The Coalition for the Homeless states that Houston, Texas plays host to around 8,768 homeless persons who find themselves in various conditions, but those who spend their days exposed to the elements – deemed “the unsheltered” – suffer the most. They are the people the residents of Houston’s wealthy River Oaks and Bellaire districts frequently drive past on their way to the Galleria, who live underneath Highway 59’s numerous nooks and crannies or a wretched alleyway downtown; who are subject to drug, alcohol and sexual abuse, police brutality and the loosening grasp on hope.

At the zenith of his potential, Johnathon Johnson, who raps under the name “X”, lived among this forsaken group at the age of 19 for seven months. I had the chance to sit down with him and discuss his past, present and future. This is his story.

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