Tribute to Michael '5000' Watts

On Friday 30 January, Michael '5000' Watts passed away of a cardiac arrest, at the age of 52. He was a titan of Houston hip-hop, and the Chopped and Screwed genre and subculture. Based in the Northside of Houston, he co-founded the Swishahouse label in 1997, and as such would immensely boost the careers of artists like Chamillionaire, Slim Thug, Mike Jones and Paul Wall to the national level. The 2003 hit 'Still Tippin', which Watts worked on (and is in the music video), helped to put these last three artists and the Swishahouse label on the map. Whilst the Screwed Up Click and DJ Screw from the Southside were the originators, Watts and the Swishahouse were the key group that caused the surge in popularity of the genre throughout the U.S. in the 2000s. Watts hosted Houston’s 97.9 The Box radio station, and he also streamed on TikTok in recent years, helping to bring his sound to a new generation. I particularly enjoyed his Screwed and Chopped (that was how the Northside often referred to their mixes as, even though they weren't by DJ Screw) version of Bun B's Trill (2005).  May Watts rest in peace.

  

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Review 4: Trae tha Truth - 48 Hours Later (2018)

Rating: 8.1/10

Chopped and Screwed version by DJ Tramaine 

(Please see here for my introductory guide to Chopped and Screwed Music!)

I've known for a while that I'd been reviewing a record from someone part of or affiliated with the Screwed Up Click, but I've approached it with some trepidation. For one thing, whilst Trap music from Atlanta is well known and is thoroughly engrained into modern musical discussions, even if it is looked down upon in some circles, the Houstonian hip-hop tradition is much less known or appreciated outside of rap circles (besides global superstars like Travis Scott and Megan Thee Stallion), despite exerting a huge influence on global music today. As such, I wanted to give a basic introduction to the Chopped and Screwed genre to introduce my writing in this area, as well as provide a helpful entryway to someone interested in listening to the genre.

Trae tha Truth is a long established Houston artist; He began his career in 1998 as part of the Screwed Up Click. Trae contributed to the Houston rap scene greatly in the 2000s, perhaps most notably in his duo with fellow Houston rapper Z-Ro, called Assholes by Nature (ABN). But in 2009, a radio personality suggested he was responsible for a shooting at a major Houston event via his lyrics, and in the fallout he was more-or-less ostracised by the Houston music industry. He then signed to T.I's label Grand Hustle Records in 2013 (based in Atlanta). 

Trae tha Truth's 48 Hours Later is the third of four in the series of mixtapes, preceded by 48 Hours (2011), Another 48 Hours (2016) and succeeded by 48 Hours After (2021). They're named thusly due to each being rapped within just 48 hours, which is an incredible feat of endurance and skill. The original 48 Hours kept a gritty beat profile, not dissimilar to Bun B's solo output (they also have similarly deep voices) in Trill (2005) and II Trill (2008). But by the time of Another 48 Hours, Trae had adapted his beat selections to post-DS2 Trap which has come to dominate, in long 808s, more minor (as in sad sounding), simplistic, dark, and spacious beats. By 48 Hours Later, he and his producers (mostly Moxiii) perfected this formula even further. Furthermore, Trae's deep voice – one of the deepest in the genre, perhaps most similar to Pop Smoke and Jeezy – lends a natural gravitas to his voice, allowing him to sound menacing with ease. The combination of his deep vocals, the post 2015 trap sound, and elements of his Chopped and Screwed roots is an instant recipe for success. 

I see this mixtape series is effectively a tribute to the Chopped and Screwed subculture and tradition. In 48 Hours Later, this is most obviously shown in the samples from other members of the Screwed Up Click: he samples Fat Pat and Big Pokey from a Screwed Up Click concert on 'Friends' and 'Imma Get Dine' - from their last concert before Fat Pat's 1998 murder. In fact, on all of the songs, there is a sample like this, almost all on the choruses. They're also slowed, which makes a nice contrast to his fast paced rapping. It's a featureless album, and so the samples help to break up the songs and gives him some structure to work around. On his lyrics, there's quite a range of topics: his journey to success, attacking haters and asserting his status and hustle, and tributes to DJ Screw and Trae's affiliates who have passed away. The aforementioned samples are a tribute in themselves: for example, the final song, 'Barre' samples Big Moe on a DJ Screw Tape, and Big Moe passed away in 2007, and Trae largely. 

