The Chopstars

Last updated
The Chopstars
New chopstars.jpg
Also known as
  • Chopstar DJs
  • Chopstars
Origin Houston, Texas, United States
Genres Chopped and screwed
Years active2007−present
Members
  • OG Ron C (CEO)
  • DJ Candlestick (President)
  • DJ Michael Watts
  • DJ Lil Steve
  • DJ Hollygrove (VP)
  • DJ Rucker
  • DJ Slim K
  • DJ Whut It Dew
  • DJ Ryan Wolf
  • DJ Sy Milli
  • Mike G
  • DJ Baby Chino
  • Chopstar Jimmy
  • Chopstar Max Dolla
  • DJ SU4L
  • DJ Illadell
  • DJ Dakster (General Manager)
  • DJ Yondon
  • DJ Izzy Ill
  • T Wrecks
  • Slater
  • DJ Kimblee
  • Barry Jenkins
  • DJ Get It Reddy
  • Baby Sam
  • DJ Monstaaa
  • DJ Siyo
Past members
  • DJ Mr Rogers
  • DJ Blurray
  • DJ Rio Blackwood
  • DJ Chose
  • DJ BlackJack
  • DJ Surrup
  • DJ Slick Change
  • DJ D.A. (retired)
  • Maktub (deceased)
  • Big Shane (deceased)

The Chopstars, also known as Chopstar DJs or simply Chopstars, are a collective that include American DJs and turntablists that perform chopped and screwed remixes of popular music under Chop Not Slop Ent. including Drake's 2011 Take Care album, as well as Little Dragon's 2014 Nabuma Rubberband album., [1] Savage Mode II from Metro Boomin and 21 Savage and Brent Faiyaz’s 2022 Wasteland. Created by Swishahouse Records co-founder OG Ron C, DJ Lil Steve, DJ Candlestick, and DJ Hollygrove. It is a homage to the late DJ Screw. The motto of The Chopstars is "Keeping DJ Screw alive since 2001" and "Dedicated to the memory of DJ Screw." Notable members include DJ Candlestick, DJ Lil Steve, Mike G (a member of Odd Future), DJ Ryan Wolf the official DJ of the Cleveland Browns, DJ Hollygrove formerly of KQBT, and Academy Award-winning director Barry Jenkins. On Nov 4th, 2022 The Chopstars received a proclamation from Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner declaring July 1 The Chopstars Day.

Contents

In Mainstream Media

ChopNotSlop has been in mainstream media on several occasions. In 2005 Houston rapper Chamillionaire released his multi-platinum album The Sound Of Revenge in which a Chopped and Screwed version [2] was also released with mixes by OG Ron C. To date the ChopNotSlop version has sold over 250,000 copies. In 2010 after meeting OG Ron C in Toronto rapper Drake started giving attention to ChopNotSlop via interviews and Twitter updates. On Sept 19, 2011, Drake announced his second album by tweeting "Take Care, Take Care Birthday Edition, Take Care OG Ron C Edition...10.24.11" [3] Chopstar DJ Mixtapes have also been featured in the LA Times Music Section, [4] as well as The New York Times Music Section. [5] [6] OG Ron C's ChopNotSlop version of the song "Southern Takeover" by Chamillionaire was played in the background of the warehouse scene on the NBC show The Office (Season 2. Ep15 "Boys and Girls"). [7] [8] The Chopstars have been the subject to many article relating to the art form of ChopNotSlop [9] [10] [11]

On January 27, 2015 OG Ron C and DJ Candlestick of The Chopstars teamed up with Little Dragon and Adult Swim to officially release a FREE ChopNotSlop remix of Nabuma Rubberband which is being distributed via Cartoon Network's Adult Swim website. [12] [13] [14] In February 2017, director Barry Jenkins connected with OG Ron C and DJ Candlestick to release a ChopNotSlop version of the Moonlight soundtrack [15] [16]

