Full Description
DJ Screw, a.k.a. Robert Earl Davis Jr., changed rap and hip-hop forever. In the 1990s, in a spare room of his Houston home, he developed a revolutionary mixing technique known as chopped and screwed. Spinning two copies of a record, Screw would "chop" in new rhythms, bring in local rappers to freestyle over the tracks, and slow the recording down on tape. Soon Houstonians were lining up to buy his cassettes—he could sell thousands in a single day. Fans drove around town blasting his music, a sound that came to define the city's burgeoning and innovative rap culture. June 27 has become an unofficial city holiday, inspired by a legendary mix Screw made on that date.
Lance Scott Walker has interviewed nearly everyone who knew Screw, from childhood friends to collaborators to aficionados who evangelized Screw's tapes—millions of which made their way around the globe—as well as the New York rap moguls who honored him. Walker brings these voices together with captivating details of Screw's craft and his world. More than the story of one man, DJ Screw is a history of the Houston scene as it came of age, full of vibrant moments and characters. But none can top Screw himself, a pioneer whose mystique has only grown in the two decades since his death.
Contents
ContentsPreface1. Screw York City2. Robert EarlHouston, Texas"Bunnytown"Harris StreetRadioThe GloveThe HandsZ Force CrewThe Next Episode3. Smithville to HoustonSouthsideNight PeopleMacGregor ParkHouston Rap AttackThe MeadowsGhetto Boys! Geto Boys!4. 102013-4 ActionWhite InsidesAlmedaIMG/NationBlastGulfgateScrew TapesTelephone LoveRebel Rap FamilyKings5. BroadwayTriple ThreatSmoke One / Smoke TwoSouthside ConnectionMichael Price6. The Wood RoomSwangin' and Bangin'HerschelwoodWelcome to the GhettoThe Drank ManScrew the WorldSo RealAll Screwed Up3 'N the Mornin'June 27thRidin' Dirty7. Screwed Up ClickThe GateFloss ModeDon't Mess with TexasOutlawsGhetto Dreams8. South ParkThe Southside ReunionScrewed Up Records & TapesIn God We TrustSo Many WaysScrew DubDead End Representative9. New TerritoryIt's Gonna Get BetterAll Work, No PlayUncle Earl99 LiveStrawberriesThe Day Hell Broke LooseThe RingPlatinumCity of SyrupFour Corners of the WorldPitch ControlCommerce Park2000 Tears10. The LegendCodeineSouthside Still HoldingIda MaeBoys in a DazeThe Five-Star GeneralScrew's HouseUniversity of HoustonScrewed Up HeadquartersThe SlabBow DownPoppa ScrewDJ Screw DayFloydScrew LuvAcknowledgmentsOral History GuideBibliographyIndex
