On DJ Screw

HarveyCanalHarveyCanal "a distraction from my main thesis." 13,234 Posts
edited December 2010 in Strut Central
http://www.cbrap.com/?p=6451

Just noticed Noz's lil write up on DJ Screw from a coupla weeks ago, and you know I have to react some way.

The first statement of the piece is fairly troublesome to me. For someone that ultimately carries such a fair assessment of Screw and his infuence, I don't quite understand the point of the piece opening as such.

Almost seems like you are trying to get in on the Screw phenomenon without fully subscribing to it, as if you feel the whole thing is too dirty to actually lay any claim to it. And possibly that's just the circumstane of you being youngish in relation to Screw and not from Texas and more into Soulja Boy and Lil B and such instead of good ole no frills, classic gangsta rap...but again, you obviously know enough about Screw, and you say that you appreciate his music, so why say you "don't get" him???

And these questions aren't being presented to dis you, Noz. It's just that if you want to appreciate Screw, please go right ahead and appreciate him with no qualifiers to the contrary. You don't have to sip syrup to be a Screw head. In fact, when Screw first started out, smoking fry was actually the preferred method of beyond-fucked-uppedness happening down in Houston. But again, you don't need drugs at all to be into Screw tapes.

And as far as Screw being such an amazing selector...very true, you hit the nail on the head. But it should be known that part of the reason why Screw became such a community figurehead was that he was, unlike so many others, catering to an aesthetic that the people down here demanded. Pimp C stating, "I'm hitting 16 swicthes like Dre, cause where I'm from that's what everybody play" summarizes pretty well what it sounded like in Texas circa '92.

As others shot for a more rounded perception of and taste in hip-hop at large, a large majority of folks down here weren't trying to hear anything but the grimiest of gangsta rap. Enter DJ Screw, who made the grimy sound even more grimy. So of course dudes ate it up with a spoon.

Something I really think should stand out about Screw today is that he was doing his tapes pre-Serato. I still wonder at times how he slowed songs down beyond the -8 on his turntables' pitch control. And for as many tapes as Screw released, he was a workaholik and a half. And to hear him cut up records in a live setting...hold up, mayne!

Now a full decade beyond his passing, I'm wondering what others on here think about Screw and his music. And again, Noz, please see this post as me trying to extend the discussion rather than as some sort of affront to you...because if anything, I thank you for initiating the discussion.
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  Comments


  • DocMcCoyDocMcCoy "Go and laugh in your own country!" 5,917 Posts
    HarveyCanal said:
    I still wonder at times how he slowed songs down beyond the -8 on his turntables' pitch control.

    Wasn't it because he was hip to that trick where you doubled the pitch ratio on a Technics 1200 by adjusting the controls under the platter? You could slow records down to -16% rather than the standard -8% by just removing the small screw that regulated the pitch. I always understood that was how he got his name. During the 90s, I knew of a few techno DJs who would sometimes mod their decks so they could pitch shit up to as much as +16%, like Dave Angel and Trevor Rockliffe, but Screw was the first dude I ever heard of who would slow his shit right down.

  • HarveyCanalHarveyCanal "a distraction from my main thesis." 13,234 Posts
    DocMcCoy said:
    HarveyCanal said:
    I still wonder at times how he slowed songs down beyond the -8 on his turntables' pitch control.

    Wasn't it because he was hip to that trick where you doubled the pitch ratio on a Technics 1200 by adjusting the controls under the platter? You could slow records down to -16% rather than the standard -8% by just removing the small screw that regulated the pitch. I always understood that was how he got his name. During the 90s, I knew of a few techno DJs who would sometimes mod their decks so they could pitch shit up to as much as +16%, like Dave Angel and Trevor Rockliffe, but Screw was the first dude I ever heard of who would slow his shit right down.

    That sounds like it must be right about the how.

    But I've heard differing stories on how he got his name...one involving him scraping a screw across records he thought were wack...and another involving a screw being used to modify tape speed on a jambox.

    But yes, thanks for your response.

  • jamesjames chicago 1,863 Posts
    HarveyCanal said:
    The first statement of the piece is fairly troublesome to me. For someone that ultimately carries such a fair assessment of Screw and his infuence, I don't quite understand the point of the piece opening as such.

    Almost seems like you are trying to get in on the Screw phenomenon without fully subscribing to it, as if you feel the whole thing is too dirty to actually lay any claim to it.
    I don't read it this way at all, that it's "too dirty." It seems to me as if he's saying that he recognizes that a big part of being into DJ Screw was being able to partake in it contemporaneously; as an organic, community-driven phenomenon, a lot of it was about hearing these tapes as dude was putting them out, filtering through them at the same time as everyone else, hearing them coming out of other people's cars, getting geeked for a new one to come out, etc.

    If anything, it reads as a respectful lament for only having caught on towards the end. I can certainly understand that, and I don't think it takes anything away from the appreciation.

