We’re excited to welcome you on February 22 at 3:30 p.m. to our studios for a talk exploring the life of the late Robert Earl Davis, Jr. (a.k.a. DJ Screw), a turntablist from Smithville, Texas who pioneered the hip-hop sub-genre known as Chopped and Screwed. The technique involves spinning two copies of the same record on both turntables, with one playing slightly behind the other, and flipping back and forth with the mixer to create a stutter in the rhythm and the vocals (“Chopping”), often with a microphone being passed around for collaborators to freestyle rap over the mix. Once recorded, a copy of the tape would be made while at the same time slowing down the pitch control on the tape deck, creating the sound known as “Screwed.” The genre took hold in Houston in the 1990s and has only grown in the years since DJ Screw’s death in November of 2000, making a cultural impact in Houston that extends far beyond music
Lance Scott Walker
@lanceswalker is a writer, artist and musician from Galveston, Texas. He is the author of DJ Screw: A Life In Slow Revolution, Houston Rap Tapes: An Oral History of Bayou City Hip-Hop, and Houston Rap (with photographer Peter Beste). He runs Ojet Studios in Brooklyn and plays in the band Bull Thieves.
Please note: Registration through Eventbrite (link in bio) is strongly encouraged and free of charge, as it helps us plan and track attendance; however, guests who are unable to register in advance are still welcome to attend as space allows.
Photograph by:
@michaellavine 
