On this episode we interview legendary artist Project Pat (brother of Juicy J from Three 6 Mafia) ahead of his show in Austin this weekend. Hip-hop facts this week include Eddie Murphy and Whitney Houston, a Jay-Z inspired Hulu series, and the film Paid In Full. Unpopular Opinion with Fresh this week is about underground rapper Dom Kennedy needing to put his more known album on streaming services.
texas
Why Are Record Sales Important?
On this episode we discuss if record sales are still important and where is the undisputed summer anthem. Hip-hop facts include Public Enemy, Ginuwine and Tyler the Creator. Unpopular Opinion with Fresh is that the beef between Kendrick and Drake ruined hip-hop in a way.
Kerr County emergency officials were sleeping when flood hit July 4
Why weren’t Hill Country communities alerted as a deadly wall of water roared down the Guadalupe on the weekend of July 4th? In their first public testimony on the floods, top emergency officials in Kerr County said they were away or asleep.
Voting the old-fashioned way? A return to hand-marked ballots in Collin County is part of a change sweeping Texas and other parts of the country.
Red-crowned Amazons squawk through summer nights in Brownsville – and they’ve been the city’s official bird since 1992.
Plus: An update on a major scramble to defend Texas from a devastating invader, the New World Screwworm.
Food banks struggle to meet rising demand
What we’re now learning about what happened – and what didn’t – before the Hill Country floods. Investigative reporter Lauren McGaughy has the details.
Plus: Flood survivors are asking lawmakers meeting in special session right now to tap the state’s $24 billion rainy day fund to help them meet their immediate needs.
Even without a pandemic, Texas food banks are facing shortages and surging need. The CEO of Feeding Texas joins us to talk about what’s driving the crisis.
Funds for adult education were first put on hold, then released – but there’s a big asterisk. The Standard’s Sarah Asch on a policy change that could affect adult ed.
Plus: Texas Monthly barbecue editor Daniel Vaughn dishes on his latest list of the top BBQ 50 spots in the state.
Why ‘Don’t California My Texas’ isn’t the whole story
Are Democratic lawmakers on the verge of a walkout to stop Republicans from redistricting during the special session? We’ll have the latest.
We’re also tracking possible federal funding cuts to legal aid organizations that could leave thousands of Texans who can’t afford a lawyer without the help they need.
Going beyond armed security guards, some Texas schools are turning to drones to increase security.
The changing role of social media influencers was on display in the aftermath of the July 4 floods.
And: Are Texas lawmakers quietly taking cues on governing from California?
Roc Nation Did It
On this episode we discuss overstaying your welcome as an artist in different spaces. We also discuss people blaming Jay-Z’s Roc Nation record label for all of their musical woes. Hip-Hop facts includes facts about Clipse, 2pac’s early college days, and why Joaquin Phoenix is a huge Michael Jackson fan. Unpopular opinion with Fresh is about not wanting Erykah Badu to choose rapping over singing on her records.
Houston archaeologists uncover tomb of ancient Maya ruler
The Trump administration releases billions of dollars in education grants it previously withheld. What it means as students head back to school.
How the U.S. military is responding to a new kind of warfare that uses small, inexpensive drones.
The story of a Cuban man who raised a family in Texas and spent years working for a school district near Abilene – and now is locked up in an ICE detention center.
A high school student’s plan to help schools coping with a shortage of mental health counselors.
And: A Houston husband-and-wife team of archaeologists have discovered the tomb of the ruler of the ancient Mayan city of Caracol, now in present-day Belize.
Ben Kweller on grief, music and ‘Cover the Mirrors’
As Texas lawmakers move to consider regulations on THC products, what’s legal, and what’s not? KUT News reporter Nathan Bernier joins us to break it down.
As many see the future of energy as cleaner renewables, why many in the city of Port Arthur are pinning their hopes for a comeback – on oil.
At the Austin YMCA, adults are conquering their fear of water and gaining life-saving skills through swim lessons designed just for them. Texas Standard producer Sarah Asch has the story.
Plus: Two years after the death of his teenage son, a father’s musical journey to find healing: Our conversation with Dripping Springs-based musician Ben Kweller.
Who really got things done at the Legislature?
As lawmakers get ready to return to the Capitol in a special session, a new report shows billions more are needed to address flooding.
