DJ Screw
| DJ Screw | |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Robert Earl Davis, Jr. |
| Also known as | The Originator |
| Born | July 20, 1971 |
| Origin | Houston, Texas, United States |
| Died | November 16, 2000 (aged 29) |
| Genres | Hip hop, Political Rap, Chopped and screwed |
| Occupations | DJ, Rapper |
| Instruments | Turntables |
| Years active | 1990–2000 |
| Labels | Screwed Up Records Bigtyme Recordz Wreckshop Records |
| Associated acts | Screwed Up Click, Trae, SPM, Lil' Flip, Bizzy Bone, Chamillionaire, Slim Thug, Pimp C, Lil' Keke, Fat Pat, Big Pokey, 2Pac, ESG, Big Hawk, Botany Boyz, Southside Playaz, UGK, Big Moe, South Park Coalition, Z-RO |
Robert Earl "DJ Screw" Davis, Jr. (July 20, 1971 – November 16, 2000)[1] was a Houston, Texas-based DJ. He was known as a central figure in the Houston hip-hop community and was the creator of the now-famous Chopped and Screwed DJ technique. This creation led to his nickname of "The Originator." Davis was recognized for his various mixtapes and albums mostly on a regional level, until after his death. His legacy was discovered by a wider audience when Houston hip-hop began reaching a national audience in 2005.
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[edit] Biography
DJ Screw was born in Bastrop, Texas, not far from Smithville, Texas. His father, Robert Earl Davis, Sr., was a long-haul truck driver based in Houston. His mother Ida May Davis (who had a young daughter from a previous marriage), came to the area to be with her mother when her son was born in 1971. She returned to Houston, but the marriage was foundering; soon it would be over, and she and her kids moved to Los Angeles for a couple of years, then back to Houston, and returned to Smithville in 1980 at the age of nine.[2]
A young DJ Screw had aspirations of being a truck driver like his father, but seeing the 1984 hit break dancing movie Breakin' and discovering his mother's turntable permanently derailed those dreams. He would take her B. B. King and Johnnie Taylor records and scratch them on the turntable the way deejays did, slowing the spinning disc and then allowing it to speed back up, playing with sound. Robert Earl began buying records of his own and playing deejay with his distant friend Trey Adkins, who would rap. "Screw had a jam box," Adkins told Texas Monthly, "and he hooked up two turntables to it and made a fader out of the radio tuner so he could deejay." Adkins said if Robert Earl didn't like a record, he would deface it with a screw. One day Adkins asked him, "Who do you think you are, DJ Screw?" Robert Earl liked the sound of that and in turn gave his long time friend a new name: Shorty Mac.[2]
He began DJing at age 12 in 1983, and started his trademark slowed-down mixes in 1990. The mixes began as special compilations requested by friends and those in the know. He soon made them available for sale when his close friend Toe offered to buy a mix from him for ten dollars. At that point, customers had increasingly begun requesting his more well-known mixes instead of personalized lists. During the early 1990s, he invited some of the Houston rappers from the city's south side to rap on those mixes.[3] This coalition of rappers eventually became the formation of the Screwed Up Click.
He moved to a house near Gulfgate Mall. Fans, some driving from far away areas such as Dallas and Waco, lined up at his door to obtain his recordings. He started his own business and opened a shop up on 7717 Cullen Blvd in Houston TX called Screwed Up Records and Tapes. It has been shown in numerous music videos and documentaries as well as independent films. There are now several Screwed Up Records and Tapes spread out through Texas, including one in Beaumont and in Austin.[2] On August 31, 2011, the original Screwed Up Records and Tapes located at 7717 Cullen Blvd was closed down. Landlord Dr. Pondexter evicted the shop so that he could expand his dental business. The issue had been dangling atop Screwed Up Records & Tapes like the Sword of Damocles for over five years now. Big Bub, one of the shop's caretakers, says the landlord first hinted at it after Screw passed.
