Reddit reviews Sailin Da South

Chronological order!

Start with the mixtapes DJ Screw was making with the Screwed Up Click and the affiliated members' projects. From there move into early Swishahouse tapes by Mike Watts that were coming out of the northside. Then, and you'll "see" it happen, follow some of OG Ron C's projects. From there, find a few of the Rap-A-Lot DJs' album work for artists signed with them. Here's part of the story in a song Chamillionaire put out: H-Town Dreams If it's worth anything, this link was my last edit. I forgot about the song until just now, but I like the parallel in the links.

SUC Era: DJ Screw started as a battle DJ so heavy cuts and scratches show in his mixing work. For an example of his style before "screwing" it up, check out Botany Boys - Botany Is The Block from the group which featured not only his little bother Al D, but also 1 or 2 other crucial members of the S.U.C. I can't find a link to the Screwed version of the song, but it appeared on their double-disc album "Thought of Many Ways", which, if you ask me, is a highly underrated classic.

Similar to how the Botany Boys featured a Screwed version of a hit on their album, first did ESG on his 1995 album "Sailin' Da South" with his hit "Swangin' and Bangin'". Screwed. ESG was largely responsible for validating freestyling on albums and was the crowned freestyle king until Lil' Keke came on the scene. He also wrote Wanna Be A Baller after this beat debuted, but was in prison so Lil' Troy and Fat Pat did it. Lil' Flip, who raps on the last link for 7 minutes straight, was eventually crowned the freestyle king of Houston.

Now watch this video to understand how freestyling plays a huge part in Houston's rap culture and to see a few of the prominent members of the SUC. This is the kind of shit they did every day.

The major influences on Houston came from the Bay Area on account of the drug trade. So when the Screw tapes started coming out, they featured artists like Spice 1, Ant Banks, Too Short, and E-40 alongside national acts. If you think you can deal with freestyles and funky gangsta rap, then listen to Chapter 1: Done Deal. The chaptered Screw Tapes are referred to as the "Diary of the Originator". For a more polished and "deep" album, 3 'N The Mornin' part 2: Blue. ...Red Features more Cali rappers over Houston rappers. The cover on the "...Red" link is wrong, FWIW. "...Blue" hasn't left my deck in my car[s] for over a decade. I hear something new every time I hear "Elbow's Swangin'".

Surprisingly, there weren't a lot of official Screwed and chopped versions of early SUC rappers' albums made. Mostly, their songs featured on Screw's mixtapes and they put verses down on the instrumentals he let ride, but he did hold special sessions or make special tapes for people like D-Mo's famous June 27th tape. The "screwed and chopped" disc 2 era was at the end of Screw's life and is what Mike Watts capitalized on. That being said, keep a pen handy and make a list of featured Houston artists and freestyle guest spots on the DotO tapes. Just to throw some names out there: Al-D, C-Note, E.S.G, Lil' Keke, Big Moe, Fat Pat, HAWK, Lil' Flip (his freestyling on tapes was fun, his albums not so much...), Z-Ro, Big Mello, Los, Grace, PSK-13, Point Blank, and a bunch more.


There was also a presence in South Park, most notably the South Park Coalition; they were more about following the Geto Boys' style than the Screw movement, though some members did appear on Screw tapes or existed in both spheres.

On to...

Mike Watts and the northside rap cliques:

So Michael "5000" Watts and OG Ron C both DJ'd on 97.9, a radio station that catered to rap fans, before teaming up and giving the northside rappers a camp. Watts said he could screw and chop too and so started releasing mixtapes featuring northside rappers, either with a few screwed and chopped tracks or as 2 disc releases, the second being screwed and chopped. The Choppin' 'Em Up series has a good selection of freestyles over 9 installments. It's important to note that Watts, more so than Ron C, was inclined to show off his chopping prowess more so than to slow songs to the tempo that Screw had. Personally, I don't like it, but with the sea change in hip hop that was happening, it gave people something unique that could be played in clubs. Remember, they were radio DJs. Ron C was releasing his "Fuck Action" (18) mixtapes at the same time, which were mostly screwed and chopped R&B. Other series include: The Day Hell Broke Loose ( 2 disc), Before The Kappa, and After The Kappa. They've done a good job keeping their tapes off of youtube. Check out Somethin' to Smoke to if you can find it.

What was important was that Swishahouse specialized in remixing entire albums, even for artists that weren't in the camp. Rap-A-Lot artists got their artists' albums remixed before they had really developed in-house talent for the job. Notable musicians of the Swishahouse era include: Mike Jones, Magno, J-Dawg, Archie Lee, Coota Bang, Slim Thug (formerly a southside rapper who worked with ESG), and Lil Keke, who signed on to the camp in the mid 2000s. Chamillionaire and Paul wall were in and out of the camp at different times, but got their start together, along with Cham's brother and a few others, as the Color Changin' Click. Both Watts and Ron C remixed albums and freestyle mixtapes by the CCC. There were a lot of collaboration projects going on in Houston at this point in time.

Paul Wall, in his movement into the production side of music, screwed and chopped a few albums. He touched Lil' Wayne's "Dedication 1" and Ron C did Dedication 2.

It's worth mentioning that some of the members of the SUC managed to produce remixes as the "Wreckshop" to entire albums of SUC members before and in the wake of Screw's death. DJ D-Reck was responsible for most of it. This freestyle did not appear on the original City of Syrup but is a perfect example of the southside style surviving the death of Screw, thanks to Wreckshop. I think it's one of the best throwback tracks out there.

Eventually...

The Rap-A-Lot camp started remixing albums by their artists. DJ Domo and DJ D have screwed and chopped for Rap-A-Lot, but they also work independently. DJ D did a good remix of "The Foundation" by the Geto Boys and a lot of Devin The Dude's work has been remixed by Rap-A-Lot.

Final note: The Mo' City camps like to screw whole albums and do no chopping. They pitch control and bass boost for the S(low) L(oud) A(nd) B(angin') remixes. A lot of Trae and Assholes by Nature and Guerilla Maab stuff gets the treatment. This is a big south (Hiram Clark) and south west (Mo' City, Stafford) trend because we just like slowed music. The record shop I used to hang at in The 'Clark would get people askin' to slow a whole tape they brought in. 10 minute job, $10 a tape. No DJing.

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Summary:

If you want music that could be in the background but tells enough of the DJ's own story through the loops and track selection, bang DJ Screw. He really was the best. Whole tapes/albums only.

If you want Screwed and chopped culture in your raps, and can dig freestyles but want something to actively engage you, Mike Watts makes edgier, albeit less cerebral mixtapes and remixes of whole albums. His cross fading isn't spectacular because he tries to cut viable remixes of single, popular songs.

If you want something more like DJ Screw but focused on one or a few artists and not as slow, an OG Ron C remix of an album is where it's at. He's the middleground between "cool" artist DJ Screw and business man Mike Watts. Singles and whole albums.

If you want to hear the DJ express himself as if he were a slightly different version of the original artist, pick up something done by Rap-A-Lot. Whole albums.

If you want to knock pictures off the wall, SLAB remixes.