DJ Screw, born Robert Earl Davis, Jr. (July 20, 1971 – November 16, 2000), … Read Full Bio ↴DJ Screw, born Robert Earl Davis, Jr. (July 20, 1971 – November 16, 2000), was a central figure in the Houston hip hop scene. His innovation included the trademark technique of slowing down the basic tracks of a cut when he remixed it. He was the main mix tape mixer for the huge Screwed Up Click.
He was born in Bastrop, Texas to Robert Earl Davis, Sr. DJ Screw had lived in Smithville, Houston, and Los Angeles; at one point his father took him to Houston in order to keep him from trouble. There DJ Screw lived in a working class, mostly African American neighborhood near Hobby Airport described by Michael Hall of Texas Monthly as "hard-edged."DJ Screw dropped out of Sterling High School during his 10th grade year and focused on music.
He began deejaying at age 13, and started his trademark slowed down mixes in 1984. During the early 1990s, he invited some of Houston's most renowned rappers from the south side of the city to flow on his Screw tapes. This eventually led to the formation of the Screwed Up Click. What originally was only a fad of Houston, Chopped and Screwed music started getting more widespread attention with the introduction of p2p programs such as Napster in the late 90s. This ultimately led to DJ Screw getting recognition across the country and being known as one of biggest faces in modern hip-hop.
www.screwedupclick.com.
After spending most of the 1990s as an infamous local phenomenon in Houston, TX, DJ Screw suddenly found himself gaining sudden notoriety before his unfortunate death in late 2000. The Houston DJ made a name for himself primarily because of his uncanny mixing style, which found him pitching down his records to a lumbering and quite eerie pace. Over the course of the '90s, what began as novelty actually became a rather lucrative venture for Screw, who produced hundreds of mix tapes, with some estimates projecting his total number of tapes topping over a thousand; furthermore, he sold the tapes at his Houston-based record store, Screwed Up Records and Tapes. Oddly enough, he preferred to release his mixes almost exclusively on cassette, though fans often recorded the mixes and traded them via the Internet; in addition, countless "screwed" remixes of popular rap anthems were widely available on Napster thanks to his cultish following.
Yet it's hard to imagine Screw's legacy being what it is if not for his role as an adamant advocate of "syrup sippin'," a Southern rap phenomenon involving codeine-infused cough syrup -- the resulting intoxication induces a hallucinatory state where everything slows down and becomes the senses swirl. As marijuana was to early-'90s gangsta rap, LSD was to late-'60s psychedelic rock, ecstasy was to late-'80s rave -- and so on -- the syrup sippin' advocated by Screw's trippy hip-hop mixes led to a small drug movement within the late-'90s Dirty South genre, reaching its zenith with Three 6 Mafia's hit "Sippin' on Some Syrup" in 2000. It's hard to deny that this phenomenon wasn't as important to Screw's popularity as his music was (especially considering some of his tape titles: Syrup & Soda, Syrup Sippers, Sippin' Codeine, etc.) Still, Screw did serve as a leader for Houston's burgeoning rap scene; his home studio, The Screw Shop, functioned as the home base for what was loosely referred to as the Screwed Up Click, including semi-successful rappers such as Big Pokey and Lil' Keke, along with about 30 others were known locally.
Ironically, when Screw was found dead in his studio of a fatal heart attack at the tender age of 29 on the morning of November 16, 2000, the Houston Chronicle published a story stating that police suspected Screw of overdosing on the same syrup that he so adamantly advocated. Weeks later the theory proved valid, making the artist the victim of his own self-promoted phenomenon. More unfortunate, though, was the loss of Screw to Houston's fledging scene, which seemed on the verge of being nationally recognized as a Southern rap mecca. His legacy lived on, though, since his trademark mixing style was by no means exclusive, as countless imitators had arisen in the South by the time of his death, the most noteworthy being the Swisha House and Beltway 8 record labels.
- Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide
He was born in Bastrop, Texas to Robert Earl Davis, Sr. DJ Screw had lived in Smithville, Houston, and Los Angeles; at one point his father took him to Houston in order to keep him from trouble. There DJ Screw lived in a working class, mostly African American neighborhood near Hobby Airport described by Michael Hall of Texas Monthly as "hard-edged."DJ Screw dropped out of Sterling High School during his 10th grade year and focused on music.
