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There are several cities across America that are hubs for distinct musical styles that have become a vital part of the fabric of Hip-Hop. New York City is the home of boom-bap. Los Angeles introduced America to the G-Funk. Atlanta is the center of the trap sound. Chicago produced the double-time flow.
But Houston, Texas, and its unique “chopped and screwed” production style, is one Hip-Hop headquarters that influenced an entire generation of emcees that probably hasn’t received its proper due yet.
Houston rap pioneers like Scarface, Geto Boys, Bun B & Pimp C of UGK, Lil Troy, K-Rhino, and DJ Screw laid the foundation for the H-Town run of the mid-2000′s by Lil Flip, Slim Thug, Paul Wall, Mike Jones, and Chamillionaire.
Currently, rappers like Lecrae, Kirko Bangz, and Z-Ro are carrying the banner for Houston natives, but despite that significant list of contributors to rap music’s history, America’s fourth largest city if often left out of the conversation of great Hip-Hop locales.
Now documentary photographer Peter Beste is taking on the task of sharing Houston’s rich Hip-Hop legacy through the photo exhibition Houston Rap showing at the Houston Museum of African American Culture.
The exhibit will feature pictures from Beste’s upcoming books Houston Rap and The Houston Rap Tapes. His two collaborative efforts with author Lance Scott Walker are in-depth looks into the rap culture of Houston.
Houston Rap, which features an introduction by the legendary Bun B, is a 280-page book of photographs taken of members of the Houston rap scene and the Third Ward, Fifth Ward, and South Park neighborhoods beginning in 2004. The photographer embedded himself with the community for seven years in order to present an honest and revealing story about a world that few outside the Third Coast are really familiar with.
The Houston Rap Tapes is a collection of Walker’s various interviews presented with more of Beste’s pictures. Its introduction is written by another Houston icon Willie D of Geto Boys.
Beste’s showcase at the HMAAC will also display other photographic works associated with Houston Hip-Hop that will not appear in the books.
Beste was raised in Houston, Texas. He has gone on to show solo collections in numerous galleries across the world including New York, London, Tokyo, and Bogotá. His photos have also appeared in media outlets like American Photo, British Journal of Photography, MTV, and XXL.
Houston Rap will be showing at the Houston Museum of African American Culture until May 3, 2013.
Watch a video of Bun B speaking on Betse’s Houston Rap below.
