It’s been almost 19 years since DJ Screw died of a codeine overdose in his Houston home. In a strange twist of fate, the chopped and screwed DJ technique he’s responsible for creating was intended to mimic the effects of the drug. But sadly, his personal use of it led to his early demise.
However, Screw’s legacy lives on.
On June 27, 1996, the pioneering DJ recruited several of his peers to record “June 27,” a roughly 35-minute track boasting the talents of fellow Screwed Up Click members Big Moe, Big Pokey and Yungstar as well as Key-C, DeMo, Haircut Joe and Kay-Luv.
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But contrary to popular belief, June 27 was DeMo’s birthday — not Screw’s. DeMo talked about the track with the Houston Press in 2014.
“It was just a magical night,” Sherman said. “We knew. We knew that that tape was going to be special.”
Over a screwed-up sample of Kriss Kross’ “Da Streets Ain’t Right,” the seven talented MCs delivered the work of legends. The cut was included on Screw’s 1996 mixtape, Chapter: 012: June 27th and since then, June 27 has become the unofficial holiday of all hardcore Houston rap fans and peers alike.
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“Still to this day I freestyle to that beat at my shows, every show,” Screwed Up Click member Lil Flip told the Houston Chron. “When that beat comes on, like when I put it on, the crowd just goes crazy. I end every show freestyling to that beat, man. It’s a soundtrack to the Houston streets.”
In 2009, Drake paid tribute to the cut with a slowed-down version of “November 18th,” a freestyle from his So Far Gone mixtape, while Screw’s Houston rap successors Kirko Bangz, LE$, Propain, Marcus Manchild, Delo and H-Kane did their own 8-minute version titled “June 27th Tribute” in 2011.
Revisit the original version up top.
