Lately I've been listening to a lot of DJ Screw tapes. After repeated listens I've come to realize that what Screw did with his music goes far beyond slowing it down and doubling it up. Screw was serious on the cut and could do beat on beat blending as well as cats like Chill Will and Ron G. Peep the track below to get a taste of his mixing skills.
"Paul Revere" b/w "Bonita Applebuam" by The Beastie Boys
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His tapes were diverse too; he fucked with a whole range of era's, regions, and styles. Check out below as he adds the Screw touch to The Blackbyrds classic joint "Dreaming About You".
"Dreaming About You" by The Blackbyrds. (Note: This is incorrectly labeled on the CD as "Visions of Love" by Robert Plant)
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One of my favorite Screw tapes, Chapter 97: Players Choppin' Game, features 8-Ball and MJG, Kurupt and Daz, Lil' Wayne, Nas, and Nate Dogg, amongst several others. I appreciate that Screw's focus seemed to be introducing his audience to new music presented in a way that nobody had heard before.
Screw's re-working of "Daylight" by 8Ball and MJG is phenomenal. The track is a favorite of mine to begin with, and Screw, as always, manages to make his version an essential addition to the original. The beat sounds eerily somber when slowed down, and Ball's classic first verse is incredibly effective as lines like
"Vampire...circulate when the moon rise, do dirt when most people got closed eyes, rodent living off garbage and scraps, niggas wouldn't even fuck with me if I didn't rap."
seem to have added weight when played at an unnaturally slow pace.
"Daylight" by 8Ball and MJG
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Please leave feedback, other thoughts on Screw, and whatever else in the comments. Shout outs to Bottom of the Map for helping educate a northeast whiteboy on Screw's back catalog.
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