Hustle in H-Town: Hip Hop Entrepreneurialism in Houston

Authors

Brittany L. Long, Senior Research AnalystFollow

Author ORCID Identifier

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9591-7596

Abstract

Imagine a sprawling, overheated American megalopolis that epitomizes diversity and segregation in one of the world’s youngest countries. Despite Houston’s history of structural racism and segregation, Houston Hip Hop entrepreneurs built communities and created storied businesses that culminate in a sense of local pride and Hip Hop identity that has not been replicated in the same manner in any other city. An examination of thought-provoking existing scholarship about the Hip Hop South and Hip Hop in Houston, as well as an examination of existing and collected primary sources (interviews) allow me to demonstrate two things: Hip Hop entrepreneurialism is a relevant and important foundational element to understanding Hip Hop in Houston and more generally Hip Hop in the South and can contribute to the understanding of Hip Hop globally. Additionally, Houston Hip Hop entrepreneurs continue to run businesses and build communities in direct conversation with the lived experience of identifying as Hip Hop within the city itself. Hip Hop entrepreneurialism in Houston and the Hip Hop South is understudied in the academy and deserves more recognition so that scholars can emphasize the true grit of Hip Hop collectivity.

DOI

doi.org/10.34718/nmfe-1m93

Volume

9

Issue

1

Recommended Citation

Long, Brittany L. (2022) "Hustle in H-Town: Hip Hop Entrepreneurialism in Houston," Journal of Hip Hop Studies: Vol. 9: Iss. 1, Article 5.
Available at: https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/jhhs/vol9/iss1/5