Hip-hop

DJs Christy Ray and Ursa Minor refuse to change their formats after a crackdown on trap and turn-up, because it really isn't about that.

Joel “Sikwitit” Garcia gives his peers visibility by organizing beat battles. He's extending his reach at SXSW.

The namesake of lyricist Rakim and son of Nemesis' Big Al improvs with all the dynamic of jazz.

The Prophet Bar's main entrance sports polite-but-unnecessary directions: you actually find their "Big Room" by the sea of Lil B fans spilling onto Main Street. You can't mistake the swarm of pink bandanas and floral print shorts: this is soon-to-be legendary ground, marked specifically for California-based rapper Lil B's first Dallas performance. Teenagers spill into two equally impatient lines in front of The Prophet Bar's dark-bricked, sticker-covered venue, and I fit in comfortably in the "no ticket" line with my fellow procrastinators. Waiting only takes an uncomfortably warm 45 minutes, which is more than enough time to spot more than 10 floral print T-shirts, two Supreme 'fits,  and five band shirts that have nothing to do with Lil B (but undeniably look cool, which is always important.) The group of dudes behind me crack jokes about the parking; the girls in front of me look at me funny, which I understand: I am wearing a floral print button-up myself but, unlike the boys in line, I'm not boasting about its fit.

You won't hear them tell it, but The Mohicans are something like modern day hip-hop superheros. The duo talks to us about future plans, Houston hip-hop, and dream collaborations.