Screwed Up Click

Kris Kross and DJ Screw: The Lost Connection

When Chris Kelly, one-half of the teen-rap duo Kris Kross, was found dead of an apparent drug overdose last week, it was a tremendously sad day for Southern hip-hop. Not just because it provided a tragic ending to another tale of a child star struggling with post-fame adulthood, but because his pass ... More >>

Top 20 Songs Dedicated to Drank, Part 2

Friday we brought you the first installment of songs passionately devoted to syrup. So far we've confirmed that Houston is indeed the only City of Syrup. It's also safe to say that the late Screwed Up Click legend Big Moe sang about sipping more than anyone ever could, as he dominates this list with ... More >>

The Rocks Off 100: OG Ron C, Chopstar King of the Purple Dome

Welcome to the Rocks Off 100, our portrait gallery of the most compelling profiles and personalities in the far-flung Houston music community -- a lot more than just musicians, but of course they're in there, too. See the entire Rocks Off 100 at this link. As co-founder of Swishahouse, OG Ron C has ... More >>

All About Swishahouse: Label Bosses Tell (Almost) All at Rice U Seminar

This time last year, we attended the Awready! Houston Hip-Hop Conference at the University of Houston, an informative and thought-provoking event whose main purpose was the presentation and preservation of DJ Screw's legacy and contribution to the city's culture. In the same respect, Rice Universit ... More >>

The Rocks Off 100: DJ Candlestick, One Niceguy and a Very Busy DJ

Welcome to the Rocks Off 100, our portrait gallery of the most compelling profiles and personalities in the far-flung Houston music community -- a lot more than just musicians, but of course they're in there, too. See the entire Rocks Off 100 at this link. Who? "My name is DJ Candlestick, but my f ... More >>

The Rest of the Best: Houston's Top 5 Hip-Hop Venues

5. Grooves of Houston Grooves is an apropos name for this Third Ward hot spot: It's groovy. Besides hip-hop and R&B, the club also also plays jazz, which probably accounts for the mixed bag of ages found here. One word of caution, though: Get there early, and dress to impress. Grooves' popularity me ... More >>

The Bizarre Ride of Kickback Sundays, Pt. 4

Last in a series -- ed. Keke still commands attention. Rewind: The Bizarre Ride of Kickback Sundays, Part 1 On the final Kickback Sunday, a balmy September night at Numbers, the crowd has now swelled to unimagined heights. People are here, and MTV will be running a spotlight on the Screwed Up Cl ... More >>

Rock vs. Rap: Who Really Ruled H-Town?

The early to mid-'90s were good times for underground music in Houston. At clubs like the Axiom, the Vatican and Fitzgerald's, an eclectic mix of punk, metal, funk and ska bands like deadhorse, Sprawl and more regularly played packed shows in front of 500 fans. Much has changed since, but those o ... More >>

Last Night: Screwed Up Click at Warehouse Live

Lil' Keke, E.S.G., Big Pokey Warehouse Live June 27, 2012 June 27 isn't an official holiday in Houston -- yet. But the date remains the preferred occasion for formally celebrating the life, career and influence of Robert Davis, our beloved DJ Screw. On Wednesday, the remnants of the Screwed Up Clic ... More >>

A Houston Rap-Related Shooting Timeline

Most people will tell you that Houston rappers are overall a peaceful bunch, but people do carry guns. No less a beloved figure than Pimp C was caught after he got into an altercation at the Foot Locker in Sharpstown Mall; supposedly a policeman saw a gun under Pimp's coat during the fight, followed ... More >>

ZZ Top: A Double-Sided Take On The New Texicali EP

Craig Hlavaty: What a way to tease your first album of original material in nine years, ZZ Top. You managed to record three songs and one ballad that instantly fit into your canon alongside the rest of your ballbusters without sounding like a classic-rock act reaching for straws. This is no weak, m ... More >>

ZZ Top Taps SUC Classic to Shill Dubious Malt Beverage

Rocks Off did certainly not expect to find this on the Internet today. Or ever, really. But what could possibly be the first single from ZZ Top's long-awaited new album is now appearing in a new ad for a budget line of liquor-flavored malt beverages, the kind you might find in a tub of ice near the ... More >>

