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Peter Beste and Lance Scott Walker Houston Rap Collection

 Collection
Identifier: 2015-008

This collection consists of materials related to the creation and production of the book Houston Rap, by photographer Peter Beste and writer Lance Scott Walker. These materials include digital photos taken by Beste, audio recordings and transcripts of interviews conducted by Walker, photo prints from the editing process of the book, exhibit prints of photos from the book, photo contact sheets, and dummy copies of the book. The collection also contains a significant amount of material collected by the authors from various Houston hip hop artists, including recorded music, t-shirts, towels, posters, promo cards, and other memorabilia. The collection is divided into four series: Digital Files, Houston Rap Production and Promotion, Hip Hop Promotional and Research Material, and Music and Video. An important note: many of the materials found within the Digital Files series contain subject matter that would fit into other series within this collection.

Dates

  • 1986-2014

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

Open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Special Collections owns the physical items in our collections, but copyright normally belongs to the creator of the materials or their heirs. The researcher has full responsibility for determining copyright status, obtaining permission to publish from copyright holders, and abiding by current copyright laws when publishing or displaying copies of Special Collections material in print or electronic form. For more information, consult the appropriate librarian. Reproduction decisions will be made by Special Collections staff on a case-by-case basis.

Extent

9.00 linear feet

Biographical Information

Peter Beste is a documentary photographer originally from Houston and now based in New Mexico and New York City. In the early 2000s, he spent six years working on his book True Norwegian Black Metal, for which he photographed several Norwegian black metal bands. After that project, he brought this documentary approach back to his hometown to explore the development of Houston hip hop.

Houston Rap, published in 2013 by Sinecure Press, is the joint creation of Beste and Lance Scott Walker. The product of nearly a decade of work, it documents Houston's hip hop community, particularly in the Third Ward, Fifth Ward, and South Park neighborhoods. Comprised of photographs by Beste interspersed with excerpts from interviews conducted by Walker, the book features a wide swath of rappers, producers, and other members of Houston's hip hop community. The rappers run the gamut from the very famous, like Bun B and Geto Boys, to the virtually unknown. The photographs often show the subjects in unguarded personal moments, revealing a world very unlike what the public sees on album covers and promotional materials. The interviews provide further insight into the communities and stories described in the artists' lyrics.

Lance Scott Walker is a journalist, and native Texan, who has written for many publications, including the Houston Chronicle, Houston Press, USA Today, and RollingStone.com. Extended versions of the oral histories conducted by Walker for Houston Rap can be found in its companion, Houston Rap Tapes.

Technical Requirements

Digital archival materials can be accessed in the Special Collections Reading Room by advance request. These materials may require up to one week to access. Contact curator Julie Grob (jgrob@uh.edu) for more information.

Digital Collections

Peter Beste "Houston Rap" Photographs digital collection

https://digitalcollections.lib.uh.edu/collections/2f75r8900

Separated Materials

Houston Rap (https://library.uh.edu/record=b6199813~S11)

Title
Guide to the Peter Beste and Lance Scott Walker Houston Rap Collection
Author
Stacey Lavender
Date
2016-07-27
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Repository Details

Part of the University of Houston Libraries Special Collections Repository

Contact:
University of Houston Libraries Special Collections
MD Anderson Library
4333 University Drive
Houston TX 77204-2000 USA
713-743-9750