Chopped and screwed
Encyclopedia
Chopped and screwed refers to a technique of remix
ing hip hop music
which developed in the Houston hip hop scene in the 1990s. This is accomplished by slowing the tempo
down to between 60 - 70 quarter-note beats per minute and applying techniques such as skipping beats, record scratching
, stop-time
, and affecting portions of the music to make a "chopped-up" version of the original.
and crunk
. In Houston, a different approach of slowing music down, rather than speeding it up, developed. It is unknown when DJ Screw
definitively created "chopped and screwed" music: although people around Screw have indicated any time between 1984 to 1991, Screw said he started slowing music down in 1990. There is no debate, however, that DJ Screw invented the music style. " He discovered that dramatically reducing the pitch of a record gave a mellow, heavy sound that emphasized lyrics to the point of almost storytelling
. After messing around with the sound for a while Screw started making full length "Screw Tapes". At first the music was only referred to as "Screw music," was limited to the South Side of Houston, and was seen as laid-back driving music. As Screw's tapes started to gain popularity he started selling his tapes for around $10. Screw was known to feature some of Houston's most renowned rappers from the South Side. This eventually led to the formation of the Screwed Up Click
.
Between 1991 and 1992, there was a large increase in use of purple drank
in Houston. Purple drank has been considered to be a major influence in the making of and listening to chopped and screwed music due to its perceived effect of slowing the brain down, giving slow, mellow music its appeal. DJ Screw, however, repeatedly denounced the claim that one has to use purple drank to enjoy chopped and screwed music. Screw, a known user of purple drank, said he came up with chopped and screwed music when high on marijuana
.
In the mid-1990s, chopped and screwed music started to move to the North Side of Houston and to such people as DJ Michael "5000" Watts. and OG RON C
It wasn't long until a rivalry between north and south Houston started over who were the "originators" and who were the "adopters". Michael "5000" Watts always gave credit to DJ Screw as the originator of chopped and screwed music. It is also believed that Michael "5000" Watts came up with the term "chopped and screwed". As time passed and a younger generation got into the style, there became less worry over who was an originator of the style and who was an adopter. In the late 1990s, with the help of P2P
groups such as Napster
, chopped and screwed music spread to a much wider audience.
In 1999, PSK-13, an associate of DJ Screw and the Screwed Up Click (also a member of the South Park Coalition
), released a screwed version of his album Pay Like You Weigh 5000 which was one of the earliest examples of a full length album being given the treatment.
On November 16, 2000 DJ Screw died from a lethal combination of codeine
and alcohol
. Shortly after the passing of Screw, chopped and screwed music spread all over the southern United States. Later in 2000, the Memphis
based group Three 6 Mafia
came out with their song "Sippin' on Some Syrup
". The song at first was just a minor hit but later became one of Three 6 Mafia's most popular songs.
In 2001, 8Ball & MJG
released a screwed version of their album Space Age 4 Eva
(2000). The mixing was handled by Michael "5000" Watts of the famed Swishahouse
, being the first chopped and screwed release on a major label.
In 2003, David Banner
released a chopped and screwed version of his album Mississippi: The Album
, being a first by an artist from Mississippi.
In 2005, the first chopped and screwed albums were added to the iTunes
shop catalog.
In 2006 Chamillionaire
's The Sound of Revenge (Screwed & Chopped) by OG Ron C
became the most successful chopped and screwed album to date.
In 2011,University of Houston Libraries acquired over 1,000 albums owned by DJ Screw.Some of the albums will be part of an exhibit in early 2012 and the rest available for research in 2013.
