The first line of the first verse from “Knockin’ Doorz Down” off of Pimp C’s criminally underrated 2006 post-prison release, Pimpalation, reads:

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R.I.P. to Robert Davis he the king of the south, anything else said you need to shut yo’ fuckin’ mouth.

I’m not here to speculate whether or not Pimp was throwing shade at T.I., who released his fourth album, King, earlier that year to much fanfare. Besides, Pimp C didn’t hold his tongue for anybody. We all know this. Rather, I’d like to focus on the fact that Pimp, along with any and every Houston rapper ever, recognized Robert Davis, better known as DJ Screw, as the undisputed crown ruler of all things hip-hop below the Mason Dixon.

Robert Earl Davis Jr. (July 20, 1971 – November 16, 2000), better known by his stage name DJ Screw, was an American hip hop DJ based in Houston, Texas, and best known as the creator of the now-famous chopped and screwed DJ technique. DJ Screw Music Cassettes, Industrial DJ Screw Music CDs, Compilation CDs DJ Screw, DJ Screw Album Music Cassettes, Music Album CDs DJ Screw, DJ Screw Rap & Hip-Hop Music Cassettes, 8 Track Tape Lot, Reel-to-Reel Tape Music Formats, DJ Quik Vinyl Records, Industrial DJ Quik Music CDs.

To date approximately 293 Screw mixtapes have surfaced, all recorded between 1993 and Screw’s untimely death in November of 2000. Who really knows how many were actually recorded. But for those doing the math that’s almost a tape-and-a-half per week.

Throughout this prolific span, Screw invented then perfected his own slowed down, chopped up, trill ass form of rider music. Each tape provides a glimpse into the soul of a legit hustling, music loving, syrup sipping, blunt smoking, bald fade having, candy paint flipping, crew love giving, Southside of Houston Texas residing G.

DJ Screw made his name by releasing hundreds of screwed mix tapes, which consisted of songs and freestyle sessions, Screw would somethimes but rarely freestyle on a few of his Tapes, including songs like the 'Riding High' Freestyle & 'I Got 5' Freestyle. Screw was the centerpiece of The Screwed Up Click, the rap collective from Houston. Monday, at the Screwed Up Records & Tapes shop (7717 Cullen Blvd.), from at least 5:20 p.m. (and likely beyond), the magnanimous Southside, a man who has worked the window there for. DJ Screw's slowed, hissed-out sound has been repurposed by all sorts- rappers, pop stars, Tumblr goths- since his 2000 death. Screw tapes might be the best standing document of this silent.

What I love the most about any one particular Screw tape is that you can tell what mood Screw was in by just letting that shit ride – despite the fact that he didn’t actually rap or produce on any of them. Because he released tapes so frequently, each one functions as a time capsule of the man’s throes and thoughts, trials and tribulations.

Some Screw tapes consist solely of crew freestyles, whereby Screw throws on some jammin’ ass beats for homies like Fat Pat, Lil’ Keke and other members of the Screwed Up Click to floss on relentlessly, sometimes for upwards of fifteen minutes at a time. Other Screw tapes emphasize his crazy ill scratching and chopping skills, highlighting his knack for running back certain lines, verses and beat drops that he feels the most (and in turn, makes you feel the most). Some tapes chop less, opting to let some smooth shit ride while you zone out. Some tapes punctuate personal matters more heavily, as he riddles them with birthday shout outs, dedications to fallen comrades, or simple statements of existence, letting us know that he’s in the studio doing what he loves: smoking, sipping and getting throwed out of his mind with his partners. Lots of tapes show Houston rappers love, but real fans know that Screw messed with West Coast rappers just as heavily, especially 2Pac.

Before I die, I WILL listen to every Screw tape in existence. Unfortunately, that day hasn’t come yet because some people deem it necessary to do shit like work and listen to new music (next person to tell me to peep the new Young Thug joint while I’m tryna jam Screw is gonna catch a fade). But I have probably listened to about eighty or so Screw tapes, so even though there is no wrong answer, I am going to attempt to list my five favorites in order. In reality, they’re all equally good, but making lists is fun, and so is jammin’ Screw.

