Country Rap Tunes

On a Wednesday night in San Marcos, Texas, right around the time the sun goes down there is both quiet and excitement.The quiet is for the families and working class individuals who reside within the town. Tired from the long day while spending time with their families and preparing to do it all over again the next day. As for the excitement, it is because at Triple Crown, Troy Baham, Jr., who goes by the name Symmatree, is preparing for the one year anniversary of his hip hop showcase, Boom Baps and Daps. On this night he will feature artists that reside in the city as a local or attending the nearby Texas State University. Tonight he will presenting the essence of small town hip hop.

In the history of Texas rap, most of it has been attributed to Houston and a couple of other cities. Despite being originally from the small town of Port Arthur, Texas, rap group UGK has associated mainly with the city of Houston. But thanks to the rise of Southern Hip Hop, many small towns with rural areas, or places with those assumed characteristics,  are getting showcased as hip hop hotspots, or launching pads, for some of today’s biggest rap stars. It is no different in Texas and perhaps why Baham’s monthly showcase has lasted this long. Baham, a former graduate student at Texas State, believes that the local hip hop scene is surviving primarily off the fact there are variations of rappers who come from all walks of life.

“San Marcos is similar to Austin in that there is no regional sound that can be used to sum up our scene since it is a college town and most of the rappers here are from other cities,” says Baham, who is originally from Louisiana.

But not all artists have been transplanted into the Mayberrys of the world. Just take a look at rap group, S.T.X., who are born and raised from Seguin, Texas, which is roughly 25 minutes up the road from San Marcos. Group member Chris Hernandez says  not only did the local acts  inspire them but also helped them start their careers.

“We were influenced by a few other local artists that helped us get into the underground rap scene,” said Hernandez. “Groups like Loyal Flush and the N.B. Soldados have helped us and led us in the right direction.”

Not only has STX seen the support from artists, but their town has embraced them as well.

“The city of Seguin has encouraged and supported us and others for some time now. Via the daily news paper or online promoting,” said Hernandez.

And while  STX and Symmatree have seen the benefits of a supportive crowd, they have also seen the non-supportive as well. Baham describes the problem as coming from a multitude of reasons.

“There’s very little support for the rap scene here in San Marcos, but I think a lot of it may just be because they don’t even know that there is a rap scene,” says Baham. He goes on to add that with the prevalence of free parties that occur around the town it outweighs the cost of paying $5.00 at the door for a live show.

In the digital age, anyone can become a rap star with the right amount of clicks and shares. Hip hop received its origin from New York City and for the longest time, seemed like it would stay there. But fast forward to the future and it is dancing to a new tune: a country rap tune.