We are back in Texas for Season 4 of Talk So Real with Matt Sonzala and today's guest is yet another great friend of mine with a lot to say, Audrea Diaz!


If you are doing ANYTHING in Austin hip hop you have for sure at the very least encountered Audrea more than once as she is the biggest supporter of everything Austin hip-hop that I have ever met. She is always in the place and forever repping for the scene that she loves (and loves her) so much.


For years Audrea has been witnessing and covering the happenings around Austin. We cover a lot of ground on this one including but not limited to her work getting Austin's CapMetro transit system to expand their services for the disabled, her writing for the Texas Observer and her plans for her book that she has been working on about, take a guess, yup, Austin hip-hop.


She also promises to start her own podcast like, very soon. She is a unique and treasured voice in our community and I personally feel as though she needs to be heard far and wide.


Definitely have a listen there is some super real talk on this one!


@audrea_diaz

Talk So Real with Matt Sonzala: Audrea Diaz - Season 4 Episode 1

We close out the week with a huge announcement! You may know Gabe Vaughn as one of the owners of Breakaway Records and you may know him as DJ Dangit and have amazing memories of Sock Hop DJ nights and you may even know him from his time in Arctectonics, whatever way you know him you know that Gabe has been a huge part of the Austin music scene.


He's been in Austin all of his life, collecting and selling records, making beats and DJing super cool dance parties, but on today's podcast he has something to tell the world and I am not going to spoil it here. If you follow him on social media you probably have an idea of what is going on, but he's been pretty hush hush about it until now. No, he is not pregnant, you are going to have to listen to find out the real deal.


I for one am really happy for my dude and I will be even happier if you give this one a listen and a share. This has been a fun week, maybe I will start being consistent, maybe.

Talk So Real with Matt Sonzala: Gabe Vaughn aka DJ Dangit - Season 4 Episode 2

Today is a really special edition that is for sure. I always say that Talk So Real is the podcast where I talk to my friends and I literally have talked to some of the people closest to me in this series. But DJ Chill is different! What we have done together over the years changed our lives big time and without his support who knows where I would be.

We talk about our early days when we first met while doing promotions for a commercial radio station and of course about doing Damage Control Radio together on KPFT in Houston. We talk about his early days rolling with DJ Screw and even sharing turntables with him. We reminisce on our trips to Europe and around the US celebrating the Houston rap sound and tradition and get into what he is up to these days.

This whole week is gonna be crazy, this is the first of three episodes I will be dropping so please subscribe on your favorite platform and don't miss a thing!


@djchillhouston

@cowboyworldtv

Talk So Real with Matt Sonzala: DJ Chill - Season 4 Episode 3

MC K PEOPLE CALL HIM KWAM! My brother Kwame Anderson joins us for today's edition of Talk So Real with Matt Sonzala. Our history runs way back to the early 90's and the days of the Hip Hop Coffee Shop at Hoi Polloi on White Oak which is now Onion Creek and also to the days of Strictly Hip Hop Sunday's on KPFT when he was with a very forward thinking rap group called Seeds of Soul. I was a huge fan of theirs and felt like they were really ahead of their time.

I used to hang out with Seeds of Soul and um, enhance our minds and listen to bands like Sonic Youth and Jesus Lizard and Kwame really got into experimental music on all levels real heavy. When Seeds of Soul ended, he and DJ Spaceghost started a group called Freedom Sold, which was Kwame on vocals and noisy ass guitar and Spaceghost on the beats and turntables and they really took things to a whole nother level. Talk about being ahead of their time, Freedom Sold was making noisy conscious raps before really anyone. Now everyone is noisy, though maybe not so conscious. (Word to B L A C K I E who is also a leader in this realm).

Anyway now Kwame is a teacher and he has no shortage of things to say. We talk a lot about our history and friendship and travels and hip hop in Houston and all sorts of things. It really goes down on this one, tune in and have a listen and as always please tell a friend to tell a friend about Talk So Real with Matt Sonzala.

Talk So Real with Matt Sonzala: Kwame Anderson - Season 4 Episode 4

Maaaaaaan once again we may have outdone ourselfs with the realness. I have a lot of history with my man Wayne Donowho. He was actually my "Promotions and Publicity" teacher back in the days and from right when we met we hit it off and became family. I don't him or his lovely wife and sons nearly enough so I was real lucky to have a couple extra days in Houston recently where we were able to spend some time and really catch up.

And you know I had to get him on the podcast. On this one we talk about his days running a Christian record label and being in Christian bands to his life now and most all things in between. Basically we get a lot of Wayne's philosophies on this one and the world just may need some of this. Take a moment to give this one a listen and a share, you will not regret it!

