Funkmaster Flex Celebrity Car Show

By Brett Solomon

Perhaps no other demographic has embraced mobile video like the hip-hop music community, in which monitors are ubiquitous throughout vehicles in almost every music video. And consumers are looking to duplicate the installations that Jay-Z or Snoop-Dogg, for example, have showcased.

The typical vehicle of the hip-hopper consists of an SUV with oversized wheels and low-profile tires. Interiors are adorned with such opulence as imported suede or ostrich skin. While the most important modification to the exterior of the vehicle is wheels ("new shoes"), the centerpiece of any interior is the mobile electronics system. Here, mobile electronics installers push the envelope of creativity by integrating vast quantities of equipment—more monitors than your average sports bar—with exotic materials. The budget of the average hip-hop star allows installers to design systems no one could have dreamed of a few years back.