Welcome 2 Houston

Abstract

This book explores the roles of space, place, and heritage in the music-making practices of hip hop artists in Houston, Texas. Since the early 1990s, hip hop artists in Houston have cultivated a unique and hyper-local hip hop heritage identified by three folk artifacts and one core practice: a slow and psychedelic hip hop production style and deejay technique called screw music; an automotive modification culture known as slab; a prescription strength cough syrup­based illicit drug concoction named syrup by locals; and the fervent sociolinguistic celebration of streets, neighborhoods, and the city of Houston referred to as “reppin’ your hood.” This tradition has continued to persist across multiple generations and has become part of the cultural heritage of hip hop artists and fans within the city. The cultivation of this heritage is fueled by an ardent territoriality among the working-class, African American men who constitute most practitioners within the scene. Taking this into consideration, local hip hop artists must embrace local identity to achieve critical and commercial success. The book uses ethnographic data to examine how local artists negotiate individual agency and cultural expectations in their music­making practices. This ethnographic study uses a particular Southern rap scene to examine larger themes of territoriality, socialization, and heritage among the post­Civil Rights, African American working class.