Remember that Trae actually knew and worked with these artists who have passed away and he is tributing - whether in his lyrics or via their samples, which adds additional keenness and sadness to the tribute, particularly in 'Barre', which is largely devoted to the passed away members of the Screwed Up Click. The second half of this song has his only singing on the mixtape, singing about how he's still representing them. As for attacking his haters, Trae's unrelenting and ominous flow – in conjunction with the beats – is such that you look forward to his next bar, like the mesmerising verses on 'Imma Get Dine', when the beat sounds a little like a haunted house (think Luigi's Mansion).

But don't mistake it: the mixtape isn't characterised by pure aggression whatsoever: as such it isn't a surprise when on the penultimate song, 'Fo I Die', takes a more sensitive turn when Trae raps about fatherhood. He raps about his son and daughter (unborn at the time of recording, per the lyrics) and how they motivate him, and how he wants to support them. Again, he uses a sample is used: from a Fat Pat and Lil' Keke freestyle. 'Fo I Die' is perhaps of particular note due to said daughter being abducted by her mother for several months in 2024-5: she is now safely home with Trae.

Whilst there's no officially sanctioned Chopped and Slowed version of 48 Hours Later, I have found one by DJ Tramaine. His style opts for keeping the same order of the songs, and he keeps the songs as distinct: they don't bleed into each other at all. His DJ vocals don't add much, just saying his DJ name at the beginning of some of the songs. His style works well! He's quite conservative with his chopping: he doesn't repeat very many lines or phrases, and often limits it to a single word. It could have been an option to be more aggressive with his chopping, on more notable lines, but I think this is in keeping with his more approach which holds back on making wide-scale changes to the project, which I think works well. Whilst it's slowed down of course, it isn't slowed down too much, which was definitely the right choice: if it was slowed down much more, the samples in the choruses – which are already slowed in the original mixtape – would just be too slow. And if he had slowed these choruses down less or not at all, their effect likely would have been lost. I won't include my consideration of any Chopped and Slowed version in my rating, as its quality heavily depends on the individual DJ, but in this case I recommend the DJ Tramaine version strongly.

Perhaps the most enjoyable aspect of this project for me is the dichotomy between the two version: listen to the original mixtape, and you get a medium-high tempo grindset music for most of the project – workout music at its very best. But listen to the Chopped and Slowed version, and you get a much slower, late night drive or chill session music. The Chopped and Slowed edition doesn't so much as enhance the original, but rather, it transforms it into a different beast, which is just as enjoyable as the original. It really is like two mixtapes in one.

Overall, it's a very strong mixtape. The spacious, moody beats give Trae plenty of room to do his thing, and his voice has great synergy with the beats. In my opinion, this marks the pinnacle of his mid-late 2010s projects: I really do think that he's at his best when working with post-DS2 Trap. There aren't features overcrowding the project, the mixtape doesn't overstay it's welcome, and it has a consistent sound and focus throughout: he's still holding it down for the Click, representing Houston and the culture, and showing impressive adaptability into modern trap.

 

 

 

Review 3: Waka Flocka Flame - Flockaveli (2010)

Rating: 8.4/10

One of the most influential hip-hop albums of all time, Flockaveli changed trap music forever. Trap music beforehand didn't necessarily have lyricism as its primary focus, but Waka Flocka Flame and Lex Luger's aggressive production pushed lyricism much more to the wayside, in favour of raw sonic energy. This unrelenting style of production dominated trap music in the early 2010s, and has found heirs in the subgenres of Chicago drill and rage rap, and its influence can still be felt in mainstream trap and hip-hop today.

