Thug Life Army

We all know that hip-hop is BIG business now a new report explains hip-hop and rap doesn’t necessarily mean ‘Urban’.

Conclusively showing that marketers need to view "urban" as a state of mind rather than a geographic place, a new report, The U.S. Urban Youth Market: Tapping the Power of the Trendsetting Hip-Hop Culture and Lifestyle, delves into the world of the 24 million 15- to 29-year-olds who connect with hip-hop music, affiliate with hip-hop culture, and pack a robust purchasing power of $500 billion.

According to Packaged Facts, a division of MarketResearch.com, hip-hop consumers living outside the 100 largest metropolitan areas in relatively small cities, towns, and rural areas generally reflect the same attitudes and values expressed by their large metropolitan-dwelling counterparts, responding equally to the power of hip-hop cultural trends.

And setting trends is what hip-hop-loving, urban youth do best as they exude a lust for anything new, with strong affiliations for the latest hand- held devices and internet technology, drinks and snacks, and personal care items.

Easily crossing racial lines, the hip-hop cultural experience is significantly preferred by females -- 58.8% vs. 41.2% males -- and hip-hop continues to hold the most weight with 15- to 17-year-olds, with nearly half (48.8%) of those in this age group being hip-hop fans.

"For perhaps the first time since the beginning of the hip-hop culture, we''ve been able to provide an empirical definition of what this market truly is," said Don Montuori, the publisher of Packaged Facts. "We finally have the hard data showing the difference in core values between young people who affiliate with hip-hop and those who don''t, and the eye-opening differences span a wide range of areas from shopping behavior and purchasing decisions, to attitudes towards cars, media usage and fashion."

The U.S. Urban Youth Market's innovative research methodology brings to life the essence of the hip-hop consumer, providing groundbreaking data on a vast range of consumer goods, attitudes and behaviors that not only define, but are defined by this unique consumer group. Priced at $3,500, this report can be purchased directly from Packaged Facts by clicking: http://www.packagedfacts.com/pub/1119538.html . It is also available at MarketResearch.com.