The June 27th Post | A homage to Houston rap culture One Time For The Homie DJ Screw | A brief history of Chopped & Screwed music A pioneer of Houston rap music but also the creator and godfather of Chopped and Screwed music. Robert Earl Davis, Jr. aka DJ Screw started slowing down records in the early 90s. He began the Screwed Up Click (SUC) on the Southside of Houston, TX in 1990. The group consist of but is not limited to Big Moe, Lil Keke, Lil Flip, Big Pokey, Mike D, H.A.W.K., Lil-O, Clay Doe, 3-2 and Trae. The notable rap duo UGK (Underground Kings), formed in 1987 and consisting of Chris âPimp Câ Butler & Bernard âBun Bâ Freeman, were SUC Affiliated. The click put out over 100 tapes, all produced by Screw, in 1998 alone.â¨Purple Drank is a popular substance cocktail, popularized by Houston rappers in the 90s. The drink consists of Promethazine and/or Codeine cough syrup mixed with alcohol and/or soda and/or juice. DJ Screw and SUC were avid users of the fusion drink. Unfortunately, the drink comes with lethal side effects such as rapid weight gain, slowed heart rate, loss of balance and addiction. The effects took a toll on Screws life and resulted in an overdose and ultimately his demise. Subsequently, Kenneth âBig Moeâ Moore and Pimp C, died within months of each other due to sipping syrup combined with their own individual pre-existing conditions.â¨Since Screwed Up Records, DJ Screwâs recording studio and record shop were on the Southside the Northside felt the need to compete. So in 1997, Michael â5000â Watts and Ronald âOG Ron Câ Coleman established Swishahouse, a record label. Watts was already picking up the slack right before Screw died because Screw had semi paused production due to his constant use of syrup. So naturally, Watts was up next for the Chopped and Screwed scene. Later, in 2011 OG Ron C & the ChopStars would go on to create Chop Not Slop where they essentially do what their predecessors did, make remixes of popular songs and albums where the tempo is slowed tremendously. Swishahouse consists of but is not limited to Slim Thug, Lil Mario, JDawg, Big Tiger, Big Pic, Lester Roy, Archie Lee, Mike Jones, and Lil Keke. If you notice, Lil Keke repped SUC but officially signed with Swishahouse after DJ Screw died. A very political yet sensible move. Big Moe | City of Syrup & Z-RO | Mo City Don My mom played City of Syrup the Chopped version so much when I was a child that I was under the impression that Big Moe was the only artist who sung in a low tone and occasionally would restart his songs by accident. Thankfully my family corrected me. Thus beginning my interest in Chopped and Screwed.â¨City of Syrup was Big Moeâs debut album and featured hits like âBarre Babyâ, âMaan!â and âFreestyle (June 27)â. It featured many artists from Screwed Up Click such as Big Pokey, H.A.W.K., Lil-O, Tate Eyez, Mike D, DJ Screw and Z-RO.â¨The distance between Alexandria, LA, where my family is from, and Houston, TX is only a little over 200 miles. Most of Alexandriaâs music, even to this day, is heavily influenced by Houston artists. So itâs very plausible that my momâs music taste is influenced a lot by Houston because of where she grew up.â¨For the year of 2017, I lived in Houston and in more ways than one it was eye opening. I gained a whole new appreciation for music. I made a lot of forever connections so much so that my good friend Sarah, whom I met at work, ended up asking me to be a bridesmaid in her wedding. I humbly agreed. Fast forward to the wedding day and the entire wedding party is being transported to the reception via party bus. The groom has the AUX cord and he began to play a familiar tune. The whole bus began to sing in unison the lyrics to âMo City Donâ by Z-RO. I awed in wonder, wishing I too knew the lyrics. And then, just as the song is about to end, he shoutouts Lake Charles, Lafayette then my hometown of Alexandria. I had such a sense of pride in Alex at that moment. Houston Up-and-Coming Artists Spotlight | Megan Thee Stallion | Tobe Nwige | TĂŠ Allen | The H Town Hottie | Megan Thee Stallion Megan was born and raised in Houston, TX and she is the hottest female rapper out right now. The self-proclaimed âH Town Hottieâ is hitting airwaves with her woman empowerment mantras and sexually liberating rhymes. At only 23 years old Megan is already topping charts all while being enrolled at Texas Southern University. My favorites of hers so far are as follows: âRunning Up Freestyleâ, âBig Poppa Freestyleâ, âBig Ole Freakâ, âSex Talkâ, âShake Thatâ, âBest You Ever Hadâ and âStalli Freestyleâ. ALL STREAMING SERVICES: Megan Thee Stallionâ¨ALL SOCIAL MEDIA HANDLES | @theestallion #GetTwistedSundays | Tobe Nwigwe Actually hailing from Alief, TX, a subsection of Houston, Tobe Nwigwe is ahead of his time. With songs like âMURDER.â, where he flips Sister Nancyâs âBam Bamâ into a song all his own, and âRÄĂĹITYâ where he flips Mtumeâs âJuicy Fruitâ into a song about his reality growing up and present day. Tobe has a series on Youtube called Get Twisted Sundayâs. On the series, every week he recorded himself getting his hair either twisted or braided by his wife whilst premiering a new song. EVERY WEEK for months straight. His sound reminds me of the great Andre 3000, with his futuristic sound and originality. ALL STREAMING SERVICES & SOCIAL MEDIA HANDLE | @TobeNwigwe Birthday Cake | TĂŠ Allen TĂŠ Allen is an all-around star. Being born and raised in the south, his musical influences can be heard throughout his music. His first mixtape, Smooth Vibes (2015), was his breakthrough into the world of music. Since then, he has released a series of songs and an EP, Birthday Cake (2018). Interesting enough, the promo for Birthday Cake went viral. TĂŠ decided to put a rather embarrassing picture of himself as a child as the cover art and offered his audience $100 for the best roast of the picture. Needless to say, the cover was not only shared for laughs but was a genius way to promote his project. He is currently prepping for the release of his next project. The first single off his upcoming project, AIM Blue is accompanied with crisp visuals as per usual for TĂŠ. ALL STREAMING SERVICES |TĂŠ Allenâ¨Instagram|Twitter| teallen3â¨Snapchat| lavonteallen3