Big Floyd And The Influence Of Houston Chopped N Screwed Music

06/09/20 • 32 min

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In a Rolling Stone article titled “He Shook The World: George Floyd’s Legendary Houston Legacy”, writer Charles Holmes reveals the musical past of the man who has become an international symbol for justice since his murder. Known as “Big Floyd” in his Houston community, he was part of the city’s Screwed Up Click, a hip-hop collective centered around the now-legendary producer DJ Screw. This underground scene created a style of slowed-down “chopped and screwed” hip-hop that seeped into mainstream hip-hop, and has even been appropriated by bubblegum Top 40. In this episode we unpack how this chopped and screwed sound took over pop and shine a light on George Floyd’s involvement with the Screwed Up Click.

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Read Charles Holmes’ Rolling Stone article: '”He Shook the World': George Floyd's Legendary Houston Legacy”

SONGS DISCUSSED

DJ Screw - Sittin On Top Of The World ft. Big Floyd
Mike Jones - Still Tippin’
Mikes Jones - Back Then
Chamillionaire - Ridin
Chamillionaire - Roll Call
Paul Wall - Sittin Sidewayz
Nelly - Grillz ft Paul Wall
Kanye West, Paul Wall - Drive Slow
Drake - November 18th
A$AP Rocky - Purple Swag
The Weeknd - Initiation
Beyoncé - Bow Down
THE SCOTTS - THE SCOTTS
Travis Scott - Sicko Mode
Travis Scott - R.I.P. Screw
DJ Screw - In The Air Tonight
E.S.G. DJ Screw - Swangin and Bangin
DJ Screw - Screwed Up Click - Red pt 2
DJ Screw - 3 In The Morning
DJ Screw - June 27th Freestyle
DJ Screw and Lil’ Keke - Pimpin Tha Pen

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MORE

Read Charles Holmes’ Rolling Stone article: '”He Shook the World': George Floyd's Legendary Houston Legacy”

SONGS DISCUSSED

DJ Screw - Sittin On Top Of The World ft. Big Floyd
Mike Jones - Still Tippin’
Mikes Jones - Back Then
Chamillionaire - Ridin
Chamillionaire - Roll Call
Paul Wall - Sittin Sidewayz
Nelly - Grillz ft Paul Wall
Kanye West, Paul Wall - Drive Slow
Drake - November 18th
A$AP Rocky - Purple Swag
The Weeknd - Initiation
Beyoncé - Bow Down
THE SCOTTS - THE SCOTTS
Travis Scott - Sicko Mode
Travis Scott - R.I.P. Screw
DJ Screw - In The Air Tonight
E.S.G. DJ Screw - Swangin and Bangin
DJ Screw - Screwed Up Click - Red pt 2
DJ Screw - 3 In The Morning
DJ Screw - June 27th Freestyle
DJ Screw and Lil’ Keke - Pimpin Tha Pen

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Previous Episode

Carly Rae Jepsen: Meeting The Muse

They say you should never meet your idols, that you’ll only be disappointed. We had this possibility in mind going into our first interview with Carly Rae Jepsen, the pop star who inspired us to start our podcast Switched on Pop when Nate taught “Call Me Maybe” as a case study in music theory. Six years later and hundreds of pleading emails later, the time had come to meet the muse and unpack her latest offering, Dedicated Side B. In the course of composing her last two albums, E•MO•TION and Dedicated, Jepsen wrote over 200 songs. Many of her favorite works didn’t make it on either final album, so she’s started a tradition of releasing “Side B” records on the one-year anniversary of her last release. Her newest collection of unreleased music fluidly crosses decades of musical history and spans a vast emotional range. We spoke with Jepsen over Zoom about how she curated her latest B-Side release from a massive body of work. Would this beatific figure, once described by poet Hanif Abdurraqib and the “most honest pop musician working,” live up to her reputation? Listen to find out.

SONGS DISCUSSED

Carly Rae Jepsen - Call Me Maybe, Julien, Party For One, Now That I’ve Found You, No Drug Like Me, Want You In My Room, Cut To The Feeling, Run Away With Me, Window, This Love Isn’t Crazy, Solo
Squeeze - Tempted By The Fruit
Irving Berlin - God Bless America performed by Kate Smith
Vulfpeck - Back Pocket

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Next Episode

What it means to make music in 2020

The pandemic has upended the art and business of making music. Producing, performing and releasing — every aspect is new and uncharted. The need for social distancing means that it’s unsafe to collaborate in small studios or perform for large crowds — not to mention finding the right thing to sing about in such a charged moment. We’re telling three stories about how artists are working within these constraints: Ricky Reed and John-Robert have found a way to generate a creative spark remotely, Jacob Collier has defied the laws of physics to master live performance over the internet, and Dua Saleh has released a powerful new track that helps support the protests in Minneapolis. Everything is radically different than it was a few months ago, but these stories shine a light on why making music matters more than ever in 2020.

SONGS DISCUSSED

Lizzo - Juice

John-Robert, Ricky Reed, Zach Sekof - Favorite Boy

Bill Withers - Lean On Me performed by Ty Dolla Sign & Jacob Collier

Jacob Collier - All I Need

D’Angelo - Feel Like Making Love

Stevie Wonder - You And I performed by Tori Kelly and Jacob Collier

Dua Saleh - Body Cast

Dua Saleh - Sugar Mama

Dua Saleh - Moth

Dua Saleh - Smut

Sister Rosetta Tharp - This Little Light Of Mine