Talk So Real with Matt Sonzala: Wayne Donowho - Season 4 Episode 5

Word to Richard Whymark and Chepo Pena and every person who ever watched a band play in Austin when it was cool, today's guest is Greg Beets! Greg has been covering and playing music in Austin since the late 80's and had a front row seat to all that was happening in the Austin music scene that gave life to so many of us! The 90's in Austin were a special time and his new book A Curious Mix Of People drops today! You may have seen the zine previews over the past couple of years and those have all been super dope so I can't wait to dive into the book straight away.


On this episode we discuss all sorts of things and I promise I don't cry about how Austin has changed (much). We also talk about Houston and Dallas as he has lived in both and really just have a lot of scene talk and memory sharing. Music nerds UNITE this one is for you, me, everybody.



@beetsolonely


Get your copy of “A Curious Mix of People” published by @utexaspress now!


Support his band @rontitterband

Talk So Real with Matt Sonzala: Greg Beets - Season 4 Episode 7

I know that I say this all the time but THIS IS A BIG ONE! I've been down with Robert Gabriel, nee, R2G2, since the mid-90's when we were both writing for the Bay Area hip hop magazine 4080. The publisher Lauchlan Eugene Sampson McIntyre told Robert and I that we should meet each other as we were both in Austin at the time. So we did and we became friends for all these years. He has always been super supportive and in my corner and I have always loved learning about hip hop from his perspective as well. He has really studied the things that he loves, Austin and The Good Life era hip hop in LA in particular. 


But he of course is not limited to that. We talk all sorts of things from our history and travels and life etc. And I bust out one of his early tapes he made for me and others that I have on my shelf to this day. Like I say this is the podcast where I talk to my frennnzzz and Robert is one. Y'all have a listen and as always tell a friend to tell a friend about Talk So Real with Matt Sonzala

Talk So Real with Matt Sonzala: Robert Gabriel - Season 4 Episode 6

Talk So Real with Matt Sonzala is back for the 2 0 2 4 y'all! And this one is a BIG ONE! I finally got to sit down and have a real talk with Austin's own Alesia Lani!



Alesia is an incredible singer with a dynamic energy who has taken the city by storm in recent years and just released her debut album (though I have had so many jams from her over the years I really don't believe that!) Self-Titled and it's a banger.



True to form, Alesia slays in a wide range of sounds on this album from a rockin' banger with Jackie Venson, to a cool out jam with John Deas on the track and Gary Clark Jr. on the hook, to going back to her roots in hip hop on songs with The Teeta and Megz from Magna Carda, this album is a real journey and I think you will love to trip we take on these mics as we Talk So Real.



Tune in and have a listen and tell a friend to tell a friend that Talk So Real with Matt Sonzala is BACK!







@alesialanimusic



New Album “Self-Titled” available now

Talk So Real with Matt Sonzala: Alesia Lani - Season 5 Episode 1

This weeks show is another huge one! We have my brother Victorious in the house. Victorious and I go way back in this Austin hip hop world, I'm talking back in them Andre Walker/Sociopath Left daze (#IYKYK), and we have a lot to talk about. 


From our early days on the scene in Austin, to a couple trips to New York, to him being saved and becoming a leader in the Holy Hip Hop World and the beginnings of Christian Hip Hop at SXSW and more. We really go in on this one. 


As always like and subscribe and tell a friend to tell a friend about Talk So Real with Matt Sonzala. It's a movement. 




@victorious52

Talk So Real with Matt Sonzala: Victorious - Season 5 Episode 2

Another big one for the record books! This should have happened a long time ago! I finally got my brother Doug Mecca up in the studio for some real talk. 

Doug is a pioneer in Austin hip hop and beyond. He and his Hip Hop Mecca Crew revolutionized the game back in the 90's when they started promoting hip hop shows on the regular with both national and local artists at a time when it was even harder to get stages for hip hop than it was in the 2000's. Austin has come a long way and Hip Hop Mecca and their work played a huge role in legitimizing hip hop within the Austin music scene. Trust, it was a lot of work. 

They also booked some of the coolest hip hop showcases at SXSW in the late 90's/early 2000's. They are the crew who brought crews like the Living Legends, Hieroglyphics, Rhymesayers, Project Blowed and way more to Austin and to SXSW. Their events were always fun and also always loaded with local artists. They built a ton of bridges and Doug has tons of stories. Word to Mike Henry (who also needs to come on the pod).
Born in New York, he came to South Austin in the 3rd Grade and has seen it all. Catch him any night at the coolest club still standing on 6th Street, Flamingo Cantina. 

Enjoy this episode and as always Tell a Friend to Tell a Friend to tune into Talk So Real with Matt Sonzala!




@douglasmecca

Talk So Real with Matt Sonzala: Doug Mecca - Season 5 Episode 3

Long time champion of underground music and most notably Texas hip-hop, radio host/DJ/journalist/promoter/journeyman/hustler Matt Sonzala has stepped into the podcasting realm with a little help from his friends.  

This is only the beginning. Subscribe/follow here and on all platforms today!

New tracks tagged #talksoreal