Earlier this week, I was watching the Netflix documentary on the formation of the Pop/Kpop group Katseye at the encouragement of my girlfriend, and while watching it, I found myself wondering: what's the most opposite to their music that I can think of? My answer led me to this album. But the influence of the trend which Flockaveli arguably started is such that there's more in common that one might expect, as I will examine. But on the surface, its the most anti-pop project I can think of: blazing vocal aggression, loud ad-libs (BRICK SQUAAD), not much of a melody, shouting, and more broadly nothing held back regarding vocals or production. Indeed, later trap albums within the melodic rap vein like those of Future, Gunna and Don Toliver are infinitely more radio friendly than Flockaveli.

The album begins with 'Bustin at 'Em', in my opinion the best song. His 'Bow, bow, bow, bow, bitch I'm bustin' at 'em' has immediate impact; it's almost a punch in the face. Topics across the album focus on street and gang violence, and all but four of the songs have features; mainly street/underground rappers, and they usually work well; they contribute vocal variety which helps to break up what might have been an overindulgence in Flocka's aggressive vocals.

The album is aggressive to its core: Unlike Jeezy, it's fastpaced and never lets up; unlike Gucci Mane, it lacks funny wordplay, and unlike T.I, it scarcely resembles his Trap Muzik (2003), often considered the first album of the genre. The only song with a considerable melody is Roscoe Dash's singing on 'No Hands', which has much more of a pop-rap sound. Whilst not all of the songs and features land, even the weaker ones don't detract from the momentum the album builds and maintains. The stronger songs, like 'Live by the Gun' build upon it like a tidal wave. This is done partially due to Flocka's own dominating vocals and partially due to the production, mainly by Lex Luger, but with some contributions from then up-and-coming producer Southside, and others. This is workout music taken to 100, though with less motivation and more relentlessness, although it's a better fit for the club: the hits on this album are still played in clubs to this day, so I gather. 

So what's the legacy of Flockaveli? As stated before, it led to the domination of Lex Luger esque production in the early 2010s. It's uniqueness is such that its only clear analogies can be found in its successors; Back from the Dead (2012) by Chief Keef transitioned the sound into Drill, and his Finally Rich (2012) made it more radio friendly. Elements can be found in Future's Monster (2014) and 56 Nights (2015). The philosophy, though slightly less the instrumentation itself, can be seen in Kanye's Yeezus (2013) and as well as, most notably, the rage sound, like in Playboi Carti's Die Lit (2018) and Whole Lotta Red (2020), which has enjoyed considerable commercial and critical success in the 2020s.

However, in the more mainstream trap lane, the aggressive movement provoked by Flockaveli had died down by the mid 2010s. It's easy to see why the release of Future's DS2 (2015), largely produced by Metro Boomin, and the melodic trap trend that both of them inaugurated with it would accelerate the relative decline of Flockaveli's sound. This later melodic trap is not only more radio friendly, but lends itself much more to Pop and R&B inclinations, as evidenced in the discographies of the Weeknd, Ariana Grande, and numerous Kpop artists.

But nonetheless, Flockaveli and it's successors have left an indelible mark on trap music, and on music more widely. One observes the focus on vibe rather than lyrics, club music rather than just hood storytelling, and vocal elements such as repetition in lyrics and ad-libs, as well as vocal imperfections. Whilst Flockaveli didn't invent all of these within trap or hip-hop, it vastly accelerated the trend, and brought it to the mainstream. As part of the aforementioned documentary, even listening to the pop-rap song 'Pink Venom' by Blackpink (I'm not really a Kpop fan, I promise) has similar sounds imitating gun sounds at the end of the song, with a not dissimilar to Flocka's 'Bustin at 'Em'. And returning to Katseye, their hyperpop songs like 'Gnarly' and 'MIA' arguably stands at the end of a chain of influence which Flockaveli would greatly influence, via the vocal quirks, heavy 808s and raw adlibs.

But it's important to consider a project on its own terms, not just in relation to what it would go on to influence. Returning to the album and its final song (excluding the deluxe tracks), the most surprising one and most contemplative, is 'Fuck This Industry'. In this song, Flocka not only raps about how he dislikes the industry, but also the following, which is the second verse.