  • staxwaxstaxwax 1,474 Posts
    So underwhelming - slowing down recycled gangsta raps to create a garbled sleepwalking sound. Apparently popular with those who like to nod off to their drugs - isnt that how he himself died?
    What an 'achievement'. His influence seems greatly exaggerated to me.
    Its a regional thing that gets a little dap here and there but in the larger scale of things - seems few give a shit about screw and his musical 'accomplishments'. Imo its a weird niche sound with a cult following thats excruciatingly boring to listen to.

  • HarveyCanalHarveyCanal "a distraction from my main thesis." 13,234 Posts
    james said:
    HarveyCanal said:
    The first statement of the piece is fairly troublesome to me. For someone that ultimately carries such a fair assessment of Screw and his infuence, I don't quite understand the point of the piece opening as such.

    Almost seems like you are trying to get in on the Screw phenomenon without fully subscribing to it, as if you feel the whole thing is too dirty to actually lay any claim to it.
    I don't read it this way at all, that it's "too dirty." It seems to me as if he's saying that he recognizes that a big part of being into DJ Screw was being able to partake in it contemporaneously; as an organic, community-driven phenomenon, a lot of it was about hearing these tapes as dude was putting them out, filtering through them at the same time as everyone else, hearing them coming out of other people's cars, getting geeked for a new one to come out, etc.

    If anything, it reads as a respectful lament for only having caught on towards the end. I can certainly understand that, and I don't think it takes anything away from the appreciation.

    Yeah, despite Noz clearly redeeming himself as the piece goes one...I still wanted to pose the question.

    Plus, are we looking at Screw music itself...which certainly can be appreciated without any of the context, yesterday or today...or is the point actually that the context is needed to fully undertand?

    Again, I'm saying, if you like the music, please ride for it all the way. I never hear people saying...I can't quite get the Beatles because I wasn't one of those screaming teenyboppers running down the street after them circa '64.

  • HarveyCanalHarveyCanal "a distraction from my main thesis." 13,234 Posts
    staxwax said:
    So underwhelming - slowing down recycled gangsta raps to create a garbled sleepwalking sound. Apparently popular with those who like to nod off to their drugs - isnt that how he himself died?
    What an 'achievement'. His influence seems greatly exaggerated to me.
    Its a regional thing that gets a little dap here and there but in the larger scale of things - seems few give a shit about screw and his musical 'accomplishments'. Imo its a weird niche sound with a cult following thats excruciatingly boring to listen to.

    What a very small, sad, lonely box that you must live in.

  • jamesjames chicago 1,863 Posts
    HarveyCanal said:
    Again, I'm saying, if you like the music, please ride for it all the way. I never hear people saying...I can't quite get the Beatles because I wasn't one of those screaming teenyboppers running down the street after them circa '64.
    Again, I didn't read it that way. I read it more as someone who knows that the Beatles had teenyboppers running down the street after them in '64 and is saying, "I'm into the Beatles regardless, but damn, I wish I could have been at that place at that time and could have gotten into them like that." I don't think that wishing you could get closer to a particular kind of music means that you're not riding for it all the way.

    I think there are more shades of grey (tapes) here than you're allowing for. I know I don't have to tell you that Screw runs deep; you've gotta be careful about denying him any kind of complex relationship with his listeners--it needn't be just love or hate.

  • noznoz 3,625 Posts

  • HarveyCanalHarveyCanal "a distraction from my main thesis." 13,234 Posts
    james said:
    HarveyCanal said:
    Again, I'm saying, if you like the music, please ride for it all the way. I never hear people saying...I can't quite get the Beatles because I wasn't one of those screaming teenyboppers running down the street after them circa '64.
    Again, I didn't read it that way. I read it more as someone who knows that the Beatles had teenyboppers running down the street after them in '64 and is saying, "I'm into the Beatles regardless, but damn, I wish I could have been at that place at that time and could have gotten into them like that." I don't think that wishing you could get closer to a particular kind of music means that you're not riding for it all the way.

    I think there are more shades of grey (tapes) here than you're allowing for. I know I don't have to tell you that Screw runs deep; you've gotta be careful about denying him any kind of complex relationship with his listeners--it needn't be just love or hate.

    Yeah, I guess like I used to do with Project Blowed...I over-account for all the blind hate that comes Screw's way, by trying to police those who actually like him but possibly not in such an absolute manner as I or others I know do.

    Thanks for putting that in perspective for me. But then again, "I don't get Screw" is quite a strong statement to be making when you are simultaneously saying you like his music.

  • BrianBrian 7,618 Posts
    staxwax said:
    So underwhelming - slowing down recycled gangsta raps to create a garbled sleepwalking sound. Apparently popular with those who like to nod off to their drugs - isnt that how he himself died?
    What an 'achievement'. His influence seems greatly exaggerated to me.
    Its a regional thing that gets a little dap here and there but in the larger scale of things - seems few give a shit about screw and his musical 'accomplishments'. Imo its a weird niche sound with a cult following thats excruciatingly boring to listen to.