Six Years Gone: Big Hawk Remembered

Six years ago last week, on May 1, 2006, local rapper and Screwed Up Click Five-Star General Big Hawk was gunned down outside of a friend's home on Redfern on Houston's Southside. He was 36. While it's never acceptable to lose a gifted artist to violence in the prime of his life and career, Hawk's ... More >>

5 Reasons Why Texas Will Never Win "Most Peaceful State" (and Good Riddance)

Maine has won the latest version of the United States Peace Index's "Most Peaceful State" competition. Texas? Forty-sixth most peaceful. This result simply means that Maine is a big pile of bo-ring while Texas is still holding it down with do-whatever-we-please citizens and outrageous criminals ( ... More >>

South Park Coalition Celebrates 25 Years This Saturday

The rap game is not always kind to its elder statesmen. It takes an incredible amount of hard work, perseverance and sheer talent to keep fans interested as more than two decades worth of trends come and go. We can probably count the number of artists who began in the '80s and are still going stron ... More >>

Last Night: Lil Keke & Friends All-Star Birthday Bash At House Of Blues

Lil Keke & Friends All-Star Birthday Bash House of Blues March 28, 2012 Screwed Up Click veteran Lil Keke has been helping shape the sound and style of Houston rap for better than 15 years. That's long enough to make a lot of friends in the game, and a whole bunch of them showed up onstage at House ... More >>

Awready!: U Of H Examines Houston Rap's Legacy

In September, we wrote about a unique collection of Houston hip-hop artifacts that the University of Houston (and some of their friends) was putting together. For the story, we spoke with Julie Grob, the Coordinator for Digital Projects and Instruction at the U of H library system. She is smart, so ... More >>

Tops Drop: A Larger-Than-Life Fat Tuesday Playlist

​Happy Fat Tuesday, y'all! Rocks Off mentioned in a previous post, about rappers and Houston restaurants, that some of the best artists are "Big" and "Fat": Big Pokey, Fat Pat, Big Moe, etc. Every day is Fat Tuesday for these rappers. They're all about overindulgence and that's why we love th ... More >>

Tow Down: Busted Rapper/Grower's Lyrical Tipoffs

keepittrill.comTow Down (left) and Big Pokey​The Bubba Sparxxx of Fort Bend County, Tow Down, was arrested Wednesday for using three houses as weed nurseries, where he and several associates including his older brother cultivated more than 600 marijuana plants, the U.S. Attorney's office annou ... More >>

Happiness Through Hustle

Cordial but guarded promoter H-Kane has become one of the local hip-hop scene's most important movers and shakers.

Chanel Dizzle: Much More Than Just A "Barre Baby"

Chanel's Facebook fan page​Rocks Off was pretty much blown away by that video of angelic-looking YouTube user ChanelDizzle singing the dirty hits of members of the Screwed Up Click, which we posted about last week. So we decided to get in touch with her and find out if she had dreams of becomi ... More >>

Chanel Dizzle: Screwed Up Click Star In The Making

UPDATE (1:42 p.m.): Chanel just got in touch. She's a 22-year-old UT senior. We'll have a full interview with her soon. ​We didn't set out for this to turn into "teenage girl week" on Rocks Off, but we're not complaining either. It's even kind of appropriate, since we're also celebrating the ... More >>

Last Night: Screwed Up Click At House Of Blues

Photos by Marco TorresLil Keke​Screwed Up Click House of Blues October 14, 2010 8:19 p.m.: The doors opened for the show at 8 p.m. today, which is precisely why we plan on continuing to not be there until about 10 p.m. Fools no longer, we are. 10:00: Just walked in. Already saw a guy uniron ... More >>

Screwed Up Click

Five Spot: In Which We Needlessly Prolong Our "Feud" With the GRIT Boys... and Post 5 New MP3s

Welcome back to Five Spot. Every Friday, we'll examine a recent bit of music news and, sometimes awkwardly, tie it to a bit of Houston rap. It's five videos and occasional cussing. Send tips to introducingliston@gmail.com. ​Count the GRIT Boys, a trio of Houston rappers who've been bubbling around ... More >>

"Weird" and Proud, Preemo Understands the Meaning of "Hustle Town"

​ We think "Weird Al" Yankovic screwed it up for everybody. There aren't lots of times you can use the word "weird" in a good way. That's one of those words we need to take back, on the real, because when you put "weird" into the right context it can be a positive thing - a differentiator from th ... More >>

