Big Moe
Photo: Priority

A rap video with midgets and people with green hair? No, it's not a "Jackass"-inspired clip, but "Purple Stuff," the first nationally-distributed video from Big Moe.

The concept for the Houston rapper/singer's clip was inspired by "Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory," the classic 1971 film that starred Gene Wilder. The wacky visuals add a distinctive look to the project and separate it from the bevy of rap videos set on beaches or featuring hosts of nearly naked women.

"We tried to put it in the chocolate factory, and that's where the idea came from," said Big Moe, whose sound is smooth, relaxed and relies on laid-back, R&B-inspired grooves. "We wanted the video to make people think of that. We definitely wanted to do something different, unusual than what you'd normally see."

"Purple Stuff" is the lead single from Big Moe's second album, Purple World, which is scheduled for release on Tuesday. The follow-up to 1999's City of Syrup, it also makes reference to the South's affinity for "syrup," the codeine-containing concoction that many Southern residents use as a recreational drug. (In 2000, Three 6 Mafia touted it on "Sippin' on Some Syrup.")

Although Moe acknowledges the potential danger in taking "syrup," he doesn't see any harm in rapping and singing about it. "It's life, my life," he said. "I'm not trying to persuade somebody to do it. It's just going on. There's songs about chronic because that's what's out there."

On the second "Purple World" single, "Confidential Playa," Big Moe takes a more traditional route. Moe sing-raps about haters, some of them spreading rumors that he'd had a heart attack in order to impede his success. Colleague Ronnie Spencer adds some dreamy crooning to the cut that would make Ronald Isley proud.

Elsewhere, UGK's Pimp C adds some edge to the horn-propelled "Cash," while on both "We Won't Stop" and "Why Why," Big Moe offers words of encouragement to fans who may be suffering through hard times.

"You've got to let the kids know to stay up and to stay focused, and they will," he said. "Everybody likes to talk down or say something about somebody else. I don't like that."

Big Moe knows about getting a helping hand. His major break came via H-Town production/mixtape legend DJ Screw. The influential rap entrepreneur, who died November 2000 (see "Codeine Overdose Killed DJ Screw, Medical Examiner Says"), showcased Big Moe on a number of his albums in the mid-to-late 1990s, setting the stage for Big Moe's ascent to regional stardom.

Moe, who sings more often than he raps, found encouragement from Screw, who also taught him about how to succeed in the music industry. "He's the reason for my success right now," Moe said of Screw. "I used to go hang out with him. I was a rapper, but I was a singing rapper. I'm rhyming like a rapper, but I was singing. He taught me a lot."

Moe's work with DJ Screw helped Moe secure appearances on albums from the Wreckshop Family, DJ Jelly and Greg Street, among others. Now, with the impending release of Purple World, Big Moe has been increasing his workload with performances and other promotional duties throughout the South, Midwest and West.

"I've been putting in a little more work," he said. "I've got to get down."

• DJ Screw
• Big Moe

Brandy
Photo: Gregg Delman / MTV.com

With the buzz surrounding her marriage and pregnancy now neatly behind her, the expectant Brandy returns her focus to her music, as this week she premieres the fruits of a different kind of labor: her Full Moon.

Also featured this week are sophomore LPs from Natalie Imbruglia (White Lilies Island) and British foursome Clinic (Walking With Thee). And finally, it looks like all of us have got another thing coming. Again. The seminal heavy metal band Judas Priest joins the fray of legendary artists looking to recycle their old gold (or, more appropriately, lead) as four reissues hit the streets.

Out Tuesday, March 5:

• Rob Andrews - Host (Griffin)
• Apex Theory - Random Bursts (DreamWorks)
• Angel Dust - Of Human Bondage (Century Media)
• Billy Bragg & the Blokes - England Half English (Elektra)
• Blasters - Testament: Complete Slash Recordings (Rhino)
• Boggs - We Are the Boggs We Are (Arena Rock)
• Brandy - Full Moon (Atlantic)
  Read about it ... Fans Will Get A New Taste Of Brandy On Full Moon
• Brandtson - Dial in Sounds (Deep Elm)
• Segun Bucknor - Revolution (Afrostrut)
• Business - Hell to Pay (TKO)
• Catheters - Static Delusions & Stone-Still Days (Sub Pop)
• Clem Snide - Moment in the Sun (Spinart)
• Clinic - Walking With Thee (Domino)
• Conviction - Kill It (Thorp/Relapse)
• Carl Cox - Global (Strictly Rhythm)
• Christopher Cross - The Very Best of Christopher Cross (Rhino)
• DJ Payback Garcia - Aztec Souls — Best in Latin Hip-Hop (Mixed Connections)
• DJ Screw - Sentimental Value (Wreckless)
• Echobrain - Echobrain (Surfdog/Hollywood)
  Read about it ... Jason Newsted's Echobrain Make Very Un-Metallica Video
• Entrain - Rise Up 1: Live (Rounder)
• Faze Action - Abstract Funk Theory (Obsessive)
• Fleetwood Mac - Show Biz Blues 1968-1970 (BMG)
• Flying Luttenbachers - Infection & Decline (Troubleman Unlimited)
• Frustrators - Achtung Jackass (Adeline)
• Grip Weeds - Summer of a Thousand Years (Rainbow Quartz)
• Iced Earth - Dark Genesis Box Set (Century Media)
• Natalie Imbruglia - White Lilies Island (RCA)
• Insision - Beneath the Folds of Flesh (Earache)
• Jersey Street - After the Rain (Glasgow Underground)
• Judas Priest - Painkiller (reissue, Columbia Legacy)
• Judas Priest - Priest…Live! (reissue, Columbia Legacy)
• Judas Priest - Ram It Down (reissue, Columbia Legacy)
• Judas Priest - Turbo (reissue, Columbia Legacy)
• Karate - Cancel/Sing EP (Southern)
• Knodel - Dawn of the Butterfly (My Pal God)
• Kosheen - Resist (Kinetic)
• Ben Kweller - Sha Sha (Ato)
• Lazy Dog - Lazy Dog 2 (Astralwerks)
• Local H - Here Comes the Zoo (Palm)
• Lo Fidelity Allstars - Don't Be Afraid of Love (Columbia)
• M2M - The Big Room (Atlantic)
• Marillion - Marillion.com (Sanctuary)
• MC Solaar - Cinquieme As (Fifth Ace) (Elektra)
• Marc Moreland Mess - Take It to the Spotlight (Kitchen Whore)
• Meta-Matics - Complete Discography (Troubleman Unlimited)
• Anika Moa - Thinking Room (Atlantic)
• Modey Lemon - Modey Lemon (A-F)
• Mokira (a.k.a. Andreas Tilliander) - Plee (EFA)
• Nerissa & Katryna Nields - Love and China (Rounder)
• NOFX/Rancid - Split Series Vol. 3 (BYO)
• Oxbow - An Evil Heat (Neurot)
• Party of Helicopters - Space ... & How Sweet It Was (Troubleman Unlimited)
• Prevent Falls - A Newer More Shattered You (Equal Vision)
• Quetzal - Sing the Real (Vanguard)
• Bonnie Raitt - Give It Up (reissue, Rhino)
• Bonnie Raitt - Glow (reissue, Rhino)
• Bonnie Raitt - Green Light (reissue, Rhino)
• Bonnie Raitt - Home Plate (reissue, Rhino)
• Bonnie Raitt - Takin' My Time (reissue, Rhino)
• Random Logic - Numrebs (EFA)
• Red Flag - Red Flag: Fear Series Collection (Plan B)
• Req - Sketchbook (Warp/Nothing)
• Rinôçérôse - Music Kills Me (V2)
• John Selway - Journeys by DJ: Lightwave (Shelter)
• Tesla - Standing Room Only (Sanctuary)
• TRS-80 - Mr. Kickass (Invisible)
• Various artists - Afrika Underground (Counterpoint)
• Various artists - "All About the Benjamins" soundtrack (New Line)
• Various artists - Disney's Superstar Hits (Disney)
• Various artists - Echoes of Pink: A Tribute to Pink Floyd (Lakeshore)
• Various artists - "King of Kings" soundtrack (Rhino)
• Various artists - "Longshot" soundtrack (Trinity)
• Various artists - "Six Feet Under" soundtrack (Universal)
• Various artists - "Taina" soundtrack (Nick/Jive)
• Various artists - "Y Tu Mamá También" soundtrack (Volcano)
• Virus Nine - What Are You Afraid Of (Af Recordings)
• Vnv Nation - Futureperfect (Metropolis)
• Wishbone Ash - Argus (expanded reissue, MCA)
• Zakk Wylde's Black Label Society - 1919 * Eternal (Spitfire)

Coming Soon (Dates Subject To Change)

March 12:

• B2K - B2K (Epic/Sony)
  Read about it ... 'Uh Huh,' Ladies — B2K Are Single
• The Corrs - VH1 Presents the Corrs Live in Dublin (Atlantic)
• Destiny's Child - This Is the Remix (Columbia)
  Read about it ... Destiny's Child Mix It Up With Remix Album
• Eels - Souljacker (DreamWorks)
• Hot Rod Circuit - Sorry About Tomorrow (TVT)
• Indigo Girls - Become You (Epic/Sony)
• Wu-Tang Killa Beez - The Sting (Koch)
  Read about it ... Wu-Tang's Killa Beez Sting To Thrill With ODB

March 19:

• Alice Cooper - Welcome to My Nightmare (expanded reissue, Atlantic)
• Antibalas - Talkatif (Ninja Tune)
• Grateful Dead - Postcards of the Hanging (Arista)
• Jay-Z and R. Kelly - The Best of Both Worlds (Island/Def Jam)
  Read about it ... Bootleggers Get The Best Of Jay-Z, R. Kelly
• PPK - Resurrection (Tommy Boy)
• Simple Plan - No Pads, No Helmets... Just Balls (Atlantic)
  Read about it ... Alienation Lands Simple Plan On Movie Soundtrack, Warped Tour
• Patti Smith - Land (1975-2002) (Arista)

