THQ, a British video game development company, hired us to explore the hip hop culture to inform the design of Saint’s Row, an innovative and highly successful video game that immerses the player in LA’s urban culture. We helped them recognize shifting values among hip hop’s industry leaders, and to understand how trends and status symbols move from leaders to urban youth. This allowed them to correctly portray the game characters as aspirational to their target. Our study began with extensive interviews with professionals working within hip hop culture (i.e. at recording companies, magazines, and street organizations). We also conducted a series of target focus groups and in-depth interviews to bring the user and his shifting world to life inside the client boardroom.