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.
riders against the storm
Riders Against the Storm: “Black Girl Payday”
As Women’s History Month comes to a close this Sunday, we assure y’all that we’ll keep featuring the countless talented women of our fair city all year ’round. But March 2024 does end with a unique spectacle this weekend, thanks to a fierce feminine force who’s already left her historic mark on Austin’s steadily diversifying music scene.
And that’s Qi Dada, one half of the husband-and-wife hip-hop duo, Riders Against the Storm, one of KUTX’s very first Studio 1A guests and some of Austin’s most influential socially conscious creators. Following a track record of promoting Black and Brown women’s voices through RAS Day Fest (currently on hiatus) and Body Rock ATX (which has found new legs at Sahara Lounge), Qi Dada’s put something together just for the ladies…well…at least lineup-wise.
That’s right, audiences of all kinds are welcome to join Qi Dada and her handpicked crew for a live concert taping and post-show ceremony – Black Divas – 6:30-8:30PM this Saturday at Austin PBS. It’s all in the name of uplifting motherhood and maternal health, aiming to raise awareness around the rise of maternal death rates in Texas and beyond, so you know your cover fee is going towards a great cause and great music. And although we wish we could spin stuff from the whole roster of performers, we also don’t want to spoil the Black girl magic ahead of the actual event. So instead we’re bending the knee to Austin’s certified queen of the hustle with an oldie-but-goodie Qi Dada solo cut from RAS’ 2021 LP Flowers For the Living. Because with empowering triplet-ripplin’ lyrics and a sassy bass-heavy beat to match, “Black Girl Payday” is the alarm you need to keep from sleeping on Black Divas this Saturday.
The Bright Light Social Hour: “The Sheriff” (feat. Riders Against the Storm)
KUTX turns ten next year. And two groups that’ve been glued to our hip the whole way through are The Bright Light Social Hour and Riders Against the Storm. They’re both must-hear Austin mainstays for a damn good reason; The Bright Light Social Hour continues to innovate a sweet-yet-sinister indie-psych sound while Riders Against the Storm still find new ways to purvey their politics across a variety of soundscapes. Both TBLSH and RAS have paid their fair share of visits to Studio 1A and enjoyed plenty of official festival performances, but despite having shared stages more times than we can count, they’ve never formally created something together…until now.
Riders Against the Storm and The Bright Light Social Hour recently left the studio with a single that capitalizes on its Curtis-meets-Qi/Jackie-meets-Chaka star-crossed chemistry for a menacing three-and-a-half minute cinematic march. KUTX Presents The Bright Light Social Hour and Riders Against the Storm’s single release show 8PM this Friday at The Parish, so score your tickets while they’re still around. In the meantime, admire this new authority in Austin music alliances with the crunchy, effects-drenched crawl of “The Sheriff”.
Riders Against the Storm: “Flowers For The Living” (feat. Clarence James)
Whether you’ve attended those legendary Body Rock ATX dance parties, celebrated the official RAS Day (August 29th), or seen their name pop-up on KUTX’s playlists, chances are you’ve heard of Riders Against the Storm. Since their 2013 eponymous EP, this eclectic hip-hop duo has continued to defy any expectations of the genre by incorporating a variety of worldly sounds, most recently on this year’s feature-stacked full-length Flowers For The Living.
These three-time Studio 1A performers and previous My KUTX hosts take the Tito’s Handmade Vodka Stage 1:30pm this Friday at Austin City Limits Music Festival, so in this proverbial calm before the storm, you can bloom alongside the boom on Flowers For The Living‘s title track!
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.
Music and Activism with Jonathan “Chaka” Mahone
Jonathan “Chaka” Mahone from the Austin hip-hop duo Riders Against the Storm talks about how his experience as a Black musician in the Austin music community led him to create the DAWA Fund and the Black Live Music Fund. He also explains why his music is the reason he is able to continue to serve the community he loves.
Links:
To Support the Black Live Music Fund
Black Live Music Fund – “Thankful” Live Stream Event February 19th
Kelsey Wilson of Wild Child // Riders Against the Storm
In this Episode of “This Song” host Elizabeth McQueen sits down with Kelsey Wilson from Wild Child to talk about how a Nina Simone song taught her about the power of emotion and freedom in music. Then she talks with Qi and Chaka from Riders Against the Storm about the thematic power of Ibeyi’s “River,” and about their process behind their own remix of the song.
Hear Riders Against the Storms “River” Remix on Soundcloud
Download Riders Against the Storm’s “River” Remix as part of the KUTX Song of the Day feature
Hear Nina Simone talk about what freedom means to her.
See Wild Child’s Studio 1A performance
Subscribe via iTunes or Stitcher to get the new episodes of “This Song” delivered to you as soon as they come out.