  • staxwax said:
    So underwhelming - slowing down recycled gangsta raps to create a garbled sleepwalking sound. Apparently popular with those who like to nod off to their drugs - isnt that how he himself died?
    What an 'achievement'. His influence seems greatly exaggerated to me.
    Its a regional thing that gets a little dap here and there but in the larger scale of things - seems few give a shit about screw and his musical 'accomplishments'. Imo its a weird niche sound with a cult following thats excruciatingly boring to listen to.

    STONES THROW FAN CLUB PRESIDENT REVEALED


  • batmonbatmon 27,574 Posts
    staxwax said:
    His influence seems greatly exaggerated to me. .

    You need to re-evaluate the game. Im not giving you attention. Seriously.

  • white bisexual heroin addicted art students from the midwest


  • DocMcCoyDocMcCoy "Go and laugh in your own country!" 5,917 Posts
    rape_donkeys said:

    I love this. JT sounds like Lewis Taylor on that first verse.

  • staxwaxstaxwax 1,474 Posts
    CinisterCee said:
    white bisexual heroin addicted art students from the midwest


    rape_donkeys said:

    What a load of Crap. Musical Innovation :lol:

    Awwww - did my feelings hurt your feelings? call the effing

    Oh, and Seriously - FUCK dj Screw, Kanye West, Drake, Weezy, 50, Tupac, Eminem, Jay Z, Wakkaflakka, Fergie, Will-I-am, His purpleness AND the bitch ass horse they rode into town on.

    b/w

    noz said:

  • HarveyCanal said:
    But then again, "I don't get Screw" is quite a strong statement to be making when you are simultaneously saying you like his music.

    I agree. It's just unnecessary, and sort of a way of saying that "I get that I don't get it so I get it more than people who think they get it."

  • HarveyCanalHarveyCanal "a distraction from my main thesis." 13,234 Posts
    As far as Screw crossing over to non-Crystal sauce households...yes, there's the slowed and chopped style of remixing records, which is obviously the hook...but equally significant is the squad of lyricists that came with the tapes. Fat Pat and Lil Keke especially are viewed as quintessential freestylers, to the point that their verses are memorized and regurgitated like psalms down here. Just makes me wonder how much new fans of Screw appreciate both arms of his sonic onslaught...because you really can't have one without the other.

  • faux_rillzfaux_rillz 14,343 Posts
    staxwax said:
    So underwhelming - slowing down recycled gangsta raps to create a garbled sleepwalking sound. Apparently popular with those who like to nod off to their drugs - isnt that how he himself died?
    What an 'achievement'. His influence seems greatly exaggerated to me.
    Its a regional thing that gets a little dap here and there but in the larger scale of things - seems few give a shit about screw and his musical 'accomplishments'. Imo its a weird niche sound with a cult following thats excruciatingly boring to listen to.

    He was certainly no High & Mighty

  • HarveyCanal said:
    non-Crystal sauce households

    Demographic category of the year.

  • staxwaxstaxwax 1,474 Posts
    faux_rillz said:


    He was certainly no High & Mighty
    :weaksauce:

    bw

    danny, does your wife know you love to 'kick my balls in your mouth like soccer?'

    riding hard for kanye = :nagl:


  • staxwax said:


    danny, does your wife know you love to kick my balls in your mouth like soccer?


    This sounds straight out of google translate

  • DB_CooperDB_Cooper Manhatin' 7,823 Posts
    Jonny_Paycheck said:
    staxwax said:


    danny, does your wife know you love to kick my balls in your mouth like soccer?


    This sounds straight out of google translate

    Nah, man, it's just, like, you know...an extended metaphor. Like, his tongue is like a foot, and he's kicking his testicles with his tongue-foot 'cause he doesn't like him, but it's still, you know, like, gay.

  • Ah yes my friend! Why you are kicking my balls, no? Is this what you call in America the soccer? Perhaps my friend you should put my soccer in your mouth! Ja ja ja ja ja!!

  • batmonbatmon 27,574 Posts
    lol

    b/w


  • staxwaxstaxwax 1,474 Posts
    batmon said:
    lol

  • you can't
    lol
    a post where we're laughing at you, not with you.

  • ScottScott 420 Posts
    HarveyCanal said:
    Yeah, I guess like I used to do with Project Blowed...I over-account for all the blind hate that comes Screw's way, by trying to police those who actually like him but possibly not in such an absolute manner as I or others I know do.

    Realist shit you ever wrote.

  • Scott said:
    HarveyCanal said:
    Yeah, I guess like I used to do with Project Blowed...I over-account for all the blind hate that comes Screw's way, by trying to police those who actually like him but possibly not in such an absolute manner as I or others I know do.

    Realist shit you ever wrote.

    I know, right?

    The dude has been doing some reflecting!

  • faux_rillzfaux_rillz 14,343 Posts
    Jonny_Paycheck said:
    staxwax said:


    danny, does your wife know you love to kick my balls in your mouth like soccer?

    This sounds straight out of google translate

    Sadly, I don't think this dude even has Euroman status as an excuse for his cluelessness.
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