The FeedBak Podcast

This episode is different as we talk about discrimination and dress code with Mel and Mr. Black. For the past years, there have been many incidents of discrimination at bars around Austin, and it happens all over the country. Many people of color, including African Americans, are denied entry because of the way they are dressed. In recent news, DeAndre Upshaw was not allowed to go inside Kung Fu Dallas with his friends because he was wearing high-top sneakers. The problem with this story is that many patrons inside the arcade bar were wearing similar footwear. This caused an uproar and strong reactions all over https://twitter.com/hashtag/nokungfu (social media). Other similar incidents have been reported in Austin and Houston as well.

The purpose of this episode is to address this issue, have an honest debate, and look for solutions but most of all we would like to keep conversation going past this episode. As much as you may enjoy spending time in these establishments, be aware that these practices do occur and something needs to change.

Put this conversation in context, feel free to read up on some of these incidents:

Report about DeAndre Upshaw‘s story according to Culture Map Dallas.

Similar incident happened in Austin in 2013. Here is the story from local KTBC Fox 7 News.

Another report in Minneapolis where Bar Louie displayed their dress code, which describes stereotypical African American look according to the Huffington Post.

In this episode, we talk about:

The recent incidents that occurred in Texas.

Our own personal experiences.

What the law states.

The notions of fear when it comes to race.

How stereotypes and judgement come into play.

What makes people want to be at the popular spot so bad they must work for it.

Some possible solutions.

UPDATE: since we recorded this podcast, the City of Dallas has released a guide as free training against discrimination. FULL STORY HERE.

RuDi Devino and Cap N Kirk, 2 out of 4 members of the SubKulture Patriots have been on the hip hop scene for a while. We talk about:

• How they met and the crew got together.
• Their writing process, the production, the videos.
• The local hip hop scene.
• The Vans tour and various collabs.

RuDi Devino and Cap N Kirk, 2 out of 4 members of the http://subkulturepatriots.com/ (SubKulture Patriots) have been on the hip hop scene for a while. We talk about:

How they met and the crew got together.

Their writing process, the production, the videos.

The local hip hop scene.

The Vans tour and various collabs.

Between DJ Charlie and DJ Jeska, we got 1/6 of Table Manners Crew, 1/3 of Royal Commission and 2/3rd of Dusty Groove Radio. We talk about:

• Humble beginnings and inspirations.
• Their style and dealing of the audience.
• Table Manners Crew and playing at Plush.
• Dusty Groove Radio with Casey Cuts.

Between DJ Charlie and DJ Jeska, we got 1/6 of Table Manners Crew, 1/3 of Royal Commission and 2/3rd of Dusty Groove Radio. We talk about:

Humble beginnings and inspirations.

Their style and dealing of the audience.

Table Manners Crew and playing at Plush.

Dusty Groove Radio with Casey Cuts.

DJ Chicken George has been at it for a long time, spreading the smooth sounds of Jazztronica all over the world. We talk about:

• His beginnings as a DJ and doing promo work.
• The concept of Jazztronica and his vision.
• His life as an traveling DJ.
• His insight on the local Austin scene.
• The current projects he’s involved in.

DJ Chicken George has been at it for a long time, spreading the smooth sounds of Jazztronica all over the world. We talk about:

His beginnings as a DJ and doing promo work.

The concept of Jazztronica and his vision.

His life as an traveling DJ.

His insight on the local Austin scene.

The current projects he’s involved in.

Both from Ghana and New York, Kenny Duet and EkWhoa have been singing and writing poetry from a young age. They now collaborate on music. We talk about:

 

• Where their love for music come from.
• Their first performances.
• Their writing process.
• Their upcoming concert at Lucky Lounge.

Quote of the show: “No matter where the environment is, my goal is when I get there, don’t think as that location…[...] You’re at an event by Kenny Duet” – Kenny Duet

Both from Ghana and New York, https://www.facebook.com/kennyduet (Kenny Duet) and EkWhoa have been singing and writing poetry from a young age. They now collaborate on music. We talk about:

Where their love for music come from.

Their first performances.

Their writing process.

Their upcoming concert at Lucky Lounge.

Quote of the show: “No matter where the environment is, my goal is when I get there, don’t think as that location…[...] You’re at an event by Kenny Duet” – Kenny Duet

With 25 years in the music business, Tee Double has become the music ambassador for the city of Austin. As a producer, songwriter, entrepreneur, and advocate, he has a lot of knowledge to share with artists out there trying to make it. We talk about:

• How he got started at the very young age and the local Hip Hop scene back then.
• His songwriting and producing process.
• The Austin Hip Hop scene and Pay 2 Play.
• His mission to educate and support other artists in Austin with the Urban Artist Alliance.

Quote of the show: “I was 8 when I was starting to get into music and when I turned 9 is when I mailed off my first demo to Warner Bros” - Tee Double