Music
Hip Hop & R&B Music – Visit Austin
It wasn’t until the late 1970s and early ‘80s that the musical genre and culture of hip-hop emerged like a tidal wave upon America. The genre has since only grown in popularity and now frequently dominates modern-day Billboard charts.
In Austin, leading the charge in the late ‘80s was the pioneering local hip-hop artist Donnell Robinson, known better by his stage name MC Overlord. Overlord, a St. Louis native, had moved to Austin for college but dropped out a year later to launch what would be a 30-year rap career. While there were not many stages where rap was welcome, especially east of I-35, he boosted the careers of young hip-hop artists by featuring them at a downtown club called Hip Hop City.
Some of the other hip-hop venues of Austin’s past worth mentioning include Red River’s former uptown club Spiros, Hip Hop City’s successor the Sanitarium, and the Catfish Station. The Catfish was one of the initial flagship hip-hop venues in Austin and had a good run from 1987 to 1995. SXSW’s Andre Walker and music blogger Matt Sonzala were responsible for the initial bookings of hip-hop artists at the global music festival beginning in 1994 through the 2000s. Famously, the festival launched many music careers, including Erykah Free who was discovered at a showcase at the Catfish by a Universal Music scout and soon transformed into the Dallas legend Erykah Badu.
Crucial to the late ‘90s and early 2000s was a local promoting crew called Hip-Hop Mecca which was founded in 1997 by David Crump and Doug Mecca. The crew was famous for putting on roadshows and introducing the state and nation’s burgeoning hip-hop scene to Austin in addition to local performers like DJ NickNack and MCs Nook and Smackola, the latter of which formed Austin’s original Dirty Wormz with DJ Crash. The aforementioned MC Nook also known as Charles “Nook” Turner, founded an organization called Jump On It in 1996 with the intention of uniting the local community through entertainment, hosting summer music events for East Austin families. After being on hiatus for a few years, Nook continues to run Jump On It events with his wife to this day.
Another beloved Austin music fixture Terrany Johnson, otherwise known as Tee Double, continues to make music to this day. Tee founded a non-profit called the Urban Artist Alliance in 2012 to educate and inspire young generations of urban artists.
For years after the closing of the Catfish Station, it was rare to see hip-hop shows west of I-35 in the salad days of Austin hip-hop. However, there were a few places like the Black Cat Lounge, which showcased a wide variety of music in its 17-year run including rap shows, and Austin’s infamous Back Room (currently Emo’s East). Near the end of its time, the talent buyers at the Back Room started booking acts like Bun B, Devin the Dude, and local talent Bavu Blakes after several years of successful SXSW hip-hop showcases. Blakes built his own legacy in Austin as one of the first local hip-hop artists to play at ACL Festival. Blakes partnered with Tee Double, Traygod Shekhem, and multi-instrumental wizard D-Madness to host the weekly “Hip Hop Humpdays” events at Sixth Street’s Mercury Lounge.
In the modern day musical landscape of Austin, hip-hop culture thrives. In 2010, the then-19-year-old Sascha Stone Guttfreund founded Scoremore Shows, now one of the largest hip-hop and EDM promoters in the state. Now under ownership of C3 Presents, Scoremore still books large acts for events and festivals such as JMBLYA and Mala Luna.
In more recent years, Scratchouse, a recent victim of the 2020 pandemic, was widely known by the community for its electronic and hip-hop programming for the younger generation. Now that the club has closed, numerous others continue the legacy of local R&B and hip-hop.
Named after the manager of Austin’s legendary Rome Inn club, C-Boy’s Heart & Soul is a South Congress-area juke-joint featuring classic soul and R&B music onstage, a spacious and cool outdoor patio and an upstairs lounge called the “Jade Room,” a nod to a former legendary Austin venue.
Sitting pretty in the historic Red River Cultural District is Empire Control Room & Garage where local promotion company Heard Presents hosts local artists in its smaller indoor listening room called the Empire Control Room and popular touring acts on the much larger stage outside in the Empire Garage.
While you’re in town, plan a visit to shows at the genre-neutral Riverside institutions Come and Take it Live and Emo’s, or see if there are shows happening at the Far Out Lounge down south, Rainey Street’s Half-Step, or East Side gem Kenny Dorham’s Backyard.
