There are many stories that define the emergence of styles within the world of hip-hop, yet one of the most influential tales will be told for all to be inspired by, and that story is the life of Houston’s legendary Robert Earl Davis, Jr. aka DJ Screw. Known now as the innovator of the “chopped and screwed” style birthed in the ’90s of slowing down the speed of hip-hop jams to that of a crawl, where the lyrics drawl out and the beats stretch and your head has no choice but to bob.
The new episodic, biopic series, titled All Screwed Up, is directed by producer/filmmaker Isaac “Chill” Yowman, written by Shannan E. Johnson, and based on the life of DJ Screw and the happenings of his Screwed Up Click label. The trailer shows the many dramatic points in the young Screw’s journey to recognition. From crosstown rivals to police harassment, to building a music empire around talented gangstas, the situations he pushed through created the sound that proved to live on beyond his life.
2020 makes 20 years since Screw passed on from what was labeled a codeine overdose in his studio. There are still street stories about what happened to Screw and all the possibilities, but what is for sure is this man’s contributions to hip-hop culture can’t be denied. His handprint is all over the slowed down and chopped up productions that permeate all of today’s top-charting artists from Drake, to Kendrick, to Future to Travis Scott to name a few.
Produced by Sidney Walker, Miriam Heads, Michelle Wheeler, Lil’ Keke & Derrick Dixon, the biopic stars Rosha Washington, Paigion Walker, Kyle Mosely, Marqus Clae, Phill Wade, Dean Will, Omete Anassi, Diamond Lyons, LaShae Boone, and Rodrick Randall. Watch the trailer above and be on the lookout for the network that will carry this sure-fire hit of a series. In the meantime, check out one of Screw’s original tapes with his Screwed Up Click below.