Big Mello’s son Andrew Davis and sister Tammy Davis visit Special Collections

Among our holdings in the Houston Hip Hop collections are items related to the late rapper Big Mello (Curtis Davis), best known for his early nineties Rap-a-Lot releases Bone Hard Zaggin and Wegonefunkwichamind. A particularly versatile rapper, Big Mello’s output ranged from funky gangsta rap to fast spitting exploits to smooth R&B. Raised in the Hiram Clarke neighborhood of Houston’s Southside, Big Mello was one of the first to celebrate the city’s custom car culture in his music.

Last week, Big Mello’s son Andrew Davis and his sister Tammy Davis visited to view rare 12″ records and promotional materials of Big Mello’s that had been acquired through the collections of other artists. Ms. Davis recounted her brother’s love of music which stemmed from his childhood and was still burning bright at the time of his death in 2002 from a car accident. That passion has been passed down to son Andrew, who records as The Aspiring Me.

Fans of Houston hip hop who have enjoyed the Library’s main floor exhibit DJ Screw and the Rise of Houston Hip Hop will want to check out our new mini-exhibit Samplified Studios: Capturing the Sound of Houston Hip Hop. This small exhibit is on the 2nd floor of M.D. Anderson Library right next to Special Collections, and contains rare memorabilia from one of Houston’s noted independent recording studios. The exhibit runs through September 21, 2012.

Engineer Keenan “Maestro” Mosley, originally from Philadelphia, was born in 1958. He first started a recording studio in Philly, then relocated with his three brothers to Houston. He reopened Samplified Digital Recording Studios in Missouri City around 1990. There he recorded artists such as DJ Screw, K-Rino, Point Blank, BAM, the Terrorists, Klondike Kat, Big 50, and more for over a decade. He also wrote his own music, produced, and kept a detailed audio diary of his life. Mosley, who went by the professional name Keenan Lyles, died in 2010 at the age of fifty-two.

This exhibit celebrates the recent acquisition by the Library of the Samplified Digital Recording Studios Records, a collection of master tapes, business documents, photographs, and posters donated by Mosley’s son, Kendall Mosley. For more on Keenan Mosley and his son Kendall, who raps under the name Chane, check out the following articles.

Chane: Rapper Confronts Dad’s Death in Wrenching Video, Houston Press

Chane: Rapper’s Late Father Was Partner, Mentor, “Maestro”, Houston Press

Chane Drops Samplified Successor, 29-29/Houston Chronicle

Rapper Bun B telling a story at A Screwed Up History event

In March, the UH Libraries copresented a day-long conference event called A Screwed Up History during which rap legends like K-Rino, Willie D, Lil’ Keke, ESG, Bun B and more spoke in-depth about the history and culture of Houston hip hop. For those who were not able to attend Awready! The Houston Hip Hop Conference, or those who would like to re-watch the enlightening presentations and frank and funny panel discussions, the UH Libraries has uploaded six hours of footage from the event. The videos are available on the conference web site, on YouTube, and on the DJ Screw… exhibit web page.

A Screwed Up History web page with embedded videos

Lanetta Dickens is majoring in English and minoring in African American Studies. She served as an intern in Special Collections during Spring 2012, working on preservation of the DJ Screw Sound Recordings and assisting with the exhibition DJ Screw and the Rise of Houston Hip Hop.

Awready! The Houston Hip Hop Conference, presented by the University of Houston Libraries, the HERE Project at Rice University, African American Studies at UH, and the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for the Arts at UH, was a recent set of events honoring DJ Screw. I attended the Grafitti, B-Boy and B-Girl Exhibition opening, and the panels/presentations of A Screwed Up History. The art show showcased local Houston artists and their artwork in original display. The event was a success, with free food and fun entertainment.

The panelists involved in the conference were knowledgeably aware of DJ Screw and the Screwed Up Click (S.U.C.).  Participants on the panels included rappers, artists, writers and scholars who informed the audience about the history and culture of Hip Hop in Houston. One of the scholars, Dr. Ronald J. Peters, Associate Professor of Public Health at the University of Texas Health Science Center, managed a discussion on the effects of syrup with rapper ESG and DJ Lil’ Randy of the S.U.C. The topic was first introduced with a definition of the drug, how rappers and individuals were using it, and the results of using the drug.

“Syrup” is a recreational drink based on prescription cough syrup made with codeine promethazine. Both S.U.C. members considered syrup an addictive drug, the use of which was a secretive act initially. However, due to the spread and popularity of syrup, consequences soon emerged, and law enforcement began investigating the drug. Lil’ Randy and ESG expressed their feelings and reactions, saying that they were somewhat surprised by the spread of its popularity. This type of information about the evolving culture of hip hop is important for understanding the African American community and the individuals who have shaped that community.

The Hip Hop conference was an experience that I will remember for a lifetime. I was enlightened by the conversations and discussions that were associated with the growing music empire.  As a minor in African American Studies, I have learned to appreciate and acknowledge the Hip Hop culture that has extended throughout the world. Hip Hop has made a contribution to our society as a means of expressing and documenting the truth about ourselves.

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.“