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| Chopped and screwed | |
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| Other names |
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| Stylistic origins | |
| Cultural origins | Early 1990s,Houston,Texas, United States |
| Derivative forms | |
| Subgenres | |
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| Regional scenes | |
| Houston andLongview, Texas | |
| Other topics | |
Codeine
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Chopped and screwed (also calledscrewed and chopped orslowed and throwed) is a genre of hip-hop music and technique ofremixing music that involves slowing down the tempo andDJing. It was pioneered byDJ Screw, and became a staple in theHoustonhip hop scene in the 1990s. The screwed technique involves slowing thetempo of a song down to 60 and 70quarter-notebeats per minute and applying techniques such as skipping beats, recordscratching,stop-time and affecting portions of the original composition to create a "chopped-up" variant of the material.[2]
Indance orhip hop musicsampling, the term "chopping" is the "altering [of] a sampledphrase [orbreak] by dividing it into smaller segments and reconfiguring them in a different order."[3][4]
Prior to the late 1990s, mostSouthern hip hop was upbeat and fast, likeMiami bass and Memphis, which was inspired byAfrika Bambaataa & the Soulsonic Force with their groundbreaking track "Planet Rock". 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 groupGeto Boys records from the mid to late 80's.It is unknown whenDJ Screw definitively created "screwed and chopped" music. Screw's former manager Charles Washington stated, "Screw mistakenly created the sound while hanging out with friends at an apartment in the late 80s."[5] Screw discovered that dramatically reducing the pitch of a record gave a mellow, heavy sound that emphasized lyrics to the point ofstorytelling. 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.[6][failed verification]
"[DJ Screw] strung together rap singles and vocals from local and other artists, all of which he manipulated and persuaded to slow down the beat to a crawl and the vocals to a torpid drawl. 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."
In Houston, between 1991 and 1992, there was a notable increase in the use oflean (also known as purple drank and sizzurp) which, as Patel Joseph fromMTV News believes, contributed to the allure of screw music.[1] 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 an interview for the documentary filmSoldiers 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. That ain't true. There's kids getting my tapes, moms and dads getting my tapes, don't smoke or drink or nothing."[7][better source needed]
In the mid-1990s, chopped and screwed music started to move to the north side of Houston by way of DJMichael "5000" Watts, and laterOG Ron C.[1] A rivalry between north and south Houston over the true originators of chopped and screwed began to arise.[8][better source needed] 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". In the late 1990s, with the help ofP2P networks such asNapster, chopped and screwed music spread to a much wider audience.
On November 16, 2000, DJ Screw was found dead in the bathroom of his music studio. The autopsy report later revealed that Screw died from a combination of codeine, Valium, and PCP.[9]
Following the death of DJ Screw, his musical influence spread all over the southern United States.[10]
The 2007 documentary filmScrewed in Houston details the history of the Houston rap scene and the influence of the chopped and screwed subculture on Houston hip hop. In 2011, University of Houston Libraries acquired over 1,000 albums owned by DJ Screw. Some of the albums were part of an exhibit in early 2012 and, along with the rest, went available for research in 2013.[11]
To date, the chopped and screwed music genre has been added to all forms of streaming services, includingiTunes andSpotify; the genre has crossed over to receive mass mainstream appeal.[12][better source needed]
The Chopstars created by Swishahouse Records co-founderOG Ron C, they began calling their remixes ChopNotSlop due to all the “sloppy” remixes that came out after the passing of DJ Screw. Since 2001, they have dedicated their cause to the legacy of DJ Screw.The Chopstars have become the prominent source for chopped up music. With official releases withBrent Faiyaz,Don Toliver andLittle Dragon(Nabuma Purple Rubberband) they have made a niche in the sub genre. They currently have a radio show called ChopNotSlopShow onSound 42 which isDrake’s radio station onSiriusXM. Notable members include DJ Ryan Wolf, official DJ of theCleveland Browns;DJ Candlestick;DJ Hollygrove;Mike G, formerly ofOdd Future; andOscar Award winning directorBarry Jenkins as a creative collaborator.