Today it is still common to see chopped and screwed versions of mixtapes and albums released alongside the regular speed versions, sometimes in a double disc format with one disc screwed and the other regular speed. There are many DJS today who "Screw" music. The Top DJs are below
In 2011, DJ bloo, a Reggae and Dubstep DJ, began releasing mixes of reggae and dub music that had been 'chopped and screwed' (i.e. had the classic elements of the remixing technique applied), perhaps signalling an expanding interest in the style beyond its hip-hop origins.
in the early 1990s
. Part of the chopped & screwed music scene is a beverage known as purple drank
(the active ingredients being codeine
and promethazine
); the color purple, which is usually present as a dye in the "drank," has also become a symbolic color or motif to identify chopped and screwed versions of songs or whole albums. 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.
Remix
A remix is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version. This term is also used for any alterations of media other than song ....
ing hip hop music
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
which developed in the Houston hip hop scene in the 1990s. This is accomplished by slowing the tempo
Tempo
In musical terminology, tempo is the speed or pace of a given piece. Tempo is a crucial element of any musical composition, as it can affect the mood and difficulty of a piece.-Measuring tempo:...
down to between 60 - 70 quarter-note beats per minute and applying techniques such as skipping beats, record scratching
Scratching
Scratching is a DJ or turntablist technique used to produce distinctive sounds by moving a vinyl record back and forth on a turntable while optionally manipulating the crossfader on a DJ mixer. While scratching is most commonly associated with hip hop music, since the late 1980s, it has been used...
, stop-time
Stop-time
In tap dancing, jazz, and blues, stop-time is an accompaniment pattern interrupting, or stopping, the normal time and featuring regular accented attacks on the first beat of each or every other measure alternating with silence or solos. Stop-time appears infrequently in ragtime music...
, and affecting portions of the music to make a "chopped-up" version of the original.
History
Preceding the early 1990s, most Southern hip hop was upbeat and fast, like Miami bassMiami bass
Miami bass , is a type of hip hop music, that became popular in the 1980s and 1990s. Its roots are directly linked to the Electro-funk sound of the early 1980s, pioneered by Afrika Bambataa & The Soulsonic Force and later on by UK-based musician Paul Hardcastle...
and crunk
Crunk
Crunk is a music style that originated in Memphis, Tennessee in the mid-to-late 1990s and gained mainstream success around 2003–2004. Performers of crunk music are sometimes referred to as crunksters. An archetypal crunk track most frequently uses a drum machine rhythm, heavy bassline, and...
. In Houston, a different approach of slowing music down, rather than speeding it up, developed. It is unknown when DJ Screw
DJ Screw
Robert Earl "DJ Screw" Davis, Jr. 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...
definitively created "chopped and screwed" music: although people around Screw have indicated any time between 1984 to 1991, Screw said he started slowing music down in 1990. There is no debate, however, that DJ Screw invented the music style. " He discovered that dramatically reducing the pitch of a record gave a mellow, heavy sound that emphasized lyrics to the point of almost storytelling
Storytelling
Storytelling is the conveying of events in words, images and sounds, often by improvisation or embellishment. Stories or narratives have been shared in every culture as a means of entertainment, education, cultural preservation and in order to instill moral values...
. After messing around with the sound for a while Screw started making full length "Screw Tapes". At first the music was only referred to as "Screw music," was limited to the South Side of Houston, and was seen as laid-back driving music. As Screw's tapes started to gain popularity he started selling his tapes for around $10. Screw was known to feature some of Houston's most renowned rappers from the South Side. This eventually led to the formation of the Screwed Up Click
Screwed Up Click
The Screwed Up Click is an assortment of rappers mainly from the southside of Houston started by DJ Screw.After appearing on numerous screw tapes and spreading their name throughout southern hip hop, they have become well known. Despite the deaths of several members and the incarceration of...
.