Damn, I miss my brother, they wanna see me under
Disrespect my mother, then you gon' meet my brother
Damn KK, that shit fucked up
25 to life, he did it to defend his life
Shout out to my grandma for all them ass whoopings
That shit made me tough, no more ass whoopings
Shout out to my three uncles, they showed me how to ball
For dad, all my life, I gotta have it all
Shout out to my aunties for that female love
They showed me how to cook and clean and show a woman love
Shout out to my nieces, cousins, and my nephews
Man, I love my family, the Lord gon' one day bless you
Momma, don't cry, we gon' get it
And when we do it again, we gon' show them that we got it
Fuck this industry, bitch, I'm in these streets
They don't want shit but my money

As one can see, here he raps about his dead brother, friends in jail, his family members and their roles in his upbringing. In the first verse, he also raps about alcohol as a remedy for his troubles, and in the third and final verse, he pays tribute to his friends and collaborators. It's nothing Shakespeare worthy, but as one can see, it's somewhat a contrast to the rest of the album, and the beat, is a little slower and perhaps allows for more introspection.

This kind of song within an album is not uncommon in trap music; an album or mixtape's focus on violence, drugs and sex (which are all still social issues!) sometimes gives way to moments of direct lucidity, almost a direct commentary on the rest of the album, and the issues that have been rapped about. This seemingly often occurs on or near the final song in an album, like 'Hate the Real Me' on Future's Beast Mode 2 (2018) or 'Worst Enemy' on Gucci Mane's The State vs. Radric Davis (2009). This might sound like a relatively unremarkable point within the music world, but within trap music, where the lyrics are often largely written off as debauchery, it stands out as a direct moment of exposure and vulnerability often ignored. Many trap lyrics have elements of this just via normal lyrics; for example, rapping about a toxic relationship reflecting their experience. But lyrics like those in 'Fuck This Industry' are direct and unmistakable.

Flockaveli is a memorable and important album, with echos that reverberate into the present day across the industry. I'm not sure what I'll review next week, but maybe something a project that has received little attention. A mixtape of some sort perhaps?

Addendum: A few days after publishing this review, Katseye released a video of Megan dancing to 'No Hands'! Not as surprising as one might think, eh?

Review 2: Jeezy – Trap or Die 2: By Any Means Necessary (2010)

Rating: 7.1/10

I recently finished reading the Autobiography of Malcolm X (which I strongly recommend), and given the inspiration behind the cover and title of this mixtape, I couldn't help but write a review of this mixtape. For context, the cover resembles Malcolm X and 'By Any Means Necessary' echoes a iconic quote of Malcolm X concerning Black Civil Rights, and how he wanted to secure rights and freedoms for African Americans, by any means necessary. Granted, the relationship between Malcolm X and Jeezy's ideas seem somewhat confusing: it's a little odd that Jeezy would quote someone who reformed his life, and who disavowed his previous life as a street hustler and drug dealer, when almost all of Jeezy's projects involve him rapping about... street hustling and drug dealing. Jeezy said this about the cover:

'I know a lot of cats are trippin’ off the cover. I tell ‘em like this: You had Martin Luther King, you had Malcolm X. One thing I respected about Malcolm X is that he believed in what he believed in. He died believing in it. That’s how I am. I would never compare myself to the great Malcolm, but I will die believing in what I believe in.'

To be honest, I have no idea what Jeezy is saying here: does trapping and street hustling count as a belief that one can die for? Perhaps he's referring to his motivational role. In any case, does Trap or Die 2 have anything important to say? Does Jeezy have a social angle in his project, like he did in The Recession and The Recession 2?

Not really, no. There isn't even too much of his usual motivational angle, largely rapping about drug dealing and braggadocio. But it's an solid project, with particularly strong songs towards the beginning and towards the end. This is more or less the story of the album actually: the strong, muscular, trap beats is always where Jeezy has felt the most comfortable, and this is true on this mixtape too. The less trap songs like Ill'in aren't particularly strong, whereas heavier trap songs like first two, the Intro and Stop Playin' with Me go really hard! As usual for Jeezy, it's rarely a matter of clever lyricism: it's his bombastic trap beats and uniquely gravelly voice that draw the listener in, in conjunction with a motivational message (I'm slightly pushing the drug dealing message to one side). And this is done to great effect on much of the mixtape, especially the last three songs.

