After a quick postmortem on the Drake-Kendrick beef, Confucius and Fresh dissect how R&B crept into Hip-Hop’s sonic sector. Get that, an Unpopular Opinion around Kendrick’s de facto influence on the West Coast’s relevance, plus Hip-Hop Facts and Confucius’ reactions to the latest headlines right here.
Usher
Is Adam22 Really That Big of an Authority?
Fresh does the show solo as he talks about Adam22’s place in media, Kendrick Lamar’s long-awaited response to Drake, Hip-Hop Facts, and an Unpopular Opinion on “selling out”.
Jermaine Dupri vs. Dr. Dre / The Neptunes vs. Three 6 Mafia
Tough calls all around when it comes to ranking these heavyweights! And is radio dead? Maybe just the commercial kind…Hear that plus Hip-Hop Facts and the latest news in this episode.
Start Submitting Music / Another Dame Dash?
With another SXSBreaks in the bag, Confucius and Fresh recommend submitting your stuff for next year’s consideration sooner rather than later. Does hip-hop need another Damon Dash and how much does talent account for success in the current generation? See what the fellas have to say in the latest.
The GOAT Rap Album / SXSBreaks 2024
What’s the greatest rap album of all time? Confucius and Fresh weigh options before revealing this year’s SXSBreaks lineup. Also, Fresh’s Unpopular Opinion makes a compelling point about how extensive familiarity with a city’s culture diminishes interest in its scene.
Looking Back at 2023
As we start to wind down for the winter, Confucius and Fresh look back at some of the show’s 2023 highlights before continuing the debate of whether or not the dominance of female rappers will continue into 2024. Get that plus an Unpopular Opinion about establishments exercising discretion, Hip-Hop Facts, and Confucius Reads the News on the latest episode of The Breaks.
Why Leave Austin?
The Breaks thanks everyone who showed some love during KUT & KUTX’s summer membership drive open house! It got Confucius and Fresh reflecting on reception and listener demographics and overall reception before begging why leave the city where your brand was born?
On Hip-Hop Facts the fellas dig up some great trivia on Milli Vanilli, Wiz Khalifa’s brief marriage to Amber Rose, some family resentment within Run-D.M.C. and more.
Watch out Ye-fans, in this week’s Unpopular Opinion Fresh calls it like he sees it; Yeezus simply does not belong in the top three of Kanye’s best albums.
Finally, Confucius Reads the News on the latest from OceanGate, the discovery of hard drugs in the White House, the Keke Palmer-Usher spectacle, and Yusef Salaam’s council seat victory.
R&B’s Diminishing Dominance
In this episode, Confucius and Fresh break down what happened to R&B as a dominating force before debating whether or not Austin City Limits Music Festival has “gotten better” at showcasing rap in recent years.
On Hip-Hop Facts you’ll hear about Lil Jon’s double distribution of the “Yeah” instrumental, birthday boy Ginuwine’s real name, and the first of many Belly film trivia tidbits.
Fresh’s Unpopular Opinion goes meta when he defends the significance of The Breaks itself for playing local artists.
And no news from Confucius this week; Instead he talks up his headliner comedy gig this Wednesday at The Pershing, hosted by Fresh!
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
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.
The Breaks: The Weekend vs Usher + Tory Lanez
This week on The Breaks, Confucius and Fresh:
- talk about the Weeknd’s comments about his influence on Usher’s track “Climax.”
- discuss the difference between artists who came into their own during the era of physical album sales versus artists who came of age in the streaming era.
- explore why Tory Lanez had so much popularity with “Quarantine Radio” but yet hasn’t comparable numbers with his new record “The New Toronto 3.”
- break down the recent Beat Battle between RZA and Premiere, and explain why they are excited for the upcoming Beat Battle between Babyface and Teddy Riley on April 18th.
- Fresh puts forth his Unpopular Opinion that “All American” is not a great TV show.
- Confucius encourages people to be open to the lessons they are learning about themselves in quarantine.
- This week’s Local Song of the Week is “ICU” by Kydd Jones.
Listen to this episode of The Breaks
Listen on The Apple Podcasts App, Spotify or Stitcher