The technique originated in 2017, when Houston-based producer Jarylun Moore (known online as Slater), having been inspired by DJ Screw, began uploading remixes of popular songs using the technique to YouTube. "Slowed and reverb" (stylized as "slowed + reverb") is a technique of remixing which involves slowing down and adding reverb to a previously existing song, often created by using digital audio editors such as Audacity. It has since developed into subgenres such as "future screw and lean house". In the mid-2010s, producers on SoundCloud began experimenting with fusing chopped and screwed music and EDM. Īs of to date, the chopped and screwed music genre has been added to all forms of streaming services including iTunes, Spotify and has crossed over to receive mass mainstream appeal. Some of the albums were part of an exhibit in early 2012 and, along with the rest, went available for research in 2013. In 2011, University of Houston Libraries acquired over 1,000 albums owned by DJ Screw. The 2007 documentary film Screwed in Houston details the history of the Houston rap scene and the influence of the chopped and screwed subculture on Houston hip hop. The song debuted as a minor hit but later became one of Three 6 Mafia's most popular songs. Later in 2000, the Memphis-based group Three 6 Mafia came out with their song " Sippin' on Some Syrup".
2000–present: Expansion and development įollowing the death of DJ Screw, his musical influence spread all over the southern United States. The autopsy report later revealed that Screw died from a lethal combination of codeine, marijuana and alcohol.
On November 16, 2000, DJ Screw was found dead in the bathroom of his music studio. In the late 1990s, with the help of P2P networks such as Napster, chopped and screwed music spread to a much wider audience. Michael "5000" Watts always gave credit to DJ Screw as the originator of chopped and screwed music, although Watts has been a proponent of the slogan "screwed and chopped" instead of "chopped and screwed". A rivalry between north and south Houston over the true originators of chopped and screwed began to arise. In the mid-1990s, chopped and screwed music started to move to the north side of Houston by way of DJ Michael "5000" Watts, and later OG Ron C. There's kids getting my tapes, moms and dads getting my tapes, don't smoke or drink or nothing." In an interview for the documentary film Soldiers United For Cash, DJ Screw denounced the claim that one has to use lean to enjoy screwed and chopped music, saying, "People think just to listen to my tapes you gotta be high or dranked out. The drug beverage has been considered a major influence on the making and listening of chopped and screwed music due to its perceived effect of slowing the brain down, and giving the slow, mellow music its appeal. In Houston, between 19, there was a notable increase in the use of lean (also known as purple drank and sizzurp) which many believe contributed to the allure of screw music. He also chopped up the lyrics to create new meanings, warped and filtered the voices and added his own exhortations to the music's regional audience, mostly just using turntables and a microphone." " strung together rap singles and vocals from local artists, all of which he manipulated to slow down the beat to a crawl and the vocals to a torpid drawl. 1991–2000: Rise to popularity and death of DJ Screw Initially, the slow-paced hip hop genre was referred to as laid-back driving music and was limited to South Houston until it was popularized by DJs such as DJ T-Rent Dinero and DJ Z-Rusty. Screw's former manager Charles Washington stated, "Screw mistakenly created the sound while hanging out with friends at an apartment in the late 80s." Screw discovered that dramatically reducing the pitch of a record gave a mellow, heavy sound that emphasized lyrics to the point of storytelling. It is unknown when DJ Screw definitively created "screwed and chopped" music. Unlike its southern musical counterparts Houston's rap style has consistently remained slower, even in the beginning of Houston hip hop, as can be heard on the earliest Houston based group Geto Boys records from the mid to late 80's. Preceding the late 1990s, most Southern hip hop was upbeat and fast, like Miami bass, which was inspired by Afrika Bambaataa & the Soulsonic Force with their groundbreaking track " Planet Rock".
1.3 2000–present: Expansion and development.1.2 1991–2000: Rise to popularity and death of DJ Screw.