All over the country this week, citizens have mourned and protested the death of 46-year-old George Floyd, who was killed by Minnesota police when an officer knelt on his neck despite his pleas that he couldn’t breathe. Now, however, the world has even more reason to mourn Floyd’s death, as The Houston Chronicle revealed in its report on the incident that the Houston native was formerly a member of one of the city’s most storied hip-hop groups: DJ Screw’s Screwed Up Click.
The Houston-based group was instrumental in the creation of the “chopped-and-screwed” style of extremely slowed down music that prevails in rap music to this day. The group also included members such as Big Moe, Big Pokey, Fat Pat, Lil Flip, Lil Keke, Trae Tha Truth, and Z-Ro, having a lasting influence over the region’s rap scene that can be heard in the music of well-known affiliates like Devin The Dude and UGK.
“Sittin On Top Of The World,” one of the crew’s standout regional hits, has been making the rounds on social media and Reddit in response to Floyd’s death according to Billboard. You can play the song above. Floyd was also briefly a member of Presidential Playas, releasing the album Block Party in 2000.
Read the full Houston Chronicle report here.