March 26:

• Celine Dion - A New Day Has Come (Epic/Sony)
  Read about it ... Celine Dion Covers Old Tunes On New Day
• Funky Green Dogs - Super California (MCA)
• Rubyblue - Beyond Pink (BAB)

April 2:

• Apex Theory - Topsy-Turvy (DreamWorks)
  Read about it ... Apex Theory Offer 'Hope' To Metal — Diggy-Da
• Tweet - Southern Hummingbird (Elektra)
• Various artists - Loud Records 10th Anniversary (Loud)

April 9:

• Baldwin Brothers - Cooking With Lasers (TVT)
• Bonnie Raitt - Silver Lining (Capitol)
• Quarashi - Jinx (Columbia)

April 16:

• Ashanti - Ashanti (Island/Def Jam)
• Jimmy Fallon - The Bathroom Wall (DreamWorks)
• Lil' Romeo - Game Time (Universal/No Limit)
• Various artists - "Spider-Man" soundtrack (Columbia)

April 23:

• Naughty by Nature - Iicons (TVT)
• Tina Novak - Been Around the World (Arista)
• Q-Tip - Kamaal the Abstract (Arista)
• Sloan - Pretty Together (RCA)
• Sneaker Pimps - Bloodsport (Tommy Boy)

April 30:

• Blackalicious - Blazing Arrow (MCA)
• Donell Jones - Life Goes On (Arista)

• Brandy
• EchoBrain
• Natalie Imbruglia
• The Apex Theory
• DJ Screw

DJ Screw
Photo: Screwed Up Records

Notorious B.I.G. may have been mourned with P. Diddy's multiplatinum "I'll Be Missing You" single, but the late DJ Screw is being remembered with an entire album that hit stores Tuesday.

The Screw Heads' Forever & a Day is a 16-cut collection that pays homage to Screw, the influential Houston producer and remixer who died in November after overdosing on a mixture of codeine and drugs.

Lil' Flip's "Still Bangin' Screw" and Lil' Keke's "Nothing But Love" will be the lead singles from the album, which also features appearances from such Screw collaborators as Yungstar, Big Pokey, the Botany Boys and ESG.

"Everyone featured on that record, I think, agrees that they either owe their careers, or a good part of them, to DJ Screw putting them on," said Dave Weiner, senior vice president of urban music and distributed labels for JCOR Entertainment, which released the Screw Heads album. "It was important to all of them to express what Screw meant to them. We hoped to get the true love out of the artists on the record, which to me is a rare thing in hip-hop for people to really pour out their feelings and emotions on such a sensitive subject."

DJ Screw was known for his "screwed" versions of popular songs, which would be slowed down using the pitch control feature of a turntable. He released hundreds of mixtapes regionally and showcased many of the artists featured on Forever & a Day on his tapes, which were hot commodities throughout the South.

Weiner, who in the 1990s worked at Priority Records — which signed distribution deals for Master P's No Limit Records and others — offered DJ Screw a record deal in the mid-1990s. Screw, already an established and powerful member of Houston's hip-hop scene, turned down the offer.

"It wasn't about the money for him," Weiner said. "It was about doing what he wanted to do with his homeboys. A lot of that meant other people's music, and he knew that he couldn't put out the tapes that he was 'screwing' on a national level through a major and do what his fans wanted him to do."

Even though he never released material on a major label, Screw's influence is evident throughout hip-hop. Last year, platinum act Three 6 Mafia released "Sippin' on Some Syrup," a slowed-down track that gave a sonic nod to Screw's relaxed sound and offered an insight to the "syrup" (the prescription-only codeine cough medicine Promethazine) many in the South use as a recreational drug.

"Screw sat on the throne, and he owned that market," Weiner said. "His death was detrimental to the Southern market. At the same time, it's giving a lot of other people the opportunity to shine based on the success that Screw gave them by opening the doors."

• DJ Screw

DJ Screw
Photo: thescrewshop.com

An overdose of codeine, mixed with drugs, caused the November death of DJ Screw, according to a spokesperson for the Harris County Medical Examiner's office in Houston, the hip-hop producer's hometown. DJ Screw (born Robert Earl Davis Jr.), 30, was found dead in the bathroom of his studio, according to the New York Times, with the cause of death presumed to be a lethal combination of "syrup" — the prescription-only, codeine-containing cough medicine Promethazine, popular in the South as a recreational intoxicant — marijuana and alcohol, of which Screw was a known user.

The producer became renowned on the Southern hip-hop scene — and eventually around the United States — for his "screwed down and chopped" or "screwed up" versions of hit tracks, which the producer would manually slow down using the pitch control on a turntable. Mixtapes full of screwed versions were his specialty, with an output rumored at close to 1,000 tapes. Among his best-selling mixes were June 27th and The Final Chapter, as well as the All Screwed Up! and 3 'N the Mornin' series.

Screw also owned the Screwed Up record store and record label in Houston. The Screwed Up Click, a crew of local rappers including Lil' Keke and Big Pokey that formed around him, were among many to provide freestyle rhymes over his slowed-down beats.

• DJ Screw