His life began in the appropriately sleepy rural town of Smithville, Texas (or, according to some reports, neighboring Bastrop), two hours west of Houston. He gave few interviews, and many biographical details – the source of his nickname, for instance – remain sketchy and subject to conflicting accounts. Like a G6, a No 1 song in the US by LA pop rappers Far East Movement, contains a reference to "sippin' sizzurp".ĭespite the growing interest in his music, Davis himself remains something of an enigma.
Sweden's Karin Dreijer Andersson, of the Knife fame, cited chopped-and-screwed mixes as an inspiration for her recent solo project, Fever Ray.
Dj screw june 27th freestyle update#
It can be heard in the R&B/hip-hop hybrids of T-Pain (see 2008's cheeky homage Chopped and Screwed) and Drake (whose Nov 18 is an update of Screw's June 27 ) and in the arty, haunted sounds of so-called "witch house" acts such as the ascendant Michigan trio Salem. It's not that everyone who listened to Screw sipped syrup."ĭavis was confined to regional success in his lifetime, but today his influence has spread more widely. "That's just the culture down here and a way of life. "The first thing think of when they hear Screw's name, or Screw music in general, is the syrup sippin'," says Cedric "ESG" Hill, a Houston rapper affiliated with the Screwed Up Click. When Screw, just 29 at the time, died on November 16, 2000, from what medical examiners said was an overdose of codeine – drank's active ingredient – that connection was forged for good. He and the Screwed Up Click (SUC), the loose-knit collective of Houston rappers who freestyled on his mixtapes, referenced the purple-hued concoction so often that their music and their drug of choice become as closely associated with one another as acid rock and LSD. Screw's emergence in his native Houston, Texas coincided with a surge there in the popularity of drank (otherwise known as "lean," "syrup" or "barre"), a mixture of prescription-strength cough syrup and soda that can create a feeling of sedated euphoria when taken in large quantities. Davis, better known as DJ Screw, wasn't the first DJ or producer to purposely pitch down music for effect, but he preserved the glacial pace throughout his 100-minute mixtapes, developing a uniquely psychedelic, ethereal sound that would come to be known as chopped and screwed, or, simply, Screw music. Using the pitch controls on his turntables, he began slowing records to preternaturally slow speeds, augmenting his mixes with smooth cuts and slurred commentary that sounded as if delivered from beyond the grave. For hip-hop, for the Houston, for DJ Screw.S ometime around 1990, a young hip-hop DJ named Robert Earl Davis, Jr decided music was just too fast for his liking. When June 27 comes around, be sure you jam the freestyle. While Screw was beginning to see how important his contributions to the art form was becoming, his untimely demise (at age 29) didn’t allow him to see how impactful it is today. The freestyle signifies a strength in Houston and also a strength in hip-hop culture. On this day, June 27, we celebrate Houston and DJ Screw.
Screw released over 300 mixtapes during his tenure and none are as popular as June 27th. They recorded their words over Kriss Kross’ “Da Streets Ain’t Right.” In Houston, today is known as DJ Screw Day. The freestyle features Big Moe, Yungstar, Key-c, Big Pokey, Demo, Haircut Joe, and Kay-Luv. The song, recorded 23 years ago today, was recorded on DeMo’s (Screwed Up Click rapper) birthday.
When we speak of June 27, it’s not his birthday or the date of his untimely death, it’s the day he recorded his 35-minute freestyle, featuring 7 other artists, on June 27, 1996. During his short-but-impactful career, Screw played by his own rules.