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DJ Screw, the legendary Texas DJ who pioneered the Houston tendency of slowing down and cutting up records, died on November 16, 2000. Nine years later, his heirs released a double CD of Houston freestyles extracted from the various underground mixtapes that Screw did while he was living. As each mixtape consisted of a mix of major label artists and hit records, as well as local freestyles, an above-ground release of Screw’s mixtapes would prove to be problematic from a legal and copyright aspect. But the local artist freestyles were what endeared Screw to Texas fans anyway, so here are 22 banging freestyles over Screw’s classic slowed-down sonic landscape. Hawk and ESG are there of course, and the listener can feel like he is eavesdropping on a piece of Houston rap history. 11-16-09, while not a summary of the many other mixes under Screw’s name, is a good introduction to the man and the music.

DJ Screw, the legendary Texas DJ who pioneered the Houston tendency of slowing down and cutting up records, died on November 16, 2000. Nine years later, his heirs released a double CD of Houston freestyles extracted from the various underground mixtapes that Screw did while he was living. As each mixtape consisted of a mix of major label artists and hit records, as well as local freestyles, an above-ground release of Screw’s mixtapes would prove to be problematic from a legal and copyright aspect. But the local artist freestyles were what endeared Screw to Texas fans anyway, so here are 22 banging freestyles over Screw’s classic slowed-down sonic landscape. Hawk and ESG are there of course, and the listener can feel like he is eavesdropping on a piece of Houston rap history. 11-16-09, while not a summary of the many other mixes under Screw’s name, is a good introduction to the man and the music.

DJ Screw, the legendary Texas DJ who pioneered the Houston tendency of slowing down and cutting up records, died on November 16, 2000. Nine years later, his heirs released a double CD of Houston freestyles extracted from the various underground mixtapes that Screw did while he was living. As each mixtape consisted of a mix of major label artists and hit records, as well as local freestyles, an above-ground release of Screw’s mixtapes would prove to be problematic from a legal and copyright aspect. But the local artist freestyles were what endeared Screw to Texas fans anyway, so here are 22 banging freestyles over Screw’s classic slowed-down sonic landscape. Hawk and ESG are there of course, and the listener can feel like he is eavesdropping on a piece of Houston rap history. 11-16-09, while not a summary of the many other mixes under Screw’s name, is a good introduction to the man and the music.

The overwhelming supremacy of South Park Mexican has at times threatened to eclipse the other talent on the Dope House label out of Houston, but with Dope City, the other talented artists on the roster get an opportunity to be heard, and fans of SPM will be pleased with new tracks from their favorite artist as well. Producers such as Nathan Happy Perez, Jaime Pain Ortiz and Shadow provide the funk-laden foundations for rhymes by SPM, Juan Gotti, Lil Rob, Low G, Lucky Luciano, Grimm and Rasheed, and soulful vocals by Carolyn Rodriguez. Dope City runs the gamut from R & B anthems like “Gangsta Girl” to tributes to the homeboys in prison like “For My People”, to the pleading for a better life in “Help Me Find A Way.” The album is consistently high-quality throughout, and it’s not just the SPM tracks that stand out.