Pushermania Network Podcasts

Special shout out to my brother Gregory "Beef" Jones (@ogbeefjones) for inviting me to the Group Black party during SXSW IA last week. Group Black is a company founded by industry legend Bonin Bough to dramatically transform the face of media ownership and investment. Beef and I had been trying to link all day, when he ended up at this party and told my wife and I to come meet him there. He said "They have free drinks, a DJ and some Afrobeats artist will perform." Neither of us knew who we were about to see.

Then Yung D3mz hit the stage, straight outta Ghana. It was so refreshing for me to hear this kind of music being represented at SXSW and by a young up and coming talent who has not jumped on the hype train as of yet. I truly felt as if I was witnessing something special. Possibly his first show in the USA, and for a crowd of highly enthusiastic - mostly women - who were dancing and singing along. It was a really special moment for me as ten years ago when I worked for SXSW I took a couple trips to Johannesburg to meet more people from the African music industry and hopefully see SXSW expand into booking more from the continent. That is all easier said than done but in recent years Africa's presence at the conference has grown for sure. So props to SXSW for that.

I approached Yung D3mz and talked to him about his music and told him that I was a fan of Fokn Boiz from Ghana and knew their manager, Panji Anoff, and from there he could tell that I knew a little something about this music thing. I met his manager and his crew and invited them to come over and do a podcast, and they actually showed up and this talk is the result. It was a real pleasure to get this young persons perspective on Afrobeats and just life and culture in general. His music can be streamed anywhere you stream music and you should check him out. We are also joined on this episode with his producer Uche B, a force in his own right. Please tune in and tell a friend to tell a friend to subscribe and listen to Talk So Real With Matt Sonzala.

@yung_d3mz

@uche_b

Maaaaaan I am finally getting back to the podcast game and this one is a good one! I finally got to sit down with Shu of IITight Music (2 Tight) from Japan! Shu is a huge supporter of real rap music and one of the truest fans I have ever met. I love meeting people from around the world who appreciate and work to help and progress our culture and Shu is very much so one of them. Listen to the story of how he has been coming to the US multiple times every year for 20 years to buy music to take back and distribute in Japan, mainly independent real rap music. He goes from hood to hood in search of gems on CD, cassette, vinyl etc and he even licenses music from underground artists. I even have a vinyl copy of a Southern Merchandise album he put out. Southern Merchandise were a group in San Antonio in the 90's and here in Austin I felt like I was the only person who knew of them. I loved that CD and somehow this dude found them and reissued it on vinyl. Crazy! Tune in for some real game and maybe you have something to offer him in the way of unreleased music to release in Japan, or some old cassettes you have in a closet. He also has brought artists like Bun B, LE$, Lil Keke and PKO to Japan for concerts. The story is amazing tune in and let me know what you think!

@2tightmusic_mcd

This is the biggest interview to hit the internet since that one interview last week had everyone going nuts. My guest this week is Kevin Curtin, and since you asked, we talk in depth about Ye's appearance on Infowars and what all this means to a couple of punks out here in Austin, Texas. Kevin has some incredible stories of how he got to Austin and landed a job with the Austin Chronicle. You may have heard some of it before, but you definitely don't know the whole story. It cray.

We also discuss being a lab rat for money (that was/is a big thing in this town), 6th Street VS the rest of Austin, life on the road and how travel opens your eyes and minds to so many different things, the creative process, and then we talk a lot of dad talk. It really goes down. This will be one for the record books. As always thank you for listening and tell a friend to tell a friend to tune into Talk So Real with Matt Sonzala on your favorite platform!

@dirt_curtin

Keith Corona is a South Austin hip hop legend. A leader in all that he does, Keith has been on the cutting edge of the visuals game for as long as I can remember. You have got to check out his YouTube page where you will find all sorts of dope music videos, many of which were filmed in Mexico where he resides for part of every year. He is back in Austin for the moment so I got to sit down with him and talk all sorts of stuff. Namely my wish to live in Mexico as well and how he made his way down there, and why he comes back every year. I'm literally jealous of this mans life. (though I would probably just chill down there full time if I could, and closer to some water. Listen and you will know what I'm talm bout.)

