Curated by Aaron “Fresh” Knight and Jared “Confucius Jones” Williams, hosts of KUTX’s hip-hop show The Breaks, last Friday’s Summer Jam featured Austin’s diverse and talented hip-hop, R&B, and soul up-and-comers.
Venezuelan DJ Joaqu.N supplied solid sounds between artists, remixing a variety of hits for the hip-hop crowd. The charismatic J Soulja set the precedent for the evening, opening for a lineup that delivered artists just as skilled and unique as the last. Accompanied by a full band, Harry Edohoukwa managed to make the outdoor stage steamier, radiating during a passionate and sensual performance.
Merging psych grooves with funky R&B, Parallelephants diffused intimate and soulful vibes, breaking from the fast rhymes and chopped beats of the night. Sharing a backing band with Parallelephants, Deezie Brown turned up the tempo, floating dexterous lyrics over serious sounds. Deezie Brown’s edgy alt hip-hop was followed by Georgia native Kyle Lucas. Notably different from the homegrown beats, Lucas pushed catchy hip-hop/pop tracks produced by artists like G-Eazy and Zed’s Dead. Taking back the stage for ATX, the Teeta and his crew dropped new-age trap anthems, showcasing bass heavy, lyrically distinct tracks from his newly released album American Pop. The Teeta’s performance hyped the crowd to another level – supplying a warm welcome for Austin-native, Jake Lloyd. Joined by a full band, Lloyd revealed soulful melodies, snare beats, and a rock-psych groove analogous to iconic artists like Outkast.
This article appears in August 31 • 2018.