So light one up, hit the highway, do whatever you gotta do, and jam this shit here one time, knowmtalmbout.

5. Chapter 182: Ridin’ Dirty (1996)

Man, this is a sonic wet dream for me. Who else but DJ Screw could get UGK, my favorite rap group of all time, to drop a whole tape of exclusive freestyles, WHILE IN THEIR PRIME no less?! Legend has it that Ridin’ Dirty was recorded in one leaned out night at Screw’s house in 1996, right before UGK’s seminal, genre-defining album of the same name hit the streets.

The first half of Ridin’ Dirty consists of Bun and Pimp, along with a local Houston dude by the name of Grace, absolutely wrecking shop over some of their favorite beats. Ever wondered what Bun B sounds like in all his thugged out glory over the “Check Yo Self” instrumental? What about Pimp C putting his syrupy southern twang over “Juicy” as he explains how to keep it real during a prison sentence? Screw captures these two legends at the peak of their powers, seamlessly blending track after track, playing the background with ease.

Pimp especially is in rare shit-talking form, never letting the intoxicating mixture of Swishers and fat syrup cups take the edge off of his bravado: “I’m tired of all these boys imitating Screw, man. Them tapes don’t sound like Screw. Them tapes sound funny!”

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The second half of Ridin’ Dirty transitions into Screw chopping up some of the hardest West Coast gangsta cuts of the era, including Mac Mall’s “Playas Wit Da Choppas,” B-Legit’s “Gotta Buy Your Dope From Us,” and Westside Connection’s “Westward Ho.” Just when it seems as if the atmosphere is at an impossible level of G, Screw throws a curveball with the smoothed out Tony! Toni! Tone! and DJ Quik collabo, “Let’s Get Down.” The R&B flavor doesn’t last long, however, as he rightfully closes Ridin’ Dirty out with 2Pac’s paranoia-inducing classic, “If I Die 2Nite.”

Even though this isn’t a confirmed fact, I like to imagine that Screw had to fill the tape out with extra songs because Pimp, Bun and Grace were simply too blowed to rap any longer, and they all passed out on couches and folding chairs. This of course would have left Screw to finish things off by himself in a room full of gangsters sleeping like babies, blowing on his twentieth blunt of the night as the rising Texas sun peeped through his windows. The imagery is so vivid in my mind I might commission Bob Ross to paint it for me when I die.

4. Chapter 137: Blue 22 (1999)

Screw was known for making “personal” tapes for his homies, and this is one of the best ones ever. Made for Z-Ro on his 22nd birthday (hence the title), it features a young Ro showing out on a freestyle, as well as a great rendition of the title track from his debut album, Look What You Did To Me. Not only that, the entire vibe just sounds like some shit Ro would mess with. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if Screw asked him to handpick the tracks. I mean, what other rapper but Z-Ro, known for being a quiet storm of aggressive melancholy, would want a celebratory birthday mixtape to start off with arguably R. Kelly’s most emotionally charged song of all time, “What I Feel.” That move has his fingerprints all over it.

It really is a mind-blowing introduction. The brooding keys and strings of “What I Feel” mix with Kelly’s slowed down pleas of desperation in dramatic fashion, ever so slowly building to that fever pitch when he finally asks, “Southside, tell me can you feel me?!”

Screw is a fucking genius for this shit. Although Kelly was referring to his own hometown, the south side of Chicago, you can bet the whole south side of Houston was feeling him by the time the applause finally gives way to the Southside Playaz’ “Shotgun Blast.” Brilliance.

Screw doesn’t lose steam from there. He rewinds the intro to Jay-Z’s “Hard Knock Life” for what seems like hours (it’s really only three minutes), toying with the idea of “taking the bass line out,” all the while giving his listeners enough time to roll up a stick and mentally prepare for the Jigga onslaught to come. Screw wasn’t big on chopping up a lot of east coast rappers, and when he did he usually stuck with the Bad Boy camp. But he knew that the slow, hypnotic knock of Jay’s hood anthem was perfect for slab trunks.

