:: Trace elements ::

Wednesday, January 11, 2006

Pinpointing the mass emergence of a trend is easy, but carbon-dating its inception isn't. Music historians may one day point to Paul Wall's album release special on MTV or the mainstream buzz around Mike Jones' "Still Tippin'" as the moment when the "chopped and screwed" sound and/or Shwishahouse officially became the hip hop skool du jour, but the phenomenon has been years, if not over a decade, in the making - the trail has just been a little patchy in the media's neck of the woods. Some were there blazing it though: searching for Chinese visa requirements I stumbled across NYU journalism professor Mitchell Stephens' proto-blog account of an around-the-world trip starting with a drive from New York to South America, taking him through Houston in 2000.

Journal -- Journey Around World -- Mitchell Stephens

December 26. The wild goose we're chasing through a Houston neighborhood, so poor many of the stores have handwritten signs, is Screwed Up Records and Tapes. The older of the two people now in this 1989 Camry believes a certain slowed-down, hip-hop sound cooked up (under the influence of cough syrup, forgod'ssake) by the late owner of this shop -- DJ Screw -- could be an example of a new culture a-spawning.

Speaking of both hip hop and China, do you think Public Enemy had to re-title their album "It takes a nation of billions to hold us back" for Sino success?

Posted by morland @ 03:22 PM

:: Comments ::

email paul wall, he'll tell ya.

i'm not joking.

Posted by: on January 23, 2006 11:36 AM

What you know about swangaz and vogues?
What you know bout' purple drank?
What you know bout' poppin' trunk, neon lights, candy paint?
What you know about white shirts, starched down jeans with a razor crease?

Posted by: The Truth on January 23, 2006 11:44 AM

- Post a comment -

« Turn-ons: long walks on the beach... | Main | Earth girls are easy »