{"id":454,"date":"2021-11-03T22:00:22","date_gmt":"2021-11-04T02:00:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/unewhavendh.org\/music-of-texas-fall-2021\/?p=454"},"modified":"2021-12-25T17:13:24","modified_gmt":"2021-12-25T21:13:24","slug":"dj-screw","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/unewhavendh.org\/music-of-texas-fall-2021\/2021\/11\/03\/dj-screw\/","title":{"rendered":"DJ Screw"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Artifact 1:  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Pictured above is Screwed Up Records and Tapes, a record shop\u00a0on 7717 Cullen Blvd in Houston Texas.\u00a0 This one picture has quite the history involving a pioneer in the genre of hip hop; DJ Screw.\u00a0\u00a0There is a rich history of the hip hop style known as \u201cchopped and screwed\u201d that was popularized by the likes of Robert Earl Davis Jr. Aka Dj Screw.\u00a0\u00a0The story all started when DJ\u00a0Screw was growing up on the southside of Houston, Texas.\u00a0\u00a0A crucial figure in this story is Daryl Scott, who was a DJ and owned a record store.\u00a0 DJ\u00a0Screw\u00a0would visit\u00a0his record store and hear how\u00a0Scott\u00a0would slow down\u00a0disco records\u00a0such as \u201cWhite Horse\u2019 by Laid Back and \u201cFresh is the World\u201d by Mantronix on his\u00a0turntables, which was a huge inspiration.\u00a0 Another notable figure in this story is Michael Price who was another DJ.\u00a0 He took the idea of playing records at a slower speed and expanded it to other genres.\u00a0 Soon after, he unfortunately passed away, leaving the spotlight on DJ screw.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

DJ Screw had a multitrack tape recorder which allowed even more of a slowed down effect on the music.\u00a0 With the tape recorder he was also able to cut tape and create chops and\u00a0fades in the music, which is a signature part of the sound.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 Daryl Scott even said himself \u201cHe\u00a0had 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.”.\u00a0 This goes to show that DJ Screw really took the idea to another Level.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The aesthetics and sound of this genre have often been compared to the psychedelic music of the 1960\u2019s, except the drug feeling this music is related to is\u00a0Lean\u00a0rather than LSD.\u00a0 Lean is a beverage consisted of a mix of codeine\/ promethazine cough syrup and soda (often sprite) and is often referred to as \u201cdrank\u201d or \u201cpurple drank\u201d.\u00a0 The effect the drug gives you is this slow euphoric feeling, which is why\u00a0it’s\u00a0related to the\u00a0chopped and screwed genre which involves\u00a0music\u00a0being chopped and faded and slow speeds.\u00a0\u00a0Interestingly enough\u00a0a DJ Screw quote contradicts the comparison to lean. In one of the few interviews he did, he said, \u201c”When you smoking weed listening to music, you can’t bob your head to nothing fast,”.\u00a0\u00a0Dissecting\u00a0this\u00a0quote,\u00a0we can see that he\u00a0says the music is\u00a0simulating the effect of marijuana,\u00a0which is also known to give you a slow feeling of euphoria,\u00a0rather than Lean.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According\u00a0to an article on The Guardian, DJ Screw started to make, what were known as \u201cScrew Tapes\u201d after being influenced by Daryl Scott and Michael Prince.\u00a0 At first, he made these records only for his close friends for special occasions.\u00a0 However, instead\u00a0of chopping and screwing disco records like Scott, he would mainly remix west coast hip hop records.\u00a0\u00a0He would distribute these remixes on cassette tapes.\u00a0 Eventually his screw tapes started to feature freestyles and raps from local\u00a0Houston\u00a0hip hop\u00a0artists.\u00a0\u00a0As 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.\u00a0\u00a0For\u00a0example,\u00a0Screwed\u00a0up Click Rapper \u201cZ-Ro\u201d 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,”.\u00a0\u00a0The increasing demand for his mixtapes\u00a0brought about\u00a0the opening of his record store (which would later open stores at several other locations) Screwed Up Records.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Artifact 2:  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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This image is of\u00a0a school\u00a0newspaper\u00a0article written for the Pony Express Student News Paper at\u00a0Panola College in Carthage, Texas.\u00a0\u00a0The article is titled\u00a0\u201cUnderground Music Goes Worldwide\u201d\u00a0The article basically explains the rise in popularity of the chopped and screwed genre.\u00a0 One notable thing about this article is the demographic of its audience.\u00a0 DJ Screw\u2019s music was\u00a0already\u00a0well recognized and popular within inner city Houston\u00a0culture;\u00a0however,\u00a0this article was written by a college student in a different city.\u00a0\u00a0This goes to show that\u00a0the genre\/style was starting to gain popularity outside of its place of origin, as well\u00a0as\u00a0becoming more popular among the college demographic.\u00a0\u00a0As DJ screw kept\u00a0working,\u00a0he developed the hip hop group known as The Screwed Up Click.\u00a0 The group was made up of artists like Lil Keke, Z-Ro, Big Moe, and Big Pokey.\u00a0 The group produced several records and began to rise in popularity not only in Texas, but in other parts of the south.\u00a0\u00a0For example, Memphis, Tennessee\u2019s \u201cThree Six Mafia\u201d dropped their record\u00a0\u201cSippin\u00a0on Some Sizzurp\u201d, which paid homage to DJ Screw and Houston’s\u00a0drug\/music culture.\u00a0 The song became a hit and would have put DJ Screw and Houston on a national spotlight.\u00a0 Unfortunately,\u00a0ironically\u00a0due to his workaholic work ethic and drug use lead to his overdose death on November 16, 2000.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u2019s \u201cJune 27\u201d, which features a 30-minute freestyle by various Screwed Up Click rappers on his song \u201cNov 18\u201d.  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<\/sup> each year.  The holiday is on that day to pay homage to the hit song \u201cJune 27\u201d by the Screwed Up Click.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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