Houston Rap: Photographs by Peter Beste

by Lance Scott Walker, Peter Beste (Photographer), Johan Kugelberg (Editor)

The Houston, Texas, neighborhoods of Fifth Ward, Third Ward and South Park have grown to be hallowed ground for modern rap culture, populated with celebrities, entrepreneurs, support networks and a micro-economy of their own. Photographer Peter Beste (photographer of "True Norwegian Black Metal") and writer Lance Scott Walker spent nine years documenting the most influential style in twenty-first-century hip hop and the vibrant inner city culture from which it stems. "Houston Rap," edited by Johan Kugelberg, profiles noted artists such as Bun B of UGK, Z-Ro, Big Mike, K-Rino, Willie D of the Geto Boys, Lil' Troy and Paul Wall, alongside reflections on the lives of departed legends such as DJ Screw, Pimp C and Big Hawk. The book also features community leaders, rappers, producers, businessmen and family members, all providing an astonishing and important insight into a great American cultural narrative. In addition to featuring Beste's previously unseen images of the contemporary Houston rap scene, "Houston Rap" includes a detailed timeline charting the growth of rap music in Houston from its origins to the present.

Genres: Music, Photography, Nonfiction

272 pages, Hardcover

First published November 5, 2013

Reviews

[Elena · Rating 3 out of 5]

awesome, worth the read. houston rap is totally made up of interviews and photos, and it doesn't feel filtered through some academic's idea of what is important. the authorial edits (or voice?) comes through mostly based on what they chose to quote. coherent. taught me a lot about the city, especially about south park.

[Lex_pere · Rating 5 out of 5]

Trill

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Houston Rap is a coffee table-sized collection of photographs and interviews deftly spliced together, documentary style, to create a narrative about Houston’s historic rap music scene. Though editors Walker and Beste present the often-brutal content without additional editorial commentary, the format turns out to be rather effective: the interviews and photographs speak for themselves. To that end, Houston Rap is a historical document that should be studied more than casually enjoyed. Not that one could possibly find anything casual about these stories.

Organization:

Northside, South Park, 5th Ward: Houston’s rap epicenters.
Rivalries. Rappers often identified themselves by their neighborhood. Gang violence common.
Guerilla marketing — cassette tape pop-up trunk sales
Music noted for its differences with LA/NYC rap.
Subject matter: honesty and authenticity instead of lies and boasts
Rick Rubin interest: emergence of the Geto Boys
The influence of DJ Screw on the the music scene
The emergence of Purple Drank and Sherm
DJ Screw death raises awareness of “drank”: codeine-based cough syrup criminalized
Drug crimes treated more harshly than violent crime
Nutrition issues in poor neighborhoods
Rap culture touchstones: slab cars, screw tapes, Corey Blount
First underground hit for scene: UGK (underground kings), “Something Good”
The Bun B factor
Afterhours club culture

Best story: Vanilla Ice (foolishly) challenging Willie D (Geto Boys) to an after-hours rap battle at the Rhinestone Wrangler. It did not go well for Mr. Ice. Willie D tells great stories.