never-before-seen artifacts

New Houston library exhibit keeps it trill with items from Pimp C and other stars

The exhibit will celebrate Houston hip hop just like Bun B did at the Rodeo in 2022.

Photo courtesy of Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo

For Black Music Month, a local library will taking visitors back to the old school.

CCM Foundation, in collaboration with Houston Public Library, Rice University’s Center for Engaged Research & Collaboration Learning (CERCL), and Fondren Library, proudly presents the “‘Straight Flexin’, No Plexin’” hip-hop exhibit.

This immersive exhibit, to be held in the Vinson Branch Library at Hiram Clarke Multi-Service Center, will showcase an unparalleled collection of artifacts and memorabilia from such hip-hop icons as Swishahouse, E-40, and Scotty ATL. It will also include exclusive, never-before-seen items from Pimp C, the late, legendary MC/producer who, along with local rap great/smash burger tycoon Bun B, formed the Texas hip-hop duo UGK.

"We are delighted to facilitate this important cultural celebration and to share such pivotal elements of hip-hop history with our community," said Co Garrett, CERCL Archive Community Affiliate. "The exhibit is designed to be an enlightening journey through the legacy of hip hop, offering a tribute to the artists and movements that have impacted our musical landscape."

The exhibit, which will be free and open to the public from Saturday, June 1, to Sunday, June 30, will also have several special events planned throughout the month. It will culminate in a panel discussion on Tuesday, June 25, exploring the profound influence and evolution of hip hop culture. Confirmed panelists include Swishahouse CEO G-Dash, graphic designer/photographer Mike Frost, and Chinara Butler, Pimp C's widow. Dr. Anthony B. Pinn from Rice University will serve as the facilitator. Additional panelists will be announced as the event date approaches.

The Changing Communities Movement (CCM) Foundation was formed in 2006 to address teen sex and sexual disease awareness. With an approach of “educate through entertainment,” the foundation uses music and artists to reach the urban youth population. Over the years, the foundation has expanded its mission to include cancer and women’s health issues.

For more information, visit the event webpage.

super duper

Quirky Houston DJ drops genre-blending mix CD inspired by video games

Photo by Dustee Torres

DJ Squincy Jones

If you’re the type of person who has dubstep, Southern hip-hop, and Koji Kondo’s iconic “Ground Theme” from Super Mario Bros. in your streaming-music library, then Squincy Jones has created the perfect playlist for you..

Photo by Dustee Torres

DJ Squincy Jones

Super Nintendub is the name of the mix where the Houston-born-and-bred DJ mashes up all those aforementioned music genres. A capella bars from Houston heavyweights (Megan Thee Stallion, Paul Wall) and other Dirty South MCs (Three 6 Mafia, 8Ball & MJG) gets laid over grooves from underground dubstep artists (Numa Crew, Blay Vision, Hamdi). But we also get music from various Nintendo (Castlevania III, Ninja Gaiden) and Super Nintendo (Super Mario World, Final Fantasy VI) games. Jones also throws in audio samples from commercials and gaming-heavy movies like WarGames, The Wizard, and the Adam Sandler-produced Grandma’s Boy.

Needless to say, Jones has always been a gamer. He’s had his run of game systems: NES, SNES, Sega Genesis, even the old-school Atari 2600. He recalls his days blowing the dust out of such cartridges as Contra, Double Dragon, and Duck Hunt. In the past, Jones has released a series of mashup mixes – titled Blend Pack – with cover art that resembles/salutes classic video games.

“I'm a huge fan of all the eight-bit and 16-bit stuff,” says Jones (government name: Shane Rector), 41. “I play a lot of the new games, or I have played a lot of the new games, but not as much anymore. You know, being a parent and having a full-time job – you don't really have time for video games anymore.”

Super Nintendub is a sequel to Nintendub, a dubstep mix he played during a party way back in 2008. “I added some a capellas, [like] a Bun B a capella,” he recalls. “I had some other Dirty South tunes from the time. I layered them because they're at the same tempo as dubstep. Another friend that does music gave me a folder of Nintendo songs. So, I just randomly layered it on top and kinda slowed down the Nintendo music, and it sounded cool as hell to me.”

The mix picked up fans overseas when he dropped it online. “I've always wanted to make a follow-up to it because I got so much good feedback,” he remembers. “People from all over were writing about it."

Jones decided to release Super on compact disc, sold in rectangular keep cases – packaging that’s very familiar to gamers – with double-sided artwork also by Jones. (A digital link is available upon request to those who buy the CD.) While the limited-edition disc is available for purchase on Jones’s Bandcamp page, the CD mix shouldn’t be confused with the Super mix that’s currently playing on the page.

“I wanted to have them in the mix as well,” he says. “But I'm not entirely, you know, confident with my production skills. So, I just kinda had it on the side to go along with the release of this mix.”

Since releasing Super in September, Jones says he’s gotten good feedback from those who’ve bought a copy. “Because it looks like a video game,” he says, “a lot of people are like, ‘Oh, cool! Is it an actual game or an actual DVD or whatnot?’ But it's always hit or miss because some people are like, ‘Oh, man, I don't have a CD player’ or "Wow, you actually printed a CD,’ because everything's, you know, digital.”

He’s looking into playing a big-screen version of Super, where videos of the rap songs are spliced in with video-game footage and other retro clips, somewhere around here. “I was thinking like either a movie theater or somebody mentioned Aurora Picture Show, or maybe Wonky Power, to do like a viewing or showing or whatever – kind of have a party for it.”

Even though Jones enjoys merging gaming and music – his dual obsessions – he still prefers to be known as more than a video-game DJ. A veteran of the Houston DJ scene for a quarter of a century, he continues to do gigs like his upcoming monthly residency at Eight Row Flint.

“I do open-format DJing,” he says. “I've done raves and dubstep parties. I've played on the radio. I've played at Mid Main, where it’s a mainstream crowd. In this day and age, everybody has their branding or whatnot. I just love video games, so I just kind of take that as my branding, I guess.”

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