There are a lot of hip hop festivals but most of the ones with which I’m familiar are either single day events or are much more about hip hop culture as a whole.  So after finally trying to get a sense of who all was there, I realized that SXSW has become a major hip hop festival without even trying.

I’ve posted an edited version of the official SXSW 2007 schedule with hip hop showcases plus showcases where hip hop appeared.  In most instances I removed acts that weren’t labeled hip-hop/rap from specific showcases but I also left a few up that seemed to fit for one reason or another.

When you do that, you get the 2007 SXSW Hip Hop Festival.  It looks pretty damn cool.

I should point out that hip hop at SXSW has been building each year, as Vibe’s Alyssa Rashbaum noted last year.  Also noted was the absence of significant violence:

[Chamillionaire] said. "There are so many hip hop artists starting to emerge from out of Texas that it would be crazy to do an event as big as SXSW and not include any hip hop. There were hip hop stages at last year’s SXSW and I’m sure the fact that there were not any fights and there was a good turnout helped it grow this year."

Given this year’s similar lack of violent drama and the festival’s yearly growth, expect an even bigger hip hop presence in the years to come. Who knows, maybe Jay-Z can give next year’s keynote speech.

Actually, Jay-Z would totally ruin the scene at SXSW.  Part of what makes the music festival work is that it’s scheduled during UT-Austin’s spring break so the annoying kids are all gone and the cools kids flood the area.  Part of what makes the hip hop portions of the festival work, is the absence of rap stars, gangsta nonsense and beefsh*t artists.

Let’s hope hip hop can keep building in a positive way at SXSW as the festival begins to attract a broader range of artists.

Related Coverage:
Looking Back at SXSW: More Hip Hop, Bigger Names