Slowing down or “Screwing” tracks became generically associated with locally popular hip hop. That is, changing the tempo of the finished musical product got swept up in the emergence of generic norms for communicating a socially-positioned experience of place. In this way, Screw and the artists with whom he worked set intertextual precedents for communicating their indigeneity through a specific semiotic tactic – slowing down or “Screwing” the music.[4]
Texas Governor Rick Perry honored him by making him an official Texas Music Pioneer.[5]
[edit] Death
Davis died on November 16, 2000. Fans speculated about the true cause of his death. Some believed his tireless work ethic had caught up with him, while others considered his unhealthy lifestyle of constant fast food and little exercise to be the culprit.[6] When the coroner reports were released, they confirmed that he died of a codeine overdose in addition to mixed drug intoxication. The codeine came from a prescription-strength cough syrup that he would mix with soda to concoct a beverage called purple drank. In addition to codeine, Valium and PCP were found in his blood.[2] His funeral took place at Mount Pilgrim Baptist Church in his hometown of Smithville, Texas.[2]
[edit] Legacy
DJ Screw has been a considerable influence in the Houston scene, which is sometimes referred to as "Screwston" in his memory. His distinct musical stylings influenced countless rap acts. Alternative weekly The Houston Press named the 1995 album 3 N' Da Mornin, Part 2 as no. 13 on its list of the 25 best Houston rap albums of all time. The newspaper credited the release for the way it helped shape Houston's hip-hop culture.[7] The newspaper also referred to Chopped and Screwed music as the second most likely type of music to be associated with Texas, an example of DJ Screw's influence in the region.[8]
[edit] DJ Screwfest
A music festival and car show in honor of DJ Screw was set up in 2006. The inaugural DJ Screwfest featured 200 vehicles [9] and a setlist featuring notable Houston hip-hop acts like Slim Thug, Trae, and Chingo Bling. The first festival, which took place at the Pasadena County Fairgrounds, ran into problems including rain and limited sound equipment.[10]
[edit] Screwed Up Click
When the Houston hip-hop scene became nationally prominent in 2004, many of the biggest acts could be traced to DJ Screw's crew, the Screwed Up Click. The expansive crew, which featured more than 15 rappers, were featured prominently on his mixtapes and often spent nights with him recording. Some of the more famous rappers to come out of the Screwed Up Click include Big Hawk, Lil' Keke, and Fat Pat. While many of the S.U.C. rappers enjoyed major-label success, DJ Screw himself remained largely underground. He was uncomfortable with mainstream business practices like bank accounts and copyrights.[2] He would allow members of the S.U.C. to rap on his mixtapes free of charge, despite the large amount of exposure a screw tape feature could provide. A single tape could have reached 100,000 listeners according to some estimates; they often led to further success, including recording contracts.[6]
[edit] Discography
[edit] "Screw-tapes"
Screw tapes were tapes that DJ Screw made himself and mainly sold from his house or when traveling to do shows. Many of his friends freestyled and spoke over instrumentals/songs.
The mixtapes were re-released after his death in 2000 and given "chapter" titles. Despite this they were not re-released chronologically. The works date between 1994 and 2000.