Overall, Blue 22 is one of the most well-rounded tapes out. It combines Houston classics like ESG’s “Swangin’ & Bangin” with some super hard east and west coast cuts (Whodini’s “Friends” chopped for fifteen minutes, anyone?!), as well as an all-time great Juvenile banger in “400 Degreez.”

3. Chapter 19: N 2 Deep (1999)

If I’m keeping it all the way real, N 2 Deep could be a top ten Screw tape solely because he starts it by chopping “I’m Shady,” one of Eminem’s best deep album cuts ever. Growing up in Michigan, I can’t explain how exciting it was the first time I heard this. I was at work early in the morning when my man Drew — the biggest Screw head I know — threw on N 2Deep.Before I knew it he was in my face rapping: “who came through with two glocks to terrorize ya borough (huh?!), told you how to slap dicks and murder ya girl (I did!).”

I instantly put my coffee down and started rapping along, cracking up at how the already beyond goofy ad-libs sounded especially silly at half speed. I can only imagine how joyous Screw felt when he realized that he held the distinct privilege of introducing the south side of H-Town to the off-the-wall energy and once-in-a-decade rhyming prowess of some crazy ass white dude named Marshall Mathers.

N 2 Deep is a top five tape in my eyes because it emphasizes an asset of Screw’s that isn’t discussed nearly enough: just how masterful of a tastemaker the man actually was. When it came to assembling tracks from the right artists in the right order, for the right moods, with the right mixing, Screw was second to none – a world class disc jockey in every sense of the word.

On this particular day he was clearly in a great mood when he stepped behind the turntables, determined to chop the living shit out of any record he pleased. Absent are the usual themes of death, stress, and plex (Houston slang for beef), replaced if only for a day with flossing, riding, and smoking anthems for hustlers to pop trunks and count bank rolls to. He showcases his pop sensibilities by chopping up 112’s “Only You” for nearly ten minutes, as well as 2Pac’s “Thug N U” and Missy’s “All N My Grill” for a full seven each.

The crown jewels of this tape, however, are the Guerilla Maab regional classics “Fondren & Main” and “Keep Watchin’ Me.” Those not familiar with Guerilla Maab are surely aware of two thirds of its foundation, the H-Town demigods Z-Ro and Trae. Both of them go positively apeshit on the aforementioned tracks, spazzing with ridiculous double-time flows that sound regular despite being slowed to under half speed. Screw rises to the challenge, putting timely chops in just the right places and overlapping beats in perfect unison. I dare you not to feel yourself as Z-Ro’s menacing yet soothing chorus vocals slither through the speakers like the most kill bud you ever chiefed, drawn out by the screw for emphasis:

Keep watchin’ meeeee aaaaand… you fellas gon’ seeeee, maaaan… you don’t wanna fuck around with these G’s… fried out, sippin’ drank, blowin’ treeeeees.

2. Chapter 16: Late Night Fuckin’ Yo Bitch (1995)

Besides having the undisputed best title of any Screw tape ever (trust me, that’s saying a whole lot), Late Night Fuckin’ Yo Bitch is an exercise in the mantra “less is more.” Plenty of rappers, DJs, and producers these days could learn from this shit right here. He opts to not chop up a single track until the closer, with absolutely NO talking. Why? Probably because he doesn’t have to DJ or say much of anything when it’s three in the morning, he’s pulling up to your girl’s house in a wineberry colored ’88 Oldsmobile Delta on gold Daytons, and the only thing wetter than the car is her. Player.

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Simple and to the point, this tape consists of eighteen sex ballads. Screw covers the whole spectrum, from the old school (Isley Brothers — “Between The Sheets,” Teddy Pendergrass – “Love TKO”), to the slightly newer (Guy – “Goodbye Love,” Bobby Brown – “All Day All Night”), to the contemporary (Jodeci – “Feenin,” Brandy – “I Wanna Be Down”). He doesn’t screw the tempo up as much as usual because R&B songs are naturally slower, but man does this tape jam.