Who are the most productive lawmakers in the Legislature? The Texas Newsroom’s Blaise Gainey takes a closer look.
Remember when there were growing concerns about a population explosion? In a new book, UT economist Dean Spears is sounding the alarm about quite the opposite.
Plus: Director Ari Aster on his new western, set in an era of pandemic and protest.
Texas Standard is a listener-supported production of KUT & KUTX Studios in Austin, Texas.
You can support this podcast at supportthispodcast.org
The hat that made the cowboy
There are a few symbols so deeply woven into the fabric of Texas that they seem as native as mesquite or bluebonnets. One of them is the Stetson hat. Not just any Stetson hat – the Boss of the Plains.
Texas Standard commentator W.F. Strong says that oddly enough, it didn’t come from Texas at all.
Creative smuggling when Texas was a republic
If there’s one thing the Texans of the early republic never lacked, it was imagination – especially when it came to dodging tariffs and taxes. Texas Standard commentator W.F. Strong explains.
Austin’s first LGBTQ+ couples to marry celebrate their 10th anniversaries
A decade after the landmark Supreme Court decision legalizing same-sex marriage, Austin lovebirds returned to the spot where they became husbands and wives. KUT’s Katy McAfee was there and talked to couples who got married ten years ago.
Wealthy families are buying homes to get in-state tuition at Texas universities
Texas lets out-of-state students buy homes to get in-state tuition. KUT’s Audrey McGlinchy says the law has fed a growing industry of families buying condos in cash, holding onto them for a couple years and then selling to the next out-of-state family.
A live broadcast from Waco
As we continue our yearlong 10th birthday celebration, today we’re broadcasting before a live studio audience at a place that’s been called the “Athens of Texas” – Waco, itself celebrating 25 years of public radio from our partners at KWBU.
We’ll be sampling some of the sights, sounds and tastes of this historic Central Texas city.
After all, when you’re the birthplace of Dr Pepper, home to a national monument marking an epic concentration of mammoths, and with a growing population and national profile, there’s a whole lotta Waco to explore.
Summer Jam 2025!
On this episode we discuss the line up for this years Summer Jam showcase happening at Stubbs BBQ. We also discuss if Houston has moved past its former DJ Screw influenced sound. Hip-hop facts includes The Fugees, Ghostface Killah and Redman. Unpopular Opinion this week is about how genres are always changing and growing.
Texans help build Giant Magellan Telescope
The U.S. Supreme Court recently upheld the Texas law that requires age verification for porn sites. We’ll take a close look at the law.
As the U.S. and China negotiate a new trade agreement, farmers cope with the uncertainty.
Plus, how some of the best and brightest in Texas collaborated to build the Giant Magellan Telescope.
Also, fresh off his listening tour of Texas, we’ll hear from one of the state’s best-known Democrats: Beto O’Rourke.
And a record number of travelers are expected to hit the road for the Fourth of July holiday. Are international events affecting prices at the pump?
Weighing how much of an inheritance to put in a home, explaining minimum distributions from IRAs, and more on Social Security disbursements
Carl helps several callers and texters, like one trying to figure out what percentage of an inheritance to invest in markets and in her Austin home, what happens when the federal government requires minimum distributions from Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs), and weighing how long to wait to take Social Security benefits — and more.
KUT Morning Newscast for June 17, 2025: Austin city leaders are looking to make cuts to the city budget
Central Texas top stories for June 17, 2025. Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed three tax break bills into law yesterday. Austin, Travis County and Austin ISD are looking at ways to be more efficient with taxpayer dollars. Eanes ISD will start looking for a new superintendent.
Good Hair and Music In The ATX
On this episode we interview Geto Gala, fresh off their trip from London for SXSW London. We also interview artist Chakeeta B about her upcoming new album and her hair festival the Kinky Curly Coily Festival. Hip-hop facts include Lil Kim, K-Camp, Rapper’s Delight and more. Fresh, and Chakeeta B’s, Unpopular opinion includes Lil Wayne’s current standing in the culture of hip-hop.
Some immigrants thankful for those who protest in Austin, but worry arrests overshadow purpose
Many residents without legal status are staying away from anti-ICE protests because they don’t feel safe. KUT’s Greta Díaz González Vázquez tells us how they are feeling about other people protesting. More demonstrations are planned for the weekend.