He began deejaying at age 13, and started his trademark slowed down mixes in 1984. During the early 1990s, he invited some of Houston's most renowned rappers from the south side of the city to flow on his Screw tapes. This eventually led to the formation of the Screwed Up Click. What originally was only a fad of Houston, Chopped and Screwed music started getting more widespread attention with the introduction of p2p programs such as Napster in the late 90s. This ultimately led to DJ Screw getting recognition across the country and being known as one of biggest faces in modern hip-hop.
www.screwedupclick.com.
After spending most of the 1990s as an infamous local phenomenon in Houston, TX, DJ Screw suddenly found himself gaining sudden notoriety before his unfortunate death in late 2000. The Houston DJ made a name for himself primarily because of his uncanny mixing style, which found him pitching down his records to a lumbering and quite eerie pace. Over the course of the '90s, what began as novelty actually became a rather lucrative venture for Screw, who produced hundreds of mix tapes, with some estimates projecting his total number of tapes topping over a thousand; furthermore, he sold the tapes at his Houston-based record store, Screwed Up Records and Tapes. Oddly enough, he preferred to release his mixes almost exclusively on cassette, though fans often recorded the mixes and traded them via the Internet; in addition, countless "screwed" remixes of popular rap anthems were widely available on Napster thanks to his cultish following.
Yet it's hard to imagine Screw's legacy being what it is if not for his role as an adamant advocate of "syrup sippin'," a Southern rap phenomenon involving codeine-infused cough syrup -- the resulting intoxication induces a hallucinatory state where everything slows down and becomes the senses swirl. As marijuana was to early-'90s gangsta rap, LSD was to late-'60s psychedelic rock, ecstasy was to late-'80s rave -- and so on -- the syrup sippin' advocated by Screw's trippy hip-hop mixes led to a small drug movement within the late-'90s Dirty South genre, reaching its zenith with Three 6 Mafia's hit "Sippin' on Some Syrup" in 2000. It's hard to deny that this phenomenon wasn't as important to Screw's popularity as his music was (especially considering some of his tape titles: Syrup & Soda, Syrup Sippers, Sippin' Codeine, etc.) Still, Screw did serve as a leader for Houston's burgeoning rap scene; his home studio, The Screw Shop, functioned as the home base for what was loosely referred to as the Screwed Up Click, including semi-successful rappers such as Big Pokey and Lil' Keke, along with about 30 others were known locally.
Ironically, when Screw was found dead in his studio of a fatal heart attack at the tender age of 29 on the morning of November 16, 2000, the Houston Chronicle published a story stating that police suspected Screw of overdosing on the same syrup that he so adamantly advocated. Weeks later the theory proved valid, making the artist the victim of his own self-promoted phenomenon. More unfortunate, though, was the loss of Screw to Houston's fledging scene, which seemed on the verge of being nationally recognized as a Southern rap mecca. His legacy lived on, though, since his trademark mixing style was by no means exclusive, as countless imitators had arisen in the South by the time of his death, the most noteworthy being the Swisha House and Beltway 8 record labels.
- Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide
South Side
DJ Screw Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Welcome to the uh Southside,
No, uh-uh, I said the Southside of H-Town.
You gotta peep game, you know what I'm sayin 'cause um,
Texas from the south
And Louisiana from the south
And Mississippi from the south
Atlanta, Georgia from the south
[Chorus:]
That's why we doin the uh
South Side, the South Side, yeah
The South Side, the South Side, everybody do the,
South Side, the South Side, yeah,
The South Side, the South Side, raise your hands and do the
South Side, the South Side, yeah,
The South Side, the South Side,
Shokarock it do the South Side, the South Side yeah,
The South Side, the South Side,
H-town is thowin up the duce
And givin niggas dab
You know the Southside actin bad on the slab, (uh-huh)
We're thowin up the duce
And givin niggas dab
You know the Southside actin bad on the slab, (alright)
We're thowin up the duce
And givin niggas dab
You know the Southside actin bad on the slab, (what?)
I'm throwin up the duce, and givin niggas dab
You know the Southside actin bad on the slab,
[Verse1]
I woke up early, jumped in the butta
[Versace]sace shades pushin blades, let them four burn rubber.
I swung and I swang, you know that nigga clean.
Hit the Belfort and the [Martin Luther]King, Europeans with the screens.
Bigga fo tank, everything cash
Glass pop red throw the wood in the dash.
Mashin on the gas is a thug like Green.
Prompt for a young I see not in the pin
Showin naked ass and my stories `bout to kill ya.
Seventeen hundred west appalova silver.
Hit the school zone, fourteen shoocky,
Caught that lil duce sideways sittin crocked
Pulled in Exxon nuthin less then supreme
Never slippin but I'm trippin candy red on the scene.
