Is Hip-Hop America's Biggest Success Story?

Is hip-hop the driving force behind Black business and economic mobility? What can we glean from its innovative strategies and enterprising spirit? And how do the creative economies hip-hop has brokered affect California’s racially diverse and rapidly changing communities? Tara DeVeaux is a brand marketer influenced by hip-hop culture and Detavio Samuels is a media executive for youth culture storytelling. They discuss hip-hop’s impact on the economy with Robeson Taj Frazier, director of the USC Annenberg Institute for Difference and Empowerment in the Arts, during the opening night of CA FWD’s 2025 California Economic Summit. This program was co-presented by Zócalo Public Square, ASU, and California Forward (CA FWD) in partnership with Stocktonia. Part of Zócalo’s series "California 175 — What Connects California?" Timestamps: 00:00 - Intros 04:23 - Panel: Robeson Taj Frazier, Tara DeVeaux, Detavio Frazier Visit www.zocalopublicsquare.org/ for more programs and essays in the series. Follow Zócalo on X: x.com/thepublicsquare Instagram: www.instagram.com/thepublicsquare/ Facebook: www.facebook.com/zocalopublicsquare LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/z-calo-public-square/