Chopstar DJs

OG Ron C founded the Chopstar DJs to help up and coming Chopped and Screwed DJs. He first started with DJ Lil Steve who has been his protégé since 2005. In 2008 he met and brought on DJ Candlestick. In 2009 he added DJ Hollygrove and DJ Chose, a well known College and Texas Club Scene DJ/producer/artist. DJ Chose is a member of the group Brook Gang Music that OG Ron C also manages. In 2009 he hooked back up with his old Swishahouse right-hand-man Michael '5000' Watts and released "The Return Of The Realest." [17]

ChopNotSlop Radio and App

ChopNotSlop Radio is an online radio station that was created in 2008. It boasts as the "Worlds First Chopped and Screwed Radio Station" which is dedicated to keeping DJ Screw Music alive. The current broadcast format is block programming is regular singles ChopNotSlop in the similar format of a terrestrial radio station. The stream can be listened to via ChopNotSlop App on Android or any iDevice. I [18]

Notable members

DJs

Discography

See also

Related Research Articles

Swishahouse is a major Southern hip hop record label owned and founded by Michael "5000" Watts and not owned by OG Ron C but Co-Founder in 1997.

Chopped and screwed is a music genre and technique of remixing music that involves slowing down the tempo and DJing. It was developed in the Houston hip hop scene in the early 1990s by DJ Screw. The screwed technique involves slowing the tempo of a song down to 60 and 70 quarter-note beats per minute and applying techniques such as skipping beats, record scratching, stop-time and affecting portions of the original composition to create a "chopped-up" version of the song.

<i>The Mixtape Messiah</i> 2004 mixtape by Chamillionaire

King Koopa: The Mixtape Messiah is a mixtape by Houston rapper Chamillionaire. It was released on February 15, 2004. The tape featuring 61 tracks over three CDs, this triple album is the longest and most bought mixtape in Texas history. It is the first mixtape in the Mixtape Messiah series. The mixtape established Chamillionaire as one of the premier artists in the Southern rap music industry at the time of its release and was the pivotal mixtape that developed his fan base and ability to obtain mainstream success with the release of The Sound of Revenge years later.

Williams Street Records LLC is an American independent record company founded by Jason DeMarco, based in Atlanta, Georgia. It is a joint venture of Cartoon Network's Williams Street Productions and Warner Music Group, and is distributed through Alternative Distribution Alliance. Under that label, they have released original works of music, some of which are related to their shows on Adult Swim. The label is managed by Chris Hartley, and the A&R is Jason DeMarco.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">OG Ron C</span> American rapper

Ronald Rummell Coleman, better known for his stage name OG Ron C, is an American DJ, radio personality, Grammy nominated record producer, and entertainment and management company executive, who is currently signed to OVO Sound and is also an on-air DJ for KQBT 93.7 The Beat. He is the owner of the Houston-based urban music online radio station ChopNotSlop Radio, former DJ of Southern rappers Chamillionaire and Slim Thug. Along with Michael 5000 Watts, he co-founded Swishahouse Records and helped jump-start the careers of Slim Thug, Chamillionaire, Paul Wall and Mike Jones. The leader and founder of The Chopstars, he was the first Houston DJ to receive his own day when he got a proclamation from Mayor Sylvester Turner. He is most known for his F-Action Series Mixtape which features R&B songs Chopped and Screwed and to date has over 4,200 mixtapes and albums, both at regular speed and chopped and screwed speed. He has sold over 22,000,000 mixtapes and albums to date. He also is the founder of Chopnotslop Radio a 24-hour "Screwed" Radio station dedicated to DJ Screw.

