Dj Screw Grey Tapes

admin

DJ Screw on the mixer and turntables photograph, Gift of DeMo

Rage repack. There would be no exhibit without this man, and many you see featured here wouldn't even be artists were it not for the encouragement and generosity of Robert Earl Davis, Jr. The Smithville native moved to Houston in his teens already knowing his way around the turntables, and in the early 1990s he began to develop the techniques that he would turn into a genre, turning the Houston hip-hop lexicon on its head, and slowing everything way down -- 'Screwing The World.' DJ Screw passed away on November 16, 2000.

DJ Screw would then slow the tempo further by using a four-track’s pitch control function to manipulate the master cassettes and produce the final tape. He began selling copies of these “screw tapes” or “grey tapes” (so called because of their color) from his home. High quality Dj Screw gifts and merchandise. Inspired designs on t-shirts, posters, stickers, home decor, and more by independent artists and designers from around the world. DJ Screw grey tape, courtesy the Special Collections at the University of Houston Libraries. In an essay for the exhibition catalog, author Regina N. Bradley, Ph.D, a Nasir Jones HipHop Fellow (Harvard University, Spring 2016), writes: “Screw culture is a lasting testament to the unique experiences of Black Houstonians. Unique Dj Screw Stickers designed and sold by artists. Decorate your laptops, water bottles, helmets, and cars. Get up to 50% off. White or transparent.

-- Lance Scott Walker, author of Houston Rap Tapes: An Oral History of Bayou City Hip-Hop (University of Texas Press, October 2018)

Originally from Smithville, Texas, DJ Screw was a Houston-based DJ who invented a new genre of hip hop known as 'chopped and screwed.' Using special production techniques, DJ Screw recorded mixtapes which featured repeated words and phrases, and music slowed down to a crawl. Local rappers from the Southside of Houston freestyled over some of the tracks on the mixtapes. These tapes were extremely popular in the Gulf Coast region during DJ Screw's life; in the years since his death in 2000 they have influenced recordings by popular artists such as Drake and Beyoncé.

DJ Screw, 'Facin Time' mixtape commissioned for Mark

This is an original mixtape created by DJ Screw, also known as a screw tape or gray tape. DJ Screw primarily recorded on 100 minute gray Maxell tapes, and he wrote his name, his beeper number, the title of the tape, and the word 'fool' on the label by hand. Gray tapes did not come with track listings.

Dj Screw Grey Tapes Youtube

Screw tape list for Lil' Keke

Grey

Gift of Robert E. Davis, Sr.

This is a handwritten list for one of the underground mixtapes recorded by DJ Screw. He would take a small commission to create a mixtape for an individual featuring particular songs, and then dub copies of that original tape to sell to the public.

Dj Screw Grey Tapes Vinyl

DJ Screw, June 27th CD, Screwed Up Records & Tapes

June 27th is the best known of DJ Screw's mixtapes, recorded for DeMo's birthday and featuring a 35-minute freestyle by multiple S.U.C. members over the beat for 'Da Streets Ain't Right' by Kris Kross.

DJ Screw originally sold his mixtapes directly from his home. In 1998, he opened Screwed Up Records and Tapes to sell his recordings. The store is still in operation in its second location at 3538 W. Fuqua.

Dj Screw Grey Tapes

Budget for DJ Screw, D.E.A., and Southside Playaz appearance at Sixth Street Fat Tuesdays

Dj Screw Grey Tape In The Deck

Screwed Up Records and Tapes sticker

Screwed Up Records and Tapes business card

Invoice for recording 'DJ Screw project' at Samplified Digital Recording Studios

Photograph of DJ Screw, Al-D, and Thomas

Handwritten lyrics by DJ Screw for the C-Note song 'Screwed Up Click'

Gift of Robert E. Davis, Sr.

Although primarily a DJ, Screw also rapped on both screw tapes and albums. In this small notepad, he worked out the lyrics for his verse on the song 'Screwed Up Click,' which appeared on the album 'Third Coast Born' by C-Note. His lyrics refer directly to things going on at his house -- the 1996 raid by Houston's Gang Task Force who mistakenly thought that the traffic to his home was for drugs, the 'shady' behavior of some hangers-on as he became increasingly famous, and the effect of regularly sipping codeine promethazine or 'drank.'

Photograph of DJ Screw at Samplified Digital Recording Studio during the recording of 3 'N the Mornin'

Gift of DeMo

DJ Screw recorded a series of 'above ground' albums for the local label BigTyme Recordz, owned by Russell Washington. They were recorded and mixed by Maestro at Samplified Digital Recording Studio in Missouri City. The popular '3 'N the Mornin' was released as two records, 'Part One' and 'Part Two,' and sold approximately 200,000 copies.

DJ Screw, '3 'N the Mornin': Part Two' 12', Bigtyme Recordz

DJ Screw's personal copy, Gift of Robert E. Davis, Sr.

Screw

DJ Screw was mainly known for his underground mixtapes, but he also recorded several 'above ground' albums, the best known being 3 ‘N the Mornin’ (Part Two) on Bigtyme Recordz. The album featured music by Houston artists, chopped and screwed by DJ Screw.

Dj Screw

Obituary (memorial service program) for DJ Screw, Gift of Robert E. Davis, Sr.

Screw Tapes

DJ Screw passed away on November 16, 2000. His death was attributed to an overdose of codeine promethazine cough syrup and other drugs. His life and his talent continue to inspire fans and musicians around the world.