For a more casual listening experience, visitors of the Texas capital are welcome to tune into KUTX 98.9 FM for Austin’s most popular hip-hop radio program called The Breaks hosted by Aaron “Fresh” Knight and Confucius Jones. The show covers everything from hip-hop history to music by the city’s emerging hip-hop artists. Another important part of Austin’s hip-hop culture is the city’s oldest community-run station KAZI 88.7 FM, where the late DJ Southpaw coined the term “ATX.” The station features R&B, hip-hop, soul and other genres.
In addition to the endless list of artists named above, Austin is home to DJs such as Grammy-winning music veteran Rapid Ric, DJ Phyfteen, and the city’s premier hip-hop DJ Hella Yella who began his career jockeying school dances only to become the first and only on-air mixer in the history of radio channel 102.3 The Beat.
While you may have heard of pop and R&B icons such as Nelly and Ciara, who were both born in the Austin area, the city has a lot more for you to discover such as local husband-and-wife duo Riders Against the Storm or popular local producer and artist Kydd Jones. Additionally, go listen to Blackillac, a duo made up of equal parts of local rappers ZEALE and Pharcyde under the guidance of hometown hero Gary Clark Jr. Other big names include gen-Z era Quin NFN and widely celebrated rap groups from the neighboring San Marcos area Brockhampton and PNTHN.
Worthy of mention, Austin’s hip-hop community has grown to be more inclusive with a growing number of female rap and R&B artists leading the scene such as Mama Duke, Magna Carda, Eimaral Sol, Alesia Lani, and Melat.
Contributed by Nathalie Phan.
I love living and making music in Austin because of the creative spirit of the community. The collaboration that’s fostered by so many musicians and creatives being in the same streets and buildings is special.
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NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The breakdown in Ticketmaster’s sales of Taylor Swift tickets is a mess some attorneys general aren’t shaking off.
With fans sharing outrage and heartache over the fruitless hours they spent trying for seats for Swift’s upcoming concert tour, top legal chiefs in Nevada, Tennessee and Pennsylvania have launched investigations into the fiasco.
“Trouble, trouble, trouble,” tweeted Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro in a reference to Swift’s 2012 hit song ‘I Knew You Were Trouble’ as he asked the public to file complaints about using Ticketmaster with his office.
Shapiro, a Democrat who recently won Pennsylvania’s governor race, has since thanked people for their “swift response” while noting his office had received “a lot of complaints” to look into.
Over in Tennessee, Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti said he wants to ensure consumers have a fair shot at buying tickets.
“There are no allegations at this time of any misconduct, but as the attorney general it’s my job to ensure that the consumer protection laws and antitrust laws in Tennessee are being honored,” Skrmetti told reporters.
In 2008, Tennessee enacted a so-called “anti-bot” law that prohibits using certain computer programs to buy large amounts of tickets to concerts and sporting events. However, like most states that have passed similar bans, the law has rarely been enforced.
Meanwhile, in Nevada, the attorney general’s office said it was investigating Ticketmaster for “alleged deceptive or unfair trade practices.”
The trouble began when registered fans given codes for a pre-sale on Tuesday tried to secure tickets for Swift’s 52-date The Eras tour next year. They were quickly met with long delays and error messages that Ticketmaster blamed on bots and historically unprecedented demand. The company then canceled Friday’s sales to the general public.
Swift vented anger and frustration in a lengthy statement, saying she had been assured by Ticketmaster that they could handle the demand.
“It’s really difficult for me to trust an outside entity with these relationships and loyalties, and excruciating for me to just watch mistakes happen with no recourse,” Swift said.
Ticketmaster said more than 2 million tickets were sold despite the troubles, setting a new single-day record for artists on the platform, and that only 15% of would-be buyers had issues with the process.
“We want to apologize to Taylor and all of her fans – especially those who had a terrible experience trying to purchase tickets,” the company said.
Multiple lawmakers have accused Ticketmaster of abusing its power as the dominant ticket-seller for consumers.
U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who chairs the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust, and Consumer Rights, wrote an open letter to Ticketmaster’s President and CEO Michael Rapino, saying that she’s been skeptical of his company ever since they merged with LiveNation in 2011. Her letter included several questions about Ticketmaster’s business practices that she asked Rapino answer by next week.
