcher
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