Artifact 1:
Pictured above is Screwed Up Records and Tapes, a record shop on 7717 Cullen Blvd in Houston Texas. This one picture has quite the history involving a pioneer in the genre of hip hop; DJ Screw. There is a rich history of the hip hop style known as “chopped and screwed” that was popularized by the likes of Robert Earl Davis Jr. Aka Dj Screw. The story all started when DJ Screw was growing up on the southside of Houston, Texas. A crucial figure in this story is Daryl Scott, who was a DJ and owned a record store. DJ Screw would visit his record store and hear how Scott would slow down disco records such as “White Horse’ by Laid Back and “Fresh is the World” by Mantronix on his turntables, which was a huge inspiration. Another notable figure in this story is Michael Price who was another DJ. He took the idea of playing records at a slower speed and expanded it to other genres. Soon after, he unfortunately passed away, leaving the spotlight on DJ screw.
DJ Screw had a multitrack tape recorder which allowed even more of a slowed down effect on the music. With the tape recorder he was also able to cut tape and create chops and fades in the music, which is a signature part of the sound. Compared to slowing a record down on turntables, using the tape machine allowed the songs to be played back even slower, as slow as half speed. Daryl Scott even said himself “He had a multitracker, which allowed you to really slow that pitch down,” Scott says. “I thought it was a little bit too much. The first time I popped a tape of his in the deck, I tried to push stop because I thought it was being chewed up.”. This goes to show that DJ Screw really took the idea to another Level.
The aesthetics and sound of this genre have often been compared to the psychedelic music of the 1960’s, except the drug feeling this music is related to is Lean rather than LSD. Lean is a beverage consisted of a mix of codeine/ promethazine cough syrup and soda (often sprite) and is often referred to as “drank” or “purple drank”. The effect the drug gives you is this slow euphoric feeling, which is why it’s related to the chopped and screwed genre which involves music being chopped and faded and slow speeds. Interestingly enough a DJ Screw quote contradicts the comparison to lean. In one of the few interviews he did, he said, “”When you smoking weed listening to music, you can’t bob your head to nothing fast,”. Dissecting this quote, we can see that he says the music is simulating the effect of marijuana, which is also known to give you a slow feeling of euphoria, rather than Lean.
According to an article on The Guardian, DJ Screw started to make, what were known as “Screw Tapes” after being influenced by Daryl Scott and Michael Prince. At first, he made these records only for his close friends for special occasions. However, instead of chopping and screwing disco records like Scott, he would mainly remix west coast hip hop records. He would distribute these remixes on cassette tapes. Eventually his screw tapes started to feature freestyles and raps from local Houston hip hop artists. As time went on, his name and sound grew in popularity around the city of Houston and in other parts of Texas. People would start showing up to his house in Houston to purchase his tapes for $10 a piece. For example, Screwed up Click Rapper “Z-Ro” once said, “We would just ride up to the man’s house, and when the gate would come open, that would mean he’s open for business,”. The increasing demand for his mixtapes brought about the opening of his record store (which would later open stores at several other locations) Screwed Up Records.
Artifact 2:
This image is of a school newspaper article written for the Pony Express Student News Paper at Panola College in Carthage, Texas. The article is titled “Underground Music Goes Worldwide” The article basically explains the rise in popularity of the chopped and screwed genre. One notable thing about this article is the demographic of its audience. DJ Screw’s music was already well recognized and popular within inner city Houston culture; however, this article was written by a college student in a different city. This goes to show that the genre/style was starting to gain popularity outside of its place of origin, as well as becoming more popular among the college demographic. As DJ screw kept working, he developed the hip hop group known as The Screwed Up Click. The group was made up of artists like Lil Keke, Z-Ro, Big Moe, and Big Pokey. The group produced several records and began to rise in popularity not only in Texas, but in other parts of the south. For example, Memphis, Tennessee’s “Three Six Mafia” dropped their record “Sippin on Some Sizzurp”, which paid homage to DJ Screw and Houston’s drug/music culture. The song became a hit and would have put DJ Screw and Houston on a national spotlight. Unfortunately, ironically due to his workaholic work ethic and drug use lead to his overdose death on November 16, 2000.
Ever since his death many artists have paid him homage and shown respect to his music and culture. Those artists include T-Pain, Far East Movement, and even European EDM artists influenced by his music. Even drake sampled Screw’s “June 27”, which features a 30-minute freestyle by various Screwed Up Click rappers on his song “Nov 18”. So, it’s safe to say his influence did not fade, when he died. The late rapper even has his own holiday in the city of Houston known as DJ Screw Day, which is on June 27th each year. The holiday is on that day to pay homage to the hit song “June 27” by the Screwed Up Click.
Works Cited:
“DJ Screw: From Cough Syrup to Full-Blown Fever.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 11 Nov. 2010, https://www.theguardian.com/music/2010/nov/11/dj-screw-drake-fever-ray.
Ritter, Brent. “ The Pony Express (Carthage, Tex.), Vol. 53, No. 4, Ed. 1 Tuesday, November 19, 2002 Page: 8 of 8.” Portal to Texas History , https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth591874/m1/2/?q=dj%20screw.
