There are many stories that define the emergence of styles within the world of hip-hop, yet one of the most influential tales will be told for all to be inspired by, and that story is the life of Houston’s legendary Robert Earl Davis, Jr. aka DJ Screw. Known now as the innovator of the “chopped and screwed” style birthed in the 90s of slowing down the speed of hip-hop jams to that of a crawl, where the lyrics drawl out and the beats stretch.
The new episodic series, titled ‘All Screwed Up,’ is directed by producer/filmmaker Isaac “Chill” Yowman and is based on the life of DJ Screw and the happenings of his Screwed Up Click label. The trailer shows the many dramatic points in the young Screw’s journey to recognition. From crosstown rivals to police harassment, to building a music empire around talented gangstas, the situations he pushed through created the sound that proved to live on beyond his life.
This year marks 20 years since Screw passed on from what was labeled a codeine overdose in his studio. There are still street stories about what happened to Screw and all the possibilities, but his contributions to hip-hop culture can’t be denied. His handprint is all over the slowed down and chopped up productions that permeate all of today’s top-charting artists from Drake, to Kendrick, to Future to Travis Scott to name a few.
Watch the trailer below and be on the lookout for the network that will carry the series.