My favourite songs are 'Introduction' and 'I Remember', for they leans into Jeezy's core strengths. The solid beat choices, catchy and exaggerated ad-libs, and Jeezy's rapping make a solid combo. Don Cannon's hosting adds lots of hype, such as on the first two songs, and even his producer tag is a nice addition on I Remember.

The thing is, this project is a solid album, but it could have been significantly better. The first reason is that the mixtape's mid-point, from around songs six to twelve, isn't amazing (with the except of song nine, 'Takeover', which was a fun ride): these beats don't suit Jeezy – and they aren't great – and I don't love the Clipse feature on 'Ill'in'.

But secondly, returning to the civil rights theme, it seems like somewhat of a missed opportunity. On 2008's The Recession Jeezy rapped keenly about the financial crisis, Obama's presidential run, and Bush's presidency, all wrapped in his motivational drive. Given how Jeezy chose the Malcolm X theme, why didn't he rap about Civil Rights? Trap or Die 2 could have looked at how Jeezy viewed the early years of the Obama Presidency, or delve into civil rights and his take. In trap music, there's the stereotype that the subgenre of trap has little to say about social issues, and I like to highlight cases where trap does comment on these issues, even in indirect or uncommon ways. Granted, I do feel like hip-hop artists often have unfair pressure upon them to rap about social issues and civil rights, but I feel like my question is justified in this case, given that Jeezy himself chose the Malcolm X theme. A different version of  Trap or Die 2 could have been an interesting way to look at these issues, even by looking at the title. He did look at Civil Rights on The Recession 2, but it would have been interesting to hear Jeezy rap about the struggle for some young Black Americans – where some have to trap (whether in the drug dealing sense, the motivation sense or the musical sense) or die.

Review 1: Travis Scott – Owl Pharaoh (2013)

Review – 7.2/10

Travis Scott’s 2013 debut mixtape stands out even now within his discography. Its raw sound and combination of his influences makes for an enchanting listen, particularly when viewed as the thematic ancestor of his debut 2015 album Rodeo, and the sonic predecessor of his 2023 album, Utopia. Whilst often described as still being too derivative of Kanye West and Kid Cudi, the mixtape shows an early sign of Travis’ eclectic ability to curate a project, utilising a range of features, interludes, and beat switches to this end.

The eleventh song ‘Drive’ begins with Travis flicking through cassettes, playing samples from older, fellow Houston artists – most notably the legendary DJ Screw, as well as Lil’ Flip and Z-Ro – before you hear tires screeching and his car driving. His own song starts to form, using flutes, drums and James Fauntleroy’s singing to create a almost haunting effect. Travis reflects on his past, until Travis’ dad shouts for him to turn off his music.

This song, my favourite on the mixtape, serves as a microcosm of sorts for the entire project. Both the song and mixtape serve as an introduction to Travis. His Houston origin, his sound, story, relationships, and journey. Whilst Rodeo is often given this designation, and indeed serves as a restatement of sorts, Owl Pharaoh was the first to introduce Travis on this level, and it comes across 'rawer', for want of a better term. For example, in 'Drive' and in the first song, 'Meadow Creek', Travis gives his parents’ voices a demonic sound effect reflecting his poor relationship with them.

Continuing the comparison, Owl Pharaoh is less star packed (feature wise), and with little trap influence. Travis produced or co-produced all but one of the songs on the album, and sonically, it varies immensely, sometimes within the same song. The most notable example being ‘Bad Mood/Shit on You’, where a beat switch replacing a more ‘angry’ beat with a more relaxed one, or comparing the bombastic bass of ‘Blocka La Flame’ versus ‘M.I.A’, a much more contemplative track. Its closest sonic comparison amongst Travis’ discography is easily Utopia – both have the aforementioned variety in sound and a detachment from the trap sound that dominated the 2010s. They both have delicate songs and bombastic maximalism, and yet they both somehow, for the most part, work. Travis' Houston influence is present throughout much of Owl Pharaoh, not just in the samples on Drive but in the slowed tempos, reverb and echo reminiscent of the Chopped and Screwed tradition, of which Travis can claim to be a descendant of.