<i>Live. Love. ASAP</i> 2011 mixtape by ASAP Rocky

Live. Love. ASAP is the debut mixtape by American rapper ASAP Rocky, who released it as a free digital download on October 31, 2011. It features production by Clams Casino, ASAP Ty Beats, DJ Burn One, and SpaceGhostPurrp, among others. The mixtape also features guest rappers Schoolboy Q and Fat Tony, as well as members of ASAP Mob, ASAP Rocky's hip hop collective.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Future (rapper)</span> American rapper (born 1983)

Nayvadius DeMun Cash, known professionally as Future, is an American rapper and singer. Known for his mumble-styled vocals and prolific output, Future is considered a pioneer of the use of Auto-Tuned melodies in trap music. Due to the sustained popularity of this musical style, he is commonly regarded as one of the most influential rappers of his generation.

Omar Barton, better known by his stage name DJ Candlestick, is an American DJ, radio personality, and record producer. He is a member of The Chopstars of the ChopNotSlop subgenre, former on-air personality for KQBT 93.7 The Beat Houston, The Choice 90.9 KTSU and DJ for The Nice Guys. He is the DJ behind Chop Care as well as many other ChopNotSlop mixtapes. He is currently a mixer on Drake’s radio station Sound42 on SiriusXM.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Freebandz</span> American record label

Freebandz is an American record label founded by Atlanta-based rapper Future in 2011. The label's releases are distributed through Epic Records. Freebandz has signed artists including Real Boston Richey, Lil Double O, Doe Boy, Young Scooter and DJ Esco.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Afraid (The Neighbourhood song)</span> 2013 single by the Neighbourhood

"Afraid" is a song by American alternative pop group the Neighbourhood. The song was written by group members Jesse Rutherford, Zach Abels and Jeremy Freedman, and was produced by Justyn Pilbrow and Emile Haynie. It serves as the second single to their debut studio album, I Love You, which was released on April 19, 2013 via Columbia Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Metro Boomin</span> American hip hop producer

Leland Tyler Wayne, known professionally as Metro Boomin, is an American record producer and songwriter. Critically acclaimed for his dark production style, he is regarded as one of the most influential producers in modern hip hop and trap music. His frequent collaborators include Future, Young Thug, The Weeknd, Travis Scott, Don Toliver, 21 Savage, Gucci Mane, Gunna, and Nav.

<i>Nabuma Rubberband</i> 2014 studio album by Little Dragon

Nabuma Rubberband is the fourth studio album by Swedish electronic music band Little Dragon, released on 9 May 2014 by Because Music. It features collaborations with Dave from De La Soul and Robin Hannibal. The album spawned three singles: "Klapp Klapp", "Paris" and "Let Go". Nabuma Rubberband was nominated for Best Dance/Electronic Album at the 57th Annual Grammy Awards.

This is the discography of American record producer, Metro Boomin. It includes a list of songs produced, co-produced and remixed by year, artists, album and title.

Mixtape Messiah is a series of mixtapes by Houston rapper Chamillionaire. The Mixtape Messiah was his first in the series, which was released on February 15, 2004. Featuring 61 tracks over three CDs, this triple mixtape is the longest and most bought mixtape in Texas history. Mixtape Messiah 7 was released on August 4, 2009, and was officially confirmed to be the final mixtape in the series.

The 2016 BET Hip Hop Awards were held on September 17, 2016 and aired on October 4, 2016 at Atlanta’s Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre. The nominations were announced on August 18, 2016. For a third consecutive year, Drake heads the list of nominations for the BET Hip-Hop Awards. His 14 nods include Album of the Year, Best Live Performer, Lyricist of the Year, Best Hip-Hop Video and three in the Best Collabo, Duo or Group category.

<i>Moonlight</i> (soundtrack) 2016 soundtrack album by Nicholas Britell

Moonlight (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is the soundtrack to the 2016 film of the same name directed by Barry Jenkins. The film's original score is composed by Nicholas Britell who applied a chopped and screwed technique of hip hop remixes to orchestral music, producing a "fluid, bass-heavy score". The soundtrack album consisted of 21 tracks, with incorporated compositions from Goodie Mob, Boris Gardiner and Barbara Lewis and an arrangement of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's "Vesperae solennes de confessore" by Britell, with the score accompanying the remainder of it.

