The life of legendary screwed and chopped producer DJ Screw has been green lit by Sony. The project, tentatively titled All Screwed Up, will be developed and executive produced by Isaac Yowman and include participation from the late Houston DJ’s family.
DJ Screw, born Robert Davis, rose to fame in the 90’s with his slowed down remixes of hit albums with a technique he coined as “chopped and screwed.” He died in 2000 at the age of 29. His use of lean, prescription cough syrup containing codeine and promethazine mixed with soda, has been widely speculated to have been a factor in his demise.
DJ Screw was the founder of the Screwed Up Click which was responsible for kicking off several Houston rappers’ careers including Lil Flip, Z-Ro, Lil KeKe, Fat Pat, Big Hawk and Big Moe.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, All Screwed Up is just the first project to be produced by the Incubation Lab, which is headed by Jeron Smith, the CEO of Steph Curry’s Unanimous Media, and is a joint venture with Sony.
Set for a production start in 2021, the program is meant to identify and develop feature projects from nontraditional storytellers and underrepresented talent. Yowman originally shot a visual called “All Screwed Up” about the Texas producer which kicked off the initial talks.
He stated, “Jeron and Maia have been extremely helpful and transparent in navigating me through this process. They’ve committed to making sure my voice as a Black filmmaker is heard and the team we’re building is super solid. I can tell Sony genuinely wants to see me grow as a creative, and that means a lot. The family is happy and so am I.”
This documentary couldn’t come at a better time as gentrification seems to be trying to erase DJ Screw’s legacy. The technique he mastered and made famous is now being coined as Slowed + Reverb and being reworked throughout pop music and social media platforms like Instagram and Tik Tok.