Between 1991 and 1992, there was a large increase in use of purple drank
Purple drank
Purple drank is a slang term for a recreational drug popular in the hip hop community in the southern United States, originating in Houston, Texas. Its main ingredient is prescription-strength cough syrup containing codeine and promethazine. Cough syrup is typically mixed with ingredients such as...
in Houston. Purple drank has been considered to be a major influence in the making of and listening to chopped and screwed music due to its perceived effect of slowing the brain down, giving slow, mellow music its appeal. DJ Screw, however, repeatedly denounced the claim that one has to use purple drank to enjoy chopped and screwed music. Screw, a known user of purple drank, said he came up with chopped and screwed music when high on marijuana
Cannabis (drug)
Cannabis, also known as marijuana among many other names, refers to any number of preparations of the Cannabis plant intended for use as a psychoactive drug or for medicinal purposes. The English term marijuana comes from the Mexican Spanish word marihuana...
.
In the mid-1990s, chopped and screwed music started to move to the North Side of Houston and to such people as DJ Michael "5000" Watts. and OG RON C
OG Ron C
Ronald Coleman , better known for his stage name OG RON C, is an American record producer, radio personality, DJ, and entertainment and management company executive. He is a radio host for the Houston-based urban music online radio station chopnotslop.com, former DJ for Chamillionaire and current...
It wasn't long until a rivalry between north and south Houston started over who were the "originators" and who were the "adopters". Michael "5000" Watts always gave credit to DJ Screw as the originator of chopped and screwed music. It is also believed that Michael "5000" Watts came up with the term "chopped and screwed". As time passed and a younger generation got into the style, there became less worry over who was an originator of the style and who was an adopter. In the late 1990s, with the help of P2P
File sharing
File sharing is the practice of distributing or providing access to digitally stored information, such as computer programs, multimedia , documents, or electronic books. It may be implemented through a variety of ways...
groups such as Napster
Napster
Napster is an online music store and a Best Buy company. It was originally founded as a pioneering peer-to-peer file sharing Internet service that emphasized sharing audio files that were typically digitally encoded music as MP3 format files...
, chopped and screwed music spread to a much wider audience.
In 1999, PSK-13, an associate of DJ Screw and the Screwed Up Click (also a member of the South Park Coalition
South Park Coalition
South Park Coalition is a coalition of Houston hip hop rappers which K-Rino, born Eric Kaiser, started in 1986, wanting to unite the talent in his South Park neighborhood and the city of Houston. Before that went down, many of the members were battling each other around the city and were at war...
), released a screwed version of his album Pay Like You Weigh 5000 which was one of the earliest examples of a full length album being given the treatment.
On November 16, 2000 DJ Screw died from a lethal combination of codeine
Codeine
Codeine or 3-methylmorphine is an opiate used for its analgesic, antitussive, and antidiarrheal properties...
and alcohol
Alcohol
In chemistry, an alcohol is an organic compound in which the hydroxy functional group is bound to a carbon atom. In particular, this carbon center should be saturated, having single bonds to three other atoms....
. Shortly after the passing of Screw, chopped and screwed music spread all over the southern United States. Later in 2000, the Memphis
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
based group Three 6 Mafia
Three 6 Mafia
Three 6 Mafia are an Academy Award-winning, American rap group originating from Memphis, Tennessee. Formed in 1991 as Triple 6 Mafia, by DJ Paul, Juicy J, & Lord Infamous, the group at its most featured six members including; Crunchy Black, Gangsta Boo and Koopsta Knicca...
came out with their song "Sippin' on Some Syrup
Sippin' on Some Syrup
"Sippin' On Some Syrup" is a track from Three 6 Mafia's fourth studio album, When the Smoke Clears: Sixty 6, Sixty 1. It features UGK and Project Pat...
". The song at first was just a minor hit but later became one of Three 6 Mafia's most popular songs.
In 2001, 8Ball & MJG
8Ball & MJG
8Ball & MJG is an American Rap and Crunk duo from Memphis, Tennessee. The two rappers met at in 1980.They first appeared on the rap scene with their 1992 underground album Listen To The Lyrics...
released a screwed version of their album Space Age 4 Eva
Space Age 4 Eva
Space Age 4 Eva is the 2000 album by Eightball & MJG released on JCOR Entertainment/Interscope Records. It is considered by fans and critics alike to be their best album...