The most glaring weakness, often the first thing mentioned when this mixtape is mentioned, is simply being too derivative of Kanye West and Kid Cudi. No where is this more apparent with tracks 5 and 6, ‘Uptown’ and ‘Hell of a Night’, both taking strong influence from Kanye’s 2010 album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. Tracks 9 and 13, ‘Dance on the Moon’ and ‘16 Chapels’, also have strong Kid Cudi influence; one could easily imagine Cudi singing the chorus of ‘Dance on the Moon’. It’s not necessarily  problem to have strong influence from other artists, but it is a little too much here, and it almost makes you wish that you could hear the original artist on the song that so clearly has their influence written all over it. Kanye West only co-produced ‘Drive’, with the legendary producer Mike Dean helping on several of the songs, but nonetheless both Kanye’s and Cudi’s influence stands out.

But why look at Owl Pharaoh? I wanted to review this mixtape because key elements of Travis’ curatorial style that would become recognised as commonplace on his projects are present, even here. First of all, Travis shows his early willingness to let guest features play key roles on his album. Whilst he doesn’t have as many star guest stars as his later albums, he deploys the ones he has to great effectiveness. Most notably is James Fauntelroy’s singing on ‘Drive’, which I’ve already mentioned, and rappers like A$AP Ferg are used to help break up song, like on ‘Uptown’, preventing the listener from getting tired of Travis’ voice. Interludes are used also, like in ‘Quintana’ and ‘Bandz’, creating what's become known as a 'floating' or 'levitating' effect, and also break up the songs nicely.

But most of all is that Travis displays his ability of curating a project. Whilst he is a good rapper and producer, Travis’ main strength is his ability to curate a project, guiding it to his vision. Even when hazy, a picture of Travis that he wants you to see him as forms whilst listening to each project. But importantly, because he raps and produces, he can actually be involved in crafting it to his vision. The sonic influences, samples and voice-overs utilised, features deployed and lyrics used all contribute to a particular vision, and one gets the impression that Travis is intimately involved with all aspects of it. Whilst parts of the mixtape are overly indebted to his influences, he stays true to his principle of making songs which are easy to listen to, and his curatorial ability is, whilst not fully formed, emerging at this stage. The first song, ‘Meadow Creek’, which sounds almost like a antihero – or villain’s – theme, serves as the best introduction to Travis’ world that I can think of.

Certainly the least-discussed project Travis Scott project, I'd give it a strong recommendation for you to try. Its lack of publicity is not helped by the fact that it isn’t on streaming platforms, but it’s available on SoundCloud.

Introducing me and Trapped and Screwed

Hi Everyone and Happy New Year! It’s great to be here and I’m really excited to start my blog. Over the last few years there’s been increasing scepticism and frustration with the state of hip-hop, especially regarding trap. Whilst there have been big releases in the past year or so, most notably Playboi Carti’s MUSIC, the general sentiment now seems to be that trap has stagnated somewhat. Even for MUSIC, many (justifiably) felt that it’s sonic return to more general trap as opposed to Carti’s more unique lane of rage was disappointing, even if it was a decent album. More broadly, some of the genre’s big hitters 21 Savage, Lil Baby and Young Thug have all released albums in the last year, all with mixed reviews. However, we’ll see what the year ahead has for us. I want to see if Future will be dropping anything in response to the Young Thug jail cells drama after a year with only features, and if the likes of Chief Keef will release his followup to the success of his 2023 album Almighty So 2. Perhaps even Waka Flocka Flame will drop a new mixtape after his flurry of features on Metro Boomin’s 2025 mixtape A Futuristic Summa. But in the meantime, there’s an ocean of older albums and mixtapes for me to review, especially from across the South, and I can’t wait to get started. I'll be publishing a new review every Friday, so look forward to my first next week, which I promise will be longer than this post! Finally, please bear with me as I get this website set up and in good form, but the basics should be in place now. See you on my first review!