Robert Earl Davis Jr., born on July 20, 1971, in Smithville, Texas, was a pioneering hip-hop DJ based in Houston. His father, Robert Sr., a long-haul truck driver, was an early influence on Robert Jr.'s aspirations. However, after watching the 1984 movie Breakin’ and discovering his mother’s turntable, Robert's interests shifted toward music. His long-standing admiration for classical music led him to study and learn the piano, and after seven years of practice, he was able to play works like Chopin's Etude in C Major by ear.
Over time, Robert's musical interests evolved. He began experimenting with turntables, mimicking the techniques of DJs he admired. He started buying records and spinning music with his friend, Trey Adkins. According to Adkins, Robert would hook two turntables to a jam box to create a fader using the radio tuner. If Robert didn’t like a record, he would scratch it with a screwdriver. In jest, Adkins asked, “Who do you think you are? DJ Screw?” Robert liked the name so much that he adopted it as his stage name.
Early in his career, DJ Screw created mixes upon request from friends, family, and local fans. After a friend of his offered to buy a mix for $10, people began to request more and more of his well-known mixes rather than personalized mixes. Eventually, DJ Screw collaborated with local MCs, forming the musical collective Screwed Up Click. This group, which included notable figures like Big Hawk, Big Moe, E.S.G., Fat Pat, Z-Ro, Trae tha Truth, and Lip Flip, played a pivotal role in shaping Houston’s hip-hop scene. His career took off when he signed with the BigTyme Recordz label, run by Russell Washington.
Fans drove as far as Dallas and Waco to obtain his records, lining up outside his home. While the exact number of tapes he produced is unknown, his mixes were dubbed and passed around, spreading his influence far and wide. He also opened Screwed Up Records and Tapes, a business that became iconic in Houston's hip-hop culture. The store was featured in numerous documentaries and music videos. In 2010, the store closed, but its legacy lives on in various record shops across Texas.
DJ Screw passed away on November 16, 2000, at the age of 29 from a drug overdose.
Despite his short career, DJ Screw's impact on music is undeniable. Known as the godfather of Houston's hip-hop scene, his iconic style—slowing the tempo of tracks to 60 and 70 beats per minute, using techniques like skipping beats, record scratching, stop-time, and altering portions of the original composition—gave birth to the distinctive “chopped and screwed” technique. His work continues to influence hip-hop artists and DJs worldwide, ensuring that his legacy remains an integral part of music history.
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