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.