Asked about reports that the Justice Department would investigate Live Nation, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre declined to comment on specifics, but said President Joe Biden has worked to increase competition and limit the power of large corporations, believing that a “lack of competition leads to higher prices, and worse service.”
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Associated Press writer Aamer Madhani contributed to this report from Washington D.C.
LONDON (AP) — Adidas has ended its partnership with the rapper formerly known as Kanye West over things he has said the company does not agree with.
“Adidas does not tolerate antisemitism and any other sort of [speech we hate]…” the company said in a statement Tuesday. “Ye’s recent comments and actions have been unacceptable, hateful and dangerous, and they violate the company’s values of diversity and inclusion, mutual respect and fairness.”
The company faced pressure to cut ties with Ye, with celebrities and others on social media urging Adidas to act. It said at the beginning of the month that it was placing its lucrative sneaker deal with the rapper under review.
Adidas said Tuesday that it conducted a “thorough review” and would immediately stop production of its line of Yeezy products and stop payments to Ye and his companies. The sportswear company said it was expected to take a hit of up to 250 million euros ($246 million) to its net income this year from the move.
The move by Adidas, whose CEO Kasper Rorsted is stepping down next year, comes after Ye was suspended from Twitter and Instagram this month over antisemitic posts that the social networks said violated their policies.
He recently suggested slavery was a choice and called the COVID-19 vaccine the “mark of the beast,” among other comments. He also was criticized for wearing a “White Lives Matter” T-shirt to his Yeezy collection show in Paris.
Ye’s talent agency, CAA, has dropped him, and the MRC studio announced Monday that it is shelving a complete documentary about the rapper.
The Balenciaga fashion house cut ties with Ye last week, according to Women’s Wear Daily. JPMorganChase and Ye have ended their business relationship, although the banking breakup was in the works even before Ye’s antisemitic comments.
In recent weeks, Ye also has ended his company’s association with Gap and has told Bloomberg that he plans to cut ties with his corporate suppliers.
After he was suspended from Twitter and Facebook, Ye offered to buy conservative social network Parler.
Demonstrators on a Los Angeles overpass Saturday unfurled a banner praising Ye’s antisemitic comments, prompting an outcry on social media from celebrities and others who said they stand with Jewish people.
In Germany, where Adidas is headquartered, the head of the country’s main Jewish group welcomed the company’s decision but said the “step was overdue.”
“I would have liked a clear stance earlier from a German company that also was entangled with the Nazi regime,” Josef Schuster, president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, said in a statement. “Adidas has done a lot to distance itself from its past and, like many sports brands, is one of those companies that conduct big campaigns against antisemitism and racism. That’s why an earlier separation from Kanye West would have been appropriate.”
Austin City Limits concluded it’s 2-week long music festival this past Sunday, with mega-headliners such as The Red Hot Chili Peppers and Paramore.
One of the top complaints received this year was how bad the entrance lines were, especially the “No Bag” lines which is intended to help speed up patrons that do not carry any backpacks that need a longer inspection.
At the North entrance for ACL 2022, security was half-way decent keeping people WITH bags out of the No Bag line. Albeit it’s the main entrance, it did help speed up the hundreds-of-feet long line that could take up to nearly 45 minutes.
Patrons claim the security guards for the North entrance were directing people over to the West and East entrances claiming they were faster. When most patrons who heard that did go over to the East and West entrances, they were greeted by a line half the size (still hundreds of people funneling into 10-20 metal detectors) – the security was by far worse, and the staff was not checking the lines letting people WITH bags into the No Bag line.
Why is this such a huge complaint we’ve received?
Attendees were not only baking in the hot sun with no shade and temperatures raising up to 95F – there were almost zero fans to help keep cool, and the lines took DOUBLE the amount of time as the original longer North entrance line.
Why would ACL 2022 allow such poor optimization of these lines? Nobody really knows.
The 2nd most ferried complaint we’ve uncovered was rumored very rude bartenders at the T-Mobile Lounge for Austin City Limits 2022. Some attendees mentioned having been standing in line, some of the bartenders would call on people behind them instead for whatever bias those bartenders had.
That’s about all the Austin City Limits 2022 gossip we have for now, and we hope everyone enjoyed the music, food, and fun.
