Robert Earl Davis, Jr. was born in 1970 and grew up surrounded by the Houston hip hop scene.  He received his first turn table at ten years old, and dropped out of high school during his sophomore year to focus on music.  He later picked up the public moniker, DJ Screw.

DJ Screw

The Screw sound is when I mix tapes with songs that people can relax to.  Slower tempos, to feel the music and so you can hear what the rapper is saying.  When I am mixing, I might run across something a rapper's saying which is important.  I may run it back two or three times to let you hear what he is saying.

Getting Started

Robert Earl Davis, Jr. was born in 1970 and grew up surrounded by the Houston hip hop scene.  He received his first turn table at ten years old, and dropped out of high school during his sophomore year to focus on music.  He later picked up the public moniker, DJ Screw.

He started deejaying when he was thirteen years old and started “screwing” tapes in 1984.  This was a process of slowing down and remixing existing rap tracks.  Over the course of his career, he released over 1,000 screwtapes.  In the early 1990s, he invited a number of rappers to “flow” for his tapes, creating the “Screwed Up Click.”

Building his Niche

In addition to his screwtapes, DJ Screw recorded his own original material.  He released his debut album, Bigtyme Recordz Vol. II: All Screwed Up, in 1994.  Four additional albums were released through 1999.  Guest appearances on his albums included a “Who's Who in Rap,” including Ice Cube, LL Cool J, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, and Daz Dillinger, to name a few.  He did not seek awards and chart placement; his albums were truly about his art, but his 1999 album appeared at #62 on the Billboard Top 200 Chart.

In 2000, DJ Screw died of a lethal combination of codeine and other drugs. His final album, The Legend, was released posthumously, in 2001. It was a compilation of tribute and inspired works from many who had worked with him.  All of the material was mixed by DJ D.

In the Wake of Tragedy

Since his death, nineteen unofficial albums have been released, featuring the work of DJ Screw and work inspired by him.  In 2007, a documentary film, Screwed in Houston, was released in DVD and video.  Produced by VBS/Vice Magazine, the 5-part series covering the Houston rap scene dedicated an entire episode to DJ Screw, including video footage from before his death.

His mixtapes and albums are now available for mp3 download on iTunes.  In 2001, DJ Screw was awarded posthumously the Pinkhouse Award for Most Influential DJ.  He has been honored as recently as this year at the VMA and BET awards, and is listed on the Top 12 “Artists who died too soon.”

Did you know . . .

1. In the mid-1990s, Priority Records offered DJ Screw a recording contract, which he turned down.  He was not interested in commercializing his work.

2. The Screwed Up Click included Big Moe, Big Hawk, Dat Boy Grace, and Southside Playaz.

3. Because of the presence of methamphetamine in his autopsy report, the members of the Screwed Up Click insist that DJ Screw was murdered, maintaining that he never used the drug.

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