1995-1999 · Houston

WELCOME TO SCREWSTON: The Story Of DJ SCREW and HOUSTON HIP HOP [2020 Documentary]

Turismo · Feb 18, 2025 · published to YouTube

Chopped and screwed is a Hip Hop remixing technique pioneered by the late Houston producer DJ Screw. Developed in the early 1990s as a primarily Southern Hip Hop style, the technique later spread to other scenes through the sale of screwed mixtapes ("screwtapes") and screwed versions of full length albums. The name itself comes from two of the core mixing techniques; "chopping" referring to the skipping effects, and "screwing" referring to the drop in the original music's tempo. Screw's sound involved slowing the original tracks down to roughly 50-75% their original speed (around 60-70 quarter beats per minute), playing both records on separate turntables at a beat apart and using crossfading to create a skipping effect, as well as other scratching and standard DJ mixing techniques. This gave the tracks a slowed-down, hugely mellow and heavy sound, putting heavy emphasis on the lyrics.

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