(2000). The mixing was handled by Michael "5000" Watts of the famed Swishahouse
Swishahouse
Swishahouse is a Houston, Texas-based independent southern rap record label.- History :Swishahouse was founded in North Houston in the late 1990s by Michael '5000' Watts and OG Ron C as a response to the popularity of chopped and screwed music from Houston's south side...
, being the first chopped and screwed release on a major label.
In 2003, David Banner
David Banner
Lavell Crump , better known by his stage name David Banner, is an American rapper, record producer and occasional actor. Banner was born in Jackson, Mississippi and graduated from Southern University. He started his music career as a member of the rap duo, Crooked Lettaz before going solo in 2000...
released a chopped and screwed version of his album Mississippi: The Album
Mississippi: The Album
Mississippi: The Album is the debut album released by David Banner. It did not reach a high position in the charts however it did spawn the popular club tune "Like A Pimp" and the hit "Cadillac On 22s"...
, being a first by an artist from Mississippi.
In 2005, the first chopped and screwed albums were added to the iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
shop catalog.
In 2006 Chamillionaire
Chamillionaire
Hakeem Seriki , better known by his stage name Chamillionaire, is an American rapper, record producer, and entrepreneur. He is the CEO of Chamillitary Entertainment. Chamillionaire is also the founder and an original member of The Color Changin' Click...
's The Sound of Revenge (Screwed & Chopped) by OG Ron C
OG Ron C
Ronald Coleman , better known for his stage name OG RON C, is an American record producer, radio personality, DJ, and entertainment and management company executive. He is a radio host for the Houston-based urban music online radio station chopnotslop.com, former DJ for Chamillionaire and current...
became the most successful chopped and screwed album to date.
In 2011,University of Houston Libraries acquired over 1,000 albums owned by DJ Screw.Some of the albums will be part of an exhibit in early 2012 and the rest available for research in 2013.
Today it is still common to see chopped and screwed versions of mixtapes and albums released alongside the regular speed versions, sometimes in a double disc format with one disc screwed and the other regular speed. There are many DJS today who "Screw" music. The Top DJs are below
In 2011, DJ bloo, a Reggae and Dubstep DJ, began releasing mixes of reggae and dub music that had been 'chopped and screwed' (i.e. had the classic elements of the remixing technique applied), perhaps signalling an expanding interest in the style beyond its hip-hop origins.
Subculture
Chopped and screwed music was created by DJ ScrewDJ Screw
Robert Earl "DJ Screw" Davis, Jr. 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...
in the early 1990s
1990s
File:1990s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: The Hubble Space Telescope floats in space after it was taken up in 1990; American F-16s and F-15s fly over burning oil fields and the USA Lexie in Operation Desert Storm, also known as the 1991 Gulf War; The signing of the Oslo Accords on...
. Part of the chopped & screwed music scene is a beverage known as purple drank
Purple drank
Purple drank is a slang term for a recreational drug popular in the hip hop community in the southern United States, originating in Houston, Texas. Its main ingredient is prescription-strength cough syrup containing codeine and promethazine. Cough syrup is typically mixed with ingredients such as...
(the active ingredients being codeine
Codeine
Codeine or 3-methylmorphine is an opiate used for its analgesic, antitussive, and antidiarrheal properties...
and promethazine
Promethazine
Promethazine is a first-generation antihistamine of the phenothiazine family. The drug has anti-motion sickness, antiemetic, and anticholinergic effects, as well as a strong sedative effect and in some countries is prescribed for insomnia when benzodiazepines are contraindicated...
); the color purple, which is usually present as a dye in the "drank," has also become a symbolic color or motif to identify chopped and screwed versions of songs or whole albums. 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.
External links
- "Chopped & Screwed Mixtapes", MixTapeTorrent.com.