In this episode we learn how he got to South Austin and how South Austin is an entity in and of itself. I school him a bit on some late 80's/early 90's rappers from South Austin, who are the main dudes who got me to start coming to Austin back in those days from Houston. (#RIPCROPDIGGIE) And he reminds me of a whole lot of dope artists and events that we have experienced living here in the Live Music Capital of the World.

These days Keith is rapping mostly en Espanol so we talk a lot about how I want to see him tour the Spanish speaking world, as he definitely has the skills and the drive to make it happen. I predict big things for my man right here and I am so glad that we got a chance to sit down. As always tell a friend to tell a friend to check out Talk So Real with Matt Sonzala and read below for info on a dope event he will be performing at this weekend!

@livefrom78745mx

Season 3 of Talk So Real with Matt Sonzala STARTS NOW! And today we have a big one. DJ Michael Watts of the Swisha House joins me in the studio for about an hour of real talk about music and all sorts of things. We talk a bit about the new Swisha House Experience that was curated by their longtime designer Mike Frost last month in Houston and look at how his design shaped so much of what people perceive of the Swisha House. We talk new music, old music and just kind of do how we do here at Talk So Real.

Be sure and visit www.helldonebrokeloose.com for all the new Swisha House gear and to get your hands on their exclusive box set. And please tell a friend to tell a friend to check out Talk So Real with Matt Sonzala on their favorite podcast platform!

@djmichaelwatts

You may or may not be ready for this one. The last Amapiano Christmas mix was kind of nice right? I got lots of nice feedback on that one and it felt good. I like to make people feel good, it's important to me. Especially at this time of year which can be wonderful but also stressful and for some, straight full of pain. Well this one isn't going to do you any favors I'll tell you that right now, but it does jam, it is fun and it's quite representative of the world in which we live in right now as all of North America freezes over and becomes the Nu Antarctica. Anyway, wrap yourself in some blankets, get your best headphones on and vibe out to the realness that is, Matt Sonzala's Holidaze Mess 2022. Bring on 2023! It's gotta be better than 2020 right????

See the full tracklist on Pushermania.com ideally AFTER you listen. I want this all to be big surprises for you. And yours.

Alright yo I'm back with the hardest Holidaze mix evAr. Some of you know how I do, some of you don't. After this one everybody will be knowin'. #1 Holidaze DJ in the world right here. Step to me. Also enjoy and Happy Holidaze to everyone from here to everywhere. Love, matt

Rest in Peace to David Ornette Cherry and love to all who need love right now. Give thanks for so many things this Thanksgiving week. We need to give thanks. While also bucking the devil. Tracklist and info coming soon to pushermania.com if not there already....

Welcome back to the show that recognizes no genres or boundaries. Stamp your passport to this, get the one with the extra pages. The music on this one is good but I talk to much because I was way too throwed after the big Austin FC/Astros winning weekend. That's my excuse anyway. Holler at me in the comments and make me record another show this week I have way more music for you in the virtual crates. Love, matt

Maaaan hold up! This week I got to sit down with a man who has been a friend and a mentor to me for like 30 years, Jeff Liles. This man has stories and I think just about anyone would enjoy listening to this one. I first met Jeff when he was a member of the group Decadent Dub Team, an experimental, electronic, hip-hop group from Dallas. The man has literally done it all and has always looked out for me in my journey through the music world. I was like 19 years old maybe 20 when we met and soon after noticed that he was thanked on the back of the NWA and the Posse record. I was floored for real. Like how the hell did that happen? Dude from Dallas thanked on the back of one of my favorite records of all time??? Well listen and find out just how that happened. The stories on this one are amazing.

His musical knowledge and experience is unmatched, Jeff is a truly unique individual who has always stayed true to himself and his mission and the music. We got to talk at the Kessler Theater (where I also did Episode 1 with Money Waters) about the history of Deep Ellum, NWA, his time in Los Angeles, Decadent Dub Team, his solo project Cottonmouth, TX, The Buck Pets, The Axiom, tripping balls at a Grateful Dead concert as a teenager, man we just went in. As always thank you for checking out Talk So Real with Matt Sonzala and tell a friend to tell a friend to tune in on all platforms!