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[edit] Albums
1995 All Screwed Up Big Tyme Records -
| Year | Album Title | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 3 'n the Mornin', Pt. 1 | Big Tyme Records |
| 1996 | 3 'n the Mornin', Pt. 2 | Big Tyme Records |
| 1996 | I Wanna Get High with Blanksta | Big Time |
| 1999 | All Work No Play | Reliant Entertainment |
| 2001 | The Legend | Big Tyme Records |
| 2002 | All Work No Play, Vol. 2 | Reliant Entertainment |
| 2002 | Sentimental Value | Wreckless Entertainmen |
| 2002 | As the World Turns Slow | Wreckless Entertainment |
| 2004 | June 27 | Screwed Up Texas |
| 2004 | The Final Chapter | Screwed Up Click |
| 2004 | N 2 Deep | Screwed Up Click |
| 2004 | Screw Tape in the Deck | T.J. Music |
| 2005 | Soldiers United for Cash, Pt. 2 | Starz Music |
| 2005 | Screw Tape in the Deck, Vol. 2: Texas to the World | Bcd |
| 2005 | Playaz Nite | Screwed Up Click |
| 2005 | Greatest Hits | Screwed Up Click |
| 2005 | 11-16-00 | Screwed Up Click |
| 2005 | Trilogy: A DJ Screw Memorial | Bcd |
| 2005 | Anniversary Day | Wreckless Entertainment |
| 2006 | Syrup City Ballas Screwed | Bcd |
| 2006 | Apt 100: Where It All Began | Oar |
| 2006 | The Best of the Best, Vol. 2 | Screwed Up Click |
| 2006 | Screw Tape in the Deck, Pt. 3: Final Chapter | Bcd |
| 2006 | Royalty of Rap | Bcd |
| 2007 | 11-16-00, Vol. 2 | Screwed Up Click |
| 2007 | DJ Screw Mix | Bcd |
| 2008 | Best of the Best, Vol. 1 | Screwed Up Click |
| 2008 | Fallen Soldiers | Screwed Up Click |
| 2008 | Best of the Best, Vol. 3 | Screwed Up Click |
| 2008 | 11-16-00, Vol. 3 | Screwed Up Click |
| 2010 | Forever | Screwed Up Click Entertainment |
[edit] Also Appears on
- SPM(South Park Mexican) Power Moves double Disc 1998
- Al-D - Home Of The Free 1995
- Al-D - Unconditional Luv 2002
- Aggravated - Accept 1995
- Botany Boyz - Thought of Many Ways 1997
- Mr. 3-2 The Wicked Buddah Baby 1996
- DJ DMD - Eleven 1997
- Dead End Alliance - Screwed 4 Life 1997
- Lil Keke - Don't Mess With Texas 1997
- Lil Keke - The Commission 1998
- C-Note - 3rd Coast Born 1999
- Lil O - Blood Money 1999
- 5th Ward Soundtrack 1999
- Lil' Flip - The Leprechaun 2000
- K-Rino - No Mercy 2000
- HAWK - Under Hawks Wings 2000
- Rap-a-Lot Records - R.N.D.S. Compilation 1999
- Point Blank - N Tha Doe 1996
- Point Blank - Bad News Travels Fast 2000
- Big Moe - City of Syrup 2000
[edit] Film
The 2007 documentary film Screwed In Houston produced by VBS/Vice Magazine details the history of the Houston rap scene and the influence of the Chopped and Screwed sub-culture on Houston hip-hop. The 5-part series has one full episode dedicated to DJ Screw and includes video footage of DJ Screw days before his death.
[edit] References
- ^ DJ Screw The Untold Story DVD. Double Platinum, 2006.
- ^ a b c d e f The Slow Life and Fast Death of DJ Screw.[1]
- ^ Flashing Back to the Heyday of DJ Screw.[2]
- ^ Hip Hop Parody as Veiled Critique.[3]
- ^ Texas Music Pioneer Birthdays.[4]
- ^ a b Life in the Slow Lane.[5]
- ^ The H-Town Countdown, No. 13: DJ Screw's 3 N' Tha Mornin' Pt. 2 (Blue).[6]
- ^ The Five Most Texan Types Of Music.[7]
- ^ Friends and fans pay respect to DJ Screw.[8]
- ^ Screwed-up Screwfest works anyway.[9]
[edit] External links
- Screwed Up Records & Tapes - Official site (requires flash)
- Deft Magazine Commemorative Rest In Peace Mixtape - Deft Magazine
- Davey D article regarding the death of DJ Screw
- Murder Dog interview with DJ Screw 8/8/99