Flossin on the hoes, tossin on them women
Gotta pop the trunk for that nigga pad lemon
Alright we're thowin up the duce
And givin niggas dab
You know the Southside actin bad on the slab, (uh-huh)
We're thowin up the duce
And givin niggas dab
You know the Southside actin bad on the slab, (alright)
We're thowin up the duce
And givin niggas dab
You know the Southside actin bad on the slab, (what?)
I'm throwin up the duce, and givin niggas dab
You know the Southside actin bad on the slab,
[Verse2]
Ashes to ashes dust to dust,
Lead in the bus, sweets and tusk
Mobbin heavy in a Chevy,
Breaking concrete, Polo on my body and Nikes on my feet.
Hold ya horses these is choices in the presence of a playa
Buckle up the belt threw the Southern Himalayas
Raise up off the dick , because you see ya nigga glowin'
Over seas blowin trees with a long esa mowin'.
Mary Jane on the plane ain't a damn thing changed.
Peace a chain, diamond ring, cause I'm thowed in the game.
Back in nine-five I was broke catchin cabs.
Fuck 'em all I'm a ball. Chop it up on the slab
[Chorus :]
Cause I'm thowin up the duce,
And givin niggas dab.
You know the Southside actin bad on the slab.
Alright we thowin' up the duce,
And givin niggas dab.
You know the Southside actin bad on the slab.
We do the Southside, the Southside, yeah.
The Southside, the Southside, everybody do the,
Southside, the Southside, yeah.
The Southside, the Southside, yeah.
Raise yo hands, so so high, rub ya head, and do the Southside.
Do the shockin' and the rockin', from left to right,
Look fly, get high with ya swisha rolled tight.
I might just do, the Southside with you,
It's easy and new, break it down and jam it screwed.
Draws stankin curls if that's the way you hit 'em
Movin' side to side with ya motion and ya rhythm,
You still in move, stay in the groove
Keep your high and you really can't lose
I'm a lift my head, and keep my pride
And let the whole world do the damn Southside.
We doin' the Southside, the Southside, yeah
The Southside, the Southside, everybody do the,
Southside, the Southside, yeah,
The Southside, the Southside, raise your hands and do the
Southside, the Southside, yeah,
The Southside, Southside,
Shokarock it do the Southside, the Southside yeah,
The Southside, the Southside
It feel good to do the Southside,
[Verse 4:]
The Southside ain't threw.
The Southside it's here new and it's screw.
And it's me Lil' Ke' and the Hershalwood click.
If you don't like it get up off the Southside dick.
Smoke another blunt,
Pull another stunt.
Jammed down in the front on a million dollar hunt.
So raise your hands,
And open up wide,
And get yo ass fucked the whole Southside.
Yeahhhhhh
No, uh-uh, I said the Southside of H-Town.
You gotta peep game, you know what I'm sayin 'cause um,
Texas from the south
And Louisiana from the south
And Mississippi from the south
Atlanta, Georgia from the south
That's why we doin the uh
South Side, the South Side, yeah
The South Side, the South Side, everybody do the,
South Side, the South Side, yeah,
The South Side, the South Side, raise your hands and do the
South Side, the South Side, yeah,
The South Side, the South Side,
Shokarock it do the South Side, the South Side yeah,
The South Side, the South Side,
H-town is thowin up the duce
And givin niggas dab
You know the Southside actin bad on the slab, (uh-huh)
We're thowin up the duce
And givin niggas dab
You know the Southside actin bad on the slab, (alright)
We're thowin up the duce
And givin niggas dab
You know the Southside actin bad on the slab, (what?)
I'm throwin up the duce, and givin niggas dab
You know the Southside actin bad on the slab,
[Verse1]
I woke up early, jumped in the butta
[Versace]sace shades pushin blades, let them four burn rubber.
I swung and I swang, you know that nigga clean.
Hit the Belfort and the [Martin Luther]King, Europeans with the screens.
Bigga fo tank, everything cash
Glass pop red throw the wood in the dash.
Mashin on the gas is a thug like Green.
Prompt for a young I see not in the pin
Showin naked ass and my stories `bout to kill ya.
Seventeen hundred west appalova silver.
Hit the school zone, fourteen shoocky,
Caught that lil duce sideways sittin crocked
Pulled in Exxon nuthin less then supreme
Never slippin but I'm trippin candy red on the scene.