In the mid-2010s, producers onSoundCloud began experimenting with fusing chopped and screwed music andEDM. It has since developed into subgenres such as "future screw and lean house". DJ Slim K and got a rising name DJ Drobitussin also known BMF in the EDM world or Brett Finn who is an award winner for his beats and DJ & Production skills[13]
| Slowed and reverb | |
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| Other names |
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| Stylistic origins |
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| Cultural origins | Late 2010s,online |
Slowed and reverb (stylized as "slowed + reverb") is a technique of remixing and a subgenre, derived from chopped and screwed hip-hop[14] andvaporwave,[15] which involves slowing down and adding reverb to a previously existing song, often created by usingdigital audio editors such asAudacity. The technique originated in 2006 when the Lebanese one-man Black Metal band Kafan re-released its only demoInjecting Evil In Thy Veins[16] on cult American labelFull Moon Productions in CD format. The release presents one of the earliest known examples of intentionally slowed down and reverb drenched music outside of hip-hop, predating modern slowed + reverb trends.[17] This method, while commonplace in modern internet music culture, was never seen in extreme metal at the time. The effect creates an unsettling, almost ritualistic soundscape, deepening the record's oppressive and hypnotic qualities. The eerie, ghostly effect of slowed + reverb tracks that define modern vaporwave and remix culture can be heard here, years before it became a recognized trend. Despite its historical significance, the slowed-down Kafan remixes remain largely unknown outside of niche black metal and experimental music circles. Unlike what happened 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 toYouTube. The first of these—a remix ofLil Uzi Vert's song "20 Min"—earned over one million views on the platform in under two months, eventually earning over four million views before being taken down. The style became especially popular on YouTube, where it became common to play remixes over looping clips fromretrofuturisticanime scenes.[18] Other notable producers in this sub-genre include wretchshop (also known asciki 8k), rum world, Aestheticg, imlonely, Chovies, slerb as well as streliz.[citation needed]
Slowed and reverb remixes were also uploaded toSpotify using the service's podcast feature.[19] ForOkayplayer, Elijah C. Watson dubbed slowed and reverb remixes "the soundtrack forGeneration Z", comparing the style tolo-fi hip hop.[14] Remixes using the technique also became popular on the video-sharing serviceTikTok.[20]
Slowed and reverb remixes became controversial on social media in mid-2020 after a viral video posted to TikTok failed to attribute the creation of slowed and reverb to chopped and screwed, causing users to brand slowed and reverb a "gentrified" version of chopped and screwed.[21] For theHouston Chronicle, Shelby Stewart wrote, "Give DJ Screw his flowers. Slowed + reverb is a poor imitation of what chopped and screwed music is."[22] Moore had mixed feelings about the phenomenon, saying, "I always felt that I shouldn’t touch chopped and screwed music. One, it’s not really screwed if it’s not by Screw. Two, the chops are sacred to the culture, and not everybody can imitate it. So I would never want to even try to. I’m just glad I’m able to bring it to a wider audience."[18]
Other responses to the subgenre's popularity were more positive. Despite the backlash from DJ Screw fans, other creators such as Isaac Sigala uploaded slowed and reverb remixes to honor the chopped and screwed genre throughnostalgia. Sigala said of the popularity of his remixes, "I knew it was gonna happen. I see the kind of emotions that were brought out in me when I first started getting into [slowed music]. I could see how others would express their emotions too."[23]
The YouTubecomments sections of slowed and reverb videos are often used as asafe haven for users, whichDigital Trends described as "a sensitive reprieve from the toxicity often found on the platform." Users commonly share stories ofheartbreak andloss, which are given support by the slowed and reverb content creators. YouTuber Rayen Hemden said that he feels protective of his commenters and will act as a moderator to keep discussion compassionate. He further stated, "I make sure there are no hate comments towards the people who share their stories because it takes bravery. Someone has to be courageous to actually share their story."[23]
Doomer wave (also known asdoomerwave, doomer music or simplydoomer) is an online musicmicrogenre coined by anonymous users on4chan in 2018 to describe an offshoot of theWojak meme known as "doomer wojak".[24][25] The style was originally associated with slowed down versions of depressive tracks as inspired by thevaporwave microgenre.[25]Pitchfork described the "doomer" as "anihilistic, 20-something male whose despair about the world causes him to retreat from traditional society".[24] The term later expanded to encompass the "doomer girl" archetype.[26] In 2020, Belarussianpost-punk band Molchat Doma garneredinternet virality throughonline memes andplaylists which referred to them as "Russian doomer music" or "doomer wave".[24]
Of course, it wasn't just the slower pace of Southern life that was simpatico with chopped and screwed music. It was also the drug culture springing up in Houston at the time—specifically, the one centering on the consumption of the prescription cough syrup Promethazine, which includes codeine. The elixir goes by a number of names—syrup, drank, Texas tea—and its depressant qualities were the catalyst to an illicit subculture built around its abuse and the lethargic beats of chopped and screwed.
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