A film based on Houston legend Robert Earl Davis Jr., aka DJ Screw, and his collective the Screwed Up Click (S.U.C.) began production in Texas on June 3. Soldiers United 4 Da Cash will follow the rise of DJ Screw as he perfected the art of chopped and screwed music in the 1990s, a style of music production in which the tempo of music is slowed down and riddled with DJ techniques such as scratching.
Day one of filming took place just east of Cloverland near 12000 Cullen Blvd. S.U.C. members, including Lil Flip and Corey Blunt, were alleged to be a part of the scene portraying the moment the genre of music became a regional phenomenon, according to the HoustonPress. The on-location set featured a variety of the popular down south prop known as the SLAB – candy-coated classic vehicles with exotic attributes such as rims with spokes and bass-heavy sound systems.
This won’t be the first time that DJ Screw’s life has been documented in film. The independently produced documentary Soldiers United for Cash chronicled the origins of DJ Screw and “Screwston Texas.” The 2001 film was directed and written by Ariel Santschi (Pimpalation: Return of the Trill).
In December 2020, commercial director Isaac Yowman, alongside Sony, announced that he would be developing a mini-series titled All Screwed Up. Yowman also headed the 2021 documentary Chopped and Screwed: The Final Mixtape, featuring commentary from Bun B, Lil Keke, Mike D, and Slim Thug, to name a few.
Over the span of his music career, DJ Screw would churn out over 300 mixtapes. He was best known for hosting a series of local Houston rappers on his mixtapes, including E.S.G., Trae tha Truth, Z-Ro, Lil Flip, and the now deceased original members Fat Pat (shot, Dec. 4, 1970 – Feb. 4, 1998), Big Moe (heart attack induced coma, Aug. 20, 1974 – Oct. 14, 2007), and Big Hawk (shot, November 15, 1969 – May 1, 2006). DJ Screw passed away at the age of 29 from a codeine overdose on November 16, 2000.
Soldier United 4 Da Cash is produced by ZoomTV Network and is expected to premiere on the anniversary of DJ Screw’s death.