Flossin on the hoes, tossin on them women
Gotta pop the trunk for that nigga pad lemon
Alright we're thowin up the duce
And givin niggas dab
You know the Southside actin bad on the slab, (uh-huh)
We're thowin up the duce
And givin niggas dab
You know the Southside actin bad on the slab, (alright)
We're thowin up the duce
And givin niggas dab
You know the Southside actin bad on the slab, (what?)
I'm throwin up the duce, and givin niggas dab
You know the Southside actin bad on the slab,
[Verse2]
Ashes to ashes dust to dust,
Lead in the bus, sweets and tusk
Mobbin heavy in a Chevy,
Breaking concrete, Polo on my body and Nikes on my feet.
Hold ya horses these is choices in the presence of a playa
Buckle up the belt threw the Southern Himalayas
Raise up off the dick , because you see ya nigga glowin'
Over seas blowin trees with a long esa mowin'.
Mary Jane on the plane ain't a damn thing changed.
Peace a chain, diamond ring, cause I'm thowed in the game.
Back in nine-five I was broke catchin cabs.
Fuck 'em all I'm a ball. Chop it up on the slab
[Chorus :]
Cause I'm thowin up the duce,
And givin niggas dab.
You know the Southside actin bad on the slab.
Alright we thowin' up the duce,
And givin niggas dab.
You know the Southside actin bad on the slab.
We do the Southside, the Southside, yeah.
The Southside, the Southside, everybody do the,
Southside, the Southside, yeah.
The Southside, the Southside, yeah.
Raise yo hands, so so high, rub ya head, and do the Southside.
Do the shockin' and the rockin', from left to right,
Look fly, get high with ya swisha rolled tight.
I might just do, the Southside with you,
It's easy and new, break it down and jam it screwed.
Draws stankin curls if that's the way you hit 'em
Movin' side to side with ya motion and ya rhythm,
You still in move, stay in the groove
Keep your high and you really can't lose
I'm a lift my head, and keep my pride
And let the whole world do the damn Southside.
We doin' the Southside, the Southside, yeah
The Southside, the Southside, everybody do the,
Southside, the Southside, yeah,
The Southside, the Southside, raise your hands and do the
Southside, the Southside, yeah,
The Southside, Southside,
Shokarock it do the Southside, the Southside yeah,
The Southside, the Southside
It feel good to do the Southside,
[Verse 4:]
The Southside ain't threw.
The Southside it's here new and it's screw.
And it's me Lil' Ke' and the Hershalwood click.
If you don't like it get up off the Southside dick.
Smoke another blunt,
Pull another stunt.
Jammed down in the front on a million dollar hunt.
So raise your hands,
And open up wide,
And get yo ass fucked the whole Southside.
Yeahhhhhh
The song "South Side" by DJ Screw is a tribute to the Southern hip-hop culture and lifestyle. The opening lines of the song set the stage for the theme of the song, which is a celebration of the South Side of H-Town. The chorus of the song, repeated several times throughout, prompts listeners to do the South Side dance, which involves raising hands and doing a particular step to a rhythm that is unique to Southern hip-hop. The lyrics of the song are filled with references to H-Town culture, including the "slab" (a sleek and customized car) and "European with the screens" (a reference to cars with TV screens mounted on the seats).
Line by Line Meaning
Welcome to the uh Southside,
An introduction to the Southside of Houston
Texas from the south
Texas is part of the southern United States
And Louisiana from the south
Louisiana is part of the southern United States
And Mississippi from the south
Mississippi is part of the southern United States
Atlanta, Georgia from the south
Atlanta, Georgia is part of the southern United States
That's why we doin the uh
This is why we are doing the dance
South Side, the South Side, yeah
The name of the dance
H-town is thowin up the duce
Houston is throwing up the peace sign
And givin niggas dab
Exchanging a special greeting with friends
You know the Southside actin bad on the slab
Southside is showing off and acting up while driving on the street
I woke up early, jumped in the butta
I woke up early and got into my car
Bigga fo tank, everything cash
Large fuel tank and paying cash for everything
Glass pop red throw the wood in the dash
Rolling down the window and putting the car in drive
Flossin on the hoes, tossin on them women
Showing off and impressing women
Alright we're thowin up the duce
We are showing the peace sign
Back in nine-five I was broke catchin cabs
In 1995, I was poor and had to take taxis
Draws stankin curls if that's the way you hit 'em
Wearing wrinkled clothes if that's your style
We doin' the Southside, the Southside, yeah
Continuing to dance and have a good time
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: A TORRES, DARRYL RICHARDSON II, JAYCEON TERRELL TAYLOR
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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