R.I.P. Dj Screw

He was born in Bastrop, Texas to Robert Earl Davis, Sr. and his mother. DJ Screw had lived in Smithville, Houston, and Los Angeles; at one point his father took him to Houston. There DJ Screw lived in a working class, mostly African American neighborhood near Hobby Airport described by Michael Hall of Texas Monthly as "hard-edged." DJ Screw dropped out of Sterling High School during his 10th grade year and focused on music.[1]

During the early 1990s, he invited some of Houston's most renowned rappers from the south side of the city to flow on his Screw tapes. This eventually led to the formation of the Screwed Up Click. What originally was only a fad of Houston, Chopped and Screwed music started getting more widespread attention with the introduction of p2p programs such as Napster in the late 90s. This ultimately led to DJ Screw getting recognition across the country and being known as one of biggest faces in modern hip-hop. He released five above ground releases: "All Screwed Up, Vol. 1" (1995), "3 'N the Mornin Part 1" (1995), "3 'N the Mornin Part 2 Red" (1996) "3 'N the Mornin Part 2 Blue" (1996), and "All Work, No Play" (1999).

Although DJ Screw only has a handful of above ground releases, he has recorded hundreds of different mixes, released primarily on cassette tape. These are still available for purchase at the "Screwed Up Records and Tapes" located on Cullen Blvd in Houston which opened in 1998. His mixtapes include titles such as "June 27" and "The Final Chapter." In the mid-1990s Priority Records offered DJ Screw a lucrative record deal. Screw turned down the offer. Former Priority Records executive Dave Weiner said "It wasn't about the money for him, it was about doing what he wanted to do with his homeboys." [2]

DJ Screw often created "Chopped and Screwed" versions of famous rap songs. Some notable examples of these tracks include R. Kelly's "I Wish," Biz Markie's "Nobody Beats the Biz," and Bone Thugs-N-Harmony's "Budsmokers Only". In 2004, Game Over was a major hit for one of DJ Screw's protégés Lil' Flip. Houston rap artists that have recently signed major record deals, including Chamillionaire, Paul Wall, and Slim Thug, owe much of their success to DJ Screw and give proper credit in many of their songs.

After his music became popular, he moved to a house near Gulfgate Mall with long time friend OG Ron C of Swishahouse Records; fans, some driving from far away areas such as Dallas, lined by his door to receive his recordings.[1]