Due to Tang dynasty naming taboo, he is referred to as Shi Jilong (石季龍) in the Book of Jin.
On the other hand, he was mindful of showing leniency towards his chief officials and propagated Buddhism by promoting religious freedom.
By the time he got to age 18, he was about 184 cm tall, and he became known for his bravery in battle and skills in archery and horsemanship, and the entire army feared him.
He also became known for his cruelty in governing his soldiers and in battle, as he often executed officers who disagreed with his wishes or had great abilities, and whenever he captured a city, he often slaughtered the entire population.
(Shi Hu retaliated by having soldiers in bandits' masquerades raid Cheng's home late at night, rape the women of his household, and rob them of their clothing.)
However, Shi Sheng did not know about this victory and, when the Xianbei chief Shegui (涉瑰) rebelled, panicked and fled, abandoning Chang'an, and was killed in flight.
However, after his officials proposed a far more extensive ban than he wanted, he cancelled the plan and instead issued an edict proclaiming religious freedom.
Starting 336, Shi Hu began a series of palace-building projects, completing a number of exceedingly luxurious palaces.
Shi Sui was himself no less cruel than his father, and one of his favorite pastimes was to order a woman to dress well, and then behead her and eat her body.
He also killed some 200 subordinates of Shi Sui, and he deposed Empress Zheng to the title of Duchess Dowager of Donghai.
He instead give title to his second son Shi Xuan (石宣) as crown prince and his mother Du Zhu as empress.
However, he also favored another son by Empress Du, Shi Tao (石韜), and a rivalry between the brothers soon developed.
In late 337, Shi Hu entered into an alliance with the Former Yan prince Murong Huang to attack the Xianbei Duan tribe.
In 338, the joint forces defeated and essentially wiped out the Duan, but Shi Hu, angry that Murong Huang withdrew his forces early, advanced on the Former Yan capital Jicheng (棘城, in modern Jinzhou, Liaoning) and surrounded it, intending to wipe Former Yan out.
In 339, displeased that the Jin general Yu Liang was planning an attack against Later Zhao, Shi Hu acted first, sending his adopted grandson Shi Min to attack the borders with Jin, pillaging the border region and capturing Zhucheng (邾城, in modern Huanggang, Hubei), ending Yu's hopes of a northern campaign.
In 340, Shi Hu briefly entered into an alliance with Cheng Han's emperor Li Shou against Jin.
However, after initially excitedly wishing to attack Jin, Li Shou cancelled his plan after contrary counsel by Gong Zhuang (龔壯), and the alliance did not come to anything.
In 342, Shi Hu continued a large number of construction projects, and further ordered major conscriptions, with plans to attack not only Jin but also Former Liang and Former Yan.
His hands and feet were then cut off, his eyes gouged out, and his abdomen sliced open and entrails allowed to flow out—as how Shi Tao appeared at his death.
This did not quell Shi Hu's anger, and he ordered the ashes to be scattered among the famous roads, allowing people, horses, and carriages to trample them.
Shi Hu, shocked by his young grandson's death, grew ill. Shi Xuan's subordinates were executed and dismembered as well, and threw the bodies into the Zhang River, and the crown prince's guards were exiled to Liang Province (涼州, modern eastern Gansu).
He soon however had to face a major rebellion—by former Crown Prince Xuan's guard captain Liang Du (梁犢), whose men were driven by desperation after finding out that they were not covered by the general pardon that Shi Hu issued when he took imperial title.