<i>Savage Mode II</i> 2020 album by 21 Savage and Metro Boomin

Savage Mode II is a collaborative studio album by British-American rapper 21 Savage and American record producer Metro Boomin. It was released on October 2, 2020, and was previewed through a trailer with narration by Morgan Freeman. The album serves as a sequel to the duo's extended play Savage Mode (2016). It features guest appearances by Drake, Young Thug, and Savage's cousin Young Nudy. On October 19, 2020, a chopped and screwed version of the album was released by OG Ron C and Slim K.

"TSU" is a song by Canadian rapper Drake. Released on September 3, 2021, as the eighth track from Drake's sixth studio album Certified Lover Boy. It samples OG Ron C's chopped and screwed remix to R.Kelly's Half on a Baby. The song's intro and outro has featured vocals from the late DJ Screw.

The 2021 BET Hip Hop Awards is a recognition ceremony that was held on October 5, 2021 as the 16th installment of the BET Hip Hop Awards. The nominations were announced on September 9, 2021.

<i>Heroes & Villains</i> 2022 studio album by Metro Boomin

Heroes & Villains is the second studio album by American record producer Metro Boomin. It was released through Republic Records and Boominati on December 2, 2022. The album contains guest appearances from John Legend, Future, Chris Brown, Don Toliver, Travis Scott, 21 Savage, Young Nudy, Young Thug, the Weeknd, Mustafa, ASAP Rocky, Gunna, and the late Takeoff. Production was mainly handled by Metro himself, alongside TM88, DJ Moon, Peter Lee Johnson, Johan Lenox, Allen Ritter, David x Eli, Honorable C.N.O.T.E., Scriptplugg, Prince85, Oz, Nik D, D. Rich, DaHeala, My Best Friend Jacob, Elkan, Simon on the Moon, and Xz.

References

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  2. "The Sound Of Revenge: Screwed & Chopped (Explicit) - OG Ron C Album". Music.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2012-10-25.
  3. "Drake status". Twitter. Retrieved 2013-07-08.
  4. "Kanye West's 'My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy' chopped and screwed: The full album, slowed down to a crawl - latimes.com". Latimesblogs.latimes.com. 2010-11-30. Retrieved 2012-10-25.
  5. Kuo, Andrew (2011-12-19). "Charting Drake & ChopCare". The New York Times.
  6. Kuo, Andrew (2012-09-21). "Charting OG Ron C on Frank Ocean - NYTimes.com". Artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com. Retrieved 2012-10-25.
  7. "IMDb Soundtracks:The Office".
  8. "YouTube:The Office Boys and Girls".
  9. "OG Ron C's Starter Guide to the Chopstars' Best Non-Rap Tapes".
  10. "The Rocks Off 100: OG Ron C, Chopstar King of the Purple Dome".
  11. "Crew Love:Odd Future".
  12. "Little Dragon:Nabuma Purple Rubberband". 27 Jan 2015.
  13. "Little Dragon -Nabuma Purple Rubberband ChopNotSlop Remix". 27 Jan 2015.
  14. "Adult Swim Press Release". 27 Jan 2015.
  15. 1 2 "Moonlight Directs Boost a Chopped and Screwed version Of Its Soundtrack".|accessdate=27 Feb 2017
  16. 1 2 ""Moonlight" Director Barry Jenkins Teams Up With The Chopstars For "Purple Moonlight" Mixtape".|accessdate=27 Feb 2017
  17. "ChopNotSlop for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad on the iTunes App Store". Itunes.apple.com. 2012-05-19. Retrieved 2012-10-25.
  18. """With a decade in the game, DJ Hollygrove is spinning harder than ever " Mixtape".|accessdate=10 Apr 2019
  19. "Little Dragon - Nabuma Purple Rubberband ChopNotSlop Remix". 27 Jan 2015.
  20. "Metro Boomin Shares 'Heroes & Villains' Chopped Not Slopped Edition". Complex. Retrieved 2023-02-22.