DJ Screw's catalog is coming to streaming for the first time

DJ Screw hits streaming for the first time

The catalog of DJ Screw, the Houston DJ and architect of the chopped and screwed sound, is coming to streaming platforms for the first time. According to Pitchfork, the mixtapes will be uploaded on a weekly rolling basis until the end of June. It is a significant moment for one of the most influential and historically under-distributed bodies of work in American rap.

Why it matters

DJ Screw spent the 1990s building a sound that slowed and chopped samples and vocals into something hypnotic and distinctly Southern. His tapes circulated on the Houston underground for years, passed hand to hand, and never made the jump to the platforms that now define how most people consume music. That gap between cultural weight and digital availability has long been a frustration for fans and scholars alike.

The weekly rollout model suggests a deliberate, curated approach rather than a single mass upload. That pace gives each release room to breathe and lets new listeners find their footing in a catalog that can feel vast and unfamiliar from the outside.

What to expect

DJ Screw passed away in November 2000, leaving behind hundreds of tapes. The estate and rights holders have not previously made the material available through Spotify, Apple Music, or similar services, which made access a matter of knowing where to look offline. That changes now, at least in part, as the uploads continue through June.

For anyone who has spent time with the Houston rap canon, this is the kind of archival news that arrives slowly and then all at once.