Chopping and screwing largely entered the wider consciousness through the brief Houston rap surge of 2004/2005 and subsequently as a technique co-opted most prominently by Drake and A$AP Rocky as both a mood-building conceit and a mark of hip-hop authenticity. While most often associated with rap, some of the finest moments in the catalogs of DJ’s like OG Ron C, Slim K, and the sub-genre’s father DJ Screw are actually R&B songs slowed to a syrupy, sexy crawl (no surprise, then, that Ron C is 66 entries into his celebrated and bluntly titled Fuck Action series).
Tinashe’s Black Water mixtape is the perfect source material for chopping and screwing. Reborn as Purple Water, Slim K’s chopped and screwed treatment teases a beautiful, smoky quality out of the original, turning an already intimate affair into a perfect late night soundtrack–whether you’re wallowing in your thoughts alone or sharing the wee hours with others.
Listen to Purple Water below.