The Incredible Truth: The Best Southern Rap Albums (and Mixtapes) of 2009, Part 1

​Yeah, it stirred the Yankees to the World Series championship, but was there a more boring album this year than Jay-Z's The Blueprint 3? Perhaps it was a geographic thing; with a few exceptions like Raekwon and Kid Cudi, most of 2009's exciting, innovative rap records came from Southern artists. ... More >>

The H-Town Countdown, No. 5: Lil' Keke's Don't Mess Wit Texas

​There are roughly 84,000 rap albums that have been released in Houston since 1989. We're counting down the 25 best of all time. We'll be here every Thursday. Got a problem with the list? Shove it. Just kidding. Friendship. Email it to sheaserrano@gmail.com. Back in July (when this here Count ... More >>

Low Points Dominate the Decade for Houston's Latino Rappers

​ Sunday, Rocks Off crept down Little York on the "Nawf" side of H-Town to scope out Northside rider Big Cease's video production of "So Off the Chain," featuring Dat Boy X of Dallas and Houston's Lucky Luciano (above). Sure enough, Houston's underground scene was in full effect to provide support ... More >>

Five Spot: Killa Kyleon's Purple Punch 3

Welcome back to Five Spot. Every Friday, we'll examine a recent bit of music news and, albeit sometimes awkwardly, tie it to a bit of Houston rap. It's five videos and occasional cussing. Send tips to introducingliston@gmail.com. ​One of the guys that we always (usually) enjoy listening to is the ... More >>

Dat Boi T: A Screwed Up Love Story

Screw Love. It's a term commonly used amongst the Screwed Up Click (S.U.C.), the bigger-than-life Houston-based rap label, which was founded by the legendary DJ Screw himself. If Houston hip-hop is the Bible, Screw is the book of Genesis. ​There are two types of Screw Love. There's Love for Screw ... More >>

The H-Town Countdown, No. 9: E.S.G.'s Ocean of Funk

Roughly 84,000 rap albums have been released in Houston since 1989. We're counting down the 25 best of all time every Thursday. Got a problem with the list? Shove it. Just kidding. Friendship. Email sheaserrano@gmail.com. ​In last week's feature we wrote about E.S.G., we mentioned briefly that, fo ... More >>

Papa Gangsta

Houston rapper E.S.G.'s evolution from street thug to family man.

The H-Town Countdown, No. 22: Big Hawk's H.A.W.K.

Roughly 84,000 rap albums have been released in Houston since 1989. We're counting down the 25 best of all time every Thursday. Got a problem with the list? Shove it. Just kidding. Friendship. Email it to sheaserrano@gmail.com.​For all of the talent and charm and natural charisma that Hawk brought ... More >>

Flashing Back to the Heyday of DJ Screw

Ed. Note: To go along with this week's feature on Mike Jones, Mike Giglio takes a look at the origins of Houston rap's once and future calling card, "screw music." Photos by Mike GiglioScrew: The Next Generation (l-r): Randy, Big Bubb, Bird Wearing corn rows, a wife beater and green courdoroys, ... More >>

Five Spot: 25 Lighters for Fat Pat

Welcome back to Five Spot. Every Friday, we'll examine a recent bit of music news and list five reasons why it's either brilliant or dumb-assed. Send tips to introducingliston@gmail.com. February 3 marked the 11th anniversary of the legendary Screwed Up Click MC Fat Pat's passing ... More >>

The Scene Is Dead. Long Live the Scene!

Ideas toward a Houston-style musical Day of the Dead

Big Moe, RIP

The Houston 100: From Guy Clark to Don Williams

Mouth of the South

The South Park Coalition Turns 20

Houston Hip-Hop

Mike Watts and his stable of northside rappers take a southside legend's style to the masses

That Was the Year That Was

Looking back on the local scene in '06

Get Screwed

Trae Cool

An underground legend teams up with Rap-A-Lot in a bid to break nationwide

Best Beats from the Bayou

H-town's top ten rap jams

Lil' O

Saturday, December 22

Screw Heads

Forever and a Day (Avarice/JCOR Entertainment)

Lean & Mean

Those who drink codeine syrup call it lean because of its most obvious effect: a loss of coordination. Those who study the drug call it liquid crack. Those who abuse it can wind up dead.

Life in the Slow Lane

DJ Screw lived mostly for his work, as if he would have time later to celebrate his success. That time would never come.

Letters