“Meet Me at the Swap Meet”: Asian American Commerce and the Emergence of West Coast Gangsta Rap

Marketplaces known as “swap meets” boomed in Greater Los Angeles during the 1980s and 1990s, serving as early sites for the production and distribution of a variant of West Coast hip-hop known as “gangsta rap.” This article examines relationships between Asian American swap meet entrepreneurs and the genre’s emerging musical and visual artists. Case studies at the Roadium, Compton, and Slauson swap meets show how Asian American vendors collaborated with underground DJs and rappers including Dr. Dre, Tony A., Hi-C, and DJ Quik at early stages in their careers. Then, it demonstrates the central role of Korean-operated swap meet businesses in defining hip-hop fashions. By analyzing these semi-formal commercial spaces in a globalizing metropolis, this article reveals a hidden history of West Coast hip-hop’s polyphonous social and racial roots.