On March 28, 2012, the University of Houston Libraries, African American Studies, and the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for the Arts at UH played host to a group of scholars, rappers, DJs, and other members of Houston’s hip hop community for the event “A Screwed Up History.” This day-long affair featured a series of short presentations and in-depth panel discussions on topics related to the late DJ Screw and the history of Houston hip hop. Over 300 guests attended, including students, faculty, community members, and visitors from other cities and states. It was part of the larger Awready! The Houston Hip Hop Conference, which was held in conjunction with the HERE Project at Rice University.

ESG freestyling

ESG, a member of DJ Screw’s rap collective the Screwed Up Click, started the day off with a freestyle, spontaneously rapping about people in the audience and the posters of fallen rappers and DJs behind him.

The opening panel kicked off with a presentation on The Origins of Houston Hip Hop by Texas Southern University history graduate student Maco L. Faniel. Panelists K-Rino, Willie D of Geto Boys, groundbreaking club DJ Steve Fournier, and Ricky Royal of Royal Flush discussed the emerging hip hop scene of the 1980s, and the national influence of Houston’s battle rappers.

Willie D, Ricky Royal, and Maco Faniel

The second panel featured a presentation on DJ Screw and the Rise of the Screwed Up Click by journalist Lance Scott Walker. This was followed by a lively conversation about DJ Screw and the genesis of the Screwed Up Click held by Meshah Hawkins (wife of the late SUC member HAWK), rappers Lil’ Keke, ESG, and Big Pokey of the SUC, and DJ Screw’s childhood friend Shorty Mac.

Meshah Hawkins, Lil' Keke, Lance Scott Walker, Shorty Mac, and ESG

Over lunch, attendees were treated to a DJ set of H-town favorites by SUC member Lil’ Randy and DJ Screw’s longtime friend DJ Chill.

Lil' Randy

After lunch the focus changed to the culture around Houston hip hop. Langston Collin Wilkins, a graduate student in Folklore and Ethnomusicology at Indiana University, spoke about slabs, or customized cars that became popular on the streets of Houston, and Dr. Ronald J. Peters, Associate Professor at the School of Public Health of the University of Texas Health Science Center, spoke about “syrup”, or codeine promethazine cough syrup sipped recreationally. Panelists Lil’ Randy, ESG, and (for the slabs segment) Eddie Kennedy of Third Coast Customs shared their experiences.

Langston Collin Wilkins, Eddie Kennedy, ESG, and Lil' Randy

The final panel of the day was led by Matt Sonzala of SXSW, and featured rappers Chingo Bling, Paul Wall, and Bun B, along with DJ and Swishahouse co-founder OG Ron C. The varied group discussed The Legacy of DJ Screw, and how his music and his approach influenced them in their careers.

The event closed with remarks from Dr. Anthony B. Pinn, the Agnes Cullen Arnold Professor of Humanities and Professor of Religious Studies at Rice University, and founder of the HERE Project. Pinn discussed the launch of the collaborative Houston Hip Hop Archives Network, a partnership developed by the HERE Project and the University of Houston Libraries for preserving the artifacts of Houston hip hop.

For more accounts, please see the Houston Chronicle‘s article “City’s hip-hop pioneers get props” and the Houston Press‘s informative piece “10 Things We Learned at the Awready! Houston Hip Hop Conference.“