DJ Screw (14)

DJ Screw
1971–2000
Innovative Houston mixmaster
Cause of Death: Heart attack induced by codeine OD
That’s a Nasty Cough: Screw, a.k.a. Robert Earl Davis Jr., pioneered Houston's slo-mo "screwed" production style, tailor-made for the Houston rap scene's high of preference: chugging codeine. These days, every Dirty South record comes in a "chopped and screwed" version—and so did the last Transplants album, too...
Nix on the Mix: Incredibly prolific, Screw created hundreds of mixtapes, which he sold out of both his record store and home. These highly influential recordings provided the DNA for the current Houston rap explosion -- Mike Jones? Paul Wall? They’d be nowhere without his woozy, downtuned experiments. His cousins continue to sell his music through the record store, Screwed Up Records and Tapes, on the city's south side.
Fame Without Fortune: While Screw's bank account may be static, his legend nevertheless continues to grow: Protégés like Big Moe, Big Pokey and Lil' Flip continually sing his praises, and several of them participated in the tribute album Forever and a Day, while the DVD documentaries Soldiers United for Cash and The DJ Screw Legacy have brought in a little income for his family.