As previously stated, Screw had a natural gift for cohesion. On LNFYB he utilizes a secret weapon to maintain the perfect flow throughout: scattering the tape with four of the most earth shattering, panty moisturizing R. Kelly slow jams of all time. That’s right. If you thought that Screw wasn’t going to make Robert “12 Play” Kelly the star of this late night affair, you had another thing coming. As soon as the first note of “Your Body’s Callin” rings through the night air, effectively aphrodisiazing everything in its path (yea, that’s a word now), the mood is set. If you aren’t at least nibbling on an ear lobe or caressing a tity by the time “Seems Like You’re Ready” comes on roughly an hour later, you might as well just hand your player card in. Screw tried, man.

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“Sex Me” and “Bump N Grind (Remix)” carry the tape through to the finish line, and when it’s all said and done LNFYB is pound for pound a top five get down album of all time, period. The only thing that sucks about it is that you’ll have a hard time going back to normal speed R. Kelly afterwards. I swear that man’s voice was made to be screwed.

Sidenote: All you Kendrick fans out there might recognize the first couplet of Janet Jackson’s “Any Time, Any Place” as the original sample for “Poetic Justice.”

1. Chapter 127: Southside Holdin’ (1997)

If N 2 Deep is Screw’s version of Ice Cube’s “It Was A Good Day,” then Southside Holdin’ is the exact opposite. Dedicated to the passing of a close Screwed Up Click affiliate, Pat Lemmon, the tape’s namesake comes from the neon sign that Pat would showcase when he popped the trunk of his slab. Southside Holdin’ finds Screw in his most vulnerable, melancholy and paranoid state of mind. Although critics are quick to point to a heavy lean addiction as the cause of Screw’s death, it would not be unreasonable to ponder whether or not the insufferable stresses of ghetto life coupled with the maniacal work ethic that he used to escape them played just as pivotal a role in his demise.

Every song on Southside Holdin’ directly deals with death. If it’s not a eulogy for a friend, it’s somebody questioning when their own downfall might come. As Richie Rich dedicates the opening track, “Do G’s Get To Go To Heaven,” to his fallen comrade 2Pac, Fat Pat follows suit, stating, “Screw, we gon’ dedicate this to Pat Lemmon, mane,” to which Screw responds with a somber grunt of affirmation. Fat Pat rides shotgun for the rest of the tape, shouting out homies and loved ones abundantly as Screw weaves his way in and out of mixes and chops at a masterfully reflective, slithering snails pace.

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Although one could make an argument for one of Screw’s homies in the SUC, it’s pretty obvious to me that his favorite rapper was 2Pac. He finds a way to incorporate Pac into the vast majority of his tapes. In fact, plenty of his favorite Pac songs show up a dozen or so times throughout his catalog. Aesthetically, it’s not hard to figure out why. Pac’s notably enunciated delivery works perfectly within the realm of screwing. His slowed down syllables linger in the air with a beautifully thugged out passion. I frequently get goosebumps listening to screwed Pac tracks, awestruck at just how downright incredible they sound.

Southside Holdin’ features six Pac joints, each one as aggressively hopeless as the last. The pinnacle is the Me Against The World standout “Death Around The Corner.” After letting the whole first verse play out Screw suddenly brings the entire song back. As the lady in the now classic intro complains, “I know what’s wrong with that crazy muthafucka…” Fat Pat’s lazy drawl occupies the background, asking his friend, “Damn, I wonder did you see it P-A-T? Did you see it comin’ or what?”

Before you even have time to comprehend what in the fuck is about to happen, 2Pac’s voice splits the chaos with a haunting answer:

I see death around the corner, gotta stay hiiiiiiigh while I survive in the city where the skinny niggas die…

And the rest is history. Screw chops that bitch to oblivion and I proceed to pass out from realness overdose. And that’s only five songs in. Rest In Peace to Robert Davis, the King of the South.