R.I.P. Screw
{{Short description|2018 song by Travis Scott featuring Swae Lee}}
{{Infobox song
| name = R.I.P. Screw
| type = song
| artist = Travis Scott featuring Swae Lee
| album = Astroworld
| released = August 3, 2018
| recorded = 2018
| genre = Alternative hip hop
| length = 3:05
| label = {{hlist|Cactus Jack|Grand Hustle|Epic}}
| writer = {{hlist|Jacques Webster II|Khalif Brown|Trocon Roberts, Jr.|Michael Dean|Blair Lavigne}}
| producer = {{hlist|Travis Scott|FKi 1st}}
}}
"R.I.P. Screw" is a song by American rapper and singer Travis Scott featuring fellow American rapper and singer Swae Lee. It was released through Cactus Jack, Grand Hustle, and Epic Records on August 3, 2018 as the fourth track from the former's third studio album Astroworld. The song was written by the artists alongside Blair Lavigne, FKi 1st, and Mike Dean, the latter two producing it with Scott. The song serves as a tribute to American disc jockey DJ Screw, who was from Scott's hometown of Houston, Texas and died from a codeine overdose in 2000.
Composition
"R.I.P. Screw" serves as an honor to the late DJ Screw that also sees Scott pay tribute to the city of Houston, where he was born and raised, and talk about drug usage. He name-drops DJ Screw, as well as fellow Houston rapper Pimp C and the Houston-based Screwed Up Click collective that DJ Screw was a part of.{{cite web|url=https://www.billboard.com/music/rb-hip-hop/travis-scott-astroworld-southern-rap-roots-8469081/|title=Travis Scott's 'Astroworld' Embraces His Southern Rap Roots Like Never Before|last=Lyons|first=Patrick|website=Billboard|date=August 7, 2018|access-date=February 26, 2024}} The song includes "an aggressively angelic mix of Swae Lee's coos and candy-sweet keys".{{cite magazine|last=Josephs|first=Brian|url=http://ew.com/music/2018/08/06/travis-scott-astroworld-ew-review/|title=Travis Scott 'Astroworld': EW Review|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|date=August 6, 2018|access-date=August 6, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180807002104/http://ew.com/music/2018/08/06/travis-scott-astroworld-ew-review/|archive-date=August 7, 2018|url-status=live}} It contains a "dreamlike, codeine-paced beat" and Scott also references pouring four ounces of promethazine, a drug that DJ Screw was known for using.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.xxlmag.com/travis-scott-tribute-dj-screw/|title=Here Are the Many Times Travis Scott Has Paid Tribute to DJ Screw Over the Years|last=High|first=Kemet|magazine=XXL|date=November 12, 2020|access-date=February 26, 2024}}
Critical reception
The song received generally positive reviews from music critics. Larry Fitzmaurice of Pitchfork simply described it as "lovely".{{cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/travis-scott-astroworld/|title=Travis Scott: Astroworld Album Review|last=Fitzmaurice|first=Larry|date=August 7, 2018|website=Pitchfork|access-date=August 7, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180807155838/https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/travis-scott-astroworld/|archive-date=August 7, 2018|url-status=live}} Writing for XXL, Scott Glaysher felt that "Swae Lee provides soothing vocals on the somber homage cut".{{cite web|url=http://www.xxlmag.com/rap-music/reviews/2018/08/travis-scott-astroworld-album-review/|title=Travis Scott's 'Astroworld' Is the Best Version of Travis Scott|last=Glaysher|first=Scott|date=August 7, 2018|website=XXL|access-date=August 8, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180808012142/http://www.xxlmag.com/rap-music/reviews/2018/08/travis-scott-astroworld-album-review/|archive-date=August 8, 2018|url-status=live}} Andrew Barker of Variety described the song as "meditative" and felt that it "is an appropriately molasses-paced tribute to Houston's chopped-and-screwed innovator DJ Screw".{{cite web|last=Barker|first=Andrew|url=https://variety.com/2018/music/reviews/travis-scott-astroworld-review-1202897426/|title=Album Review: Travis Scott's 'Astroworld'|work=Variety|date=August 6, 2018|access-date=August 20, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180821062643/https://variety.com/2018/music/reviews/travis-scott-astroworld-review-1202897426/|archive-date=August 21, 2018|url-status=live}} Aaron Williams of Uproxx summarized: "Equal parts haunting and body-rocking, 'R.I.P. Screw' redeems some of the complaints about Swae Lee's Swaecation while establishing that Travis' chemistry with the Rae Sremmurd crooner is perhaps the best of any of his repeat collaborators".{{cite web|url=https://uproxx.com/music/travis-scotts-best-songs-ranked/|title=All Of Travis Scott's Songs, Ranked|last=Williams|first=Aaron|publisher=Uproxx|date=August 9, 2018|access-date=February 26, 2024}}
Charts
| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center" |
| scope="col"| Chart (2018)
! scope="col"| Peak |
|---|
| {{single chart|Canada|28|artist=Travis Scott|rowheader=true|date=August 18, 2018}} |
| scope="row"| France (SNEP){{cite web|url=http://www.snepmusique.com/tops-semaine/top-singles-telecharges/?ye=2018&we=32|title=SNEP Top Singles: Week 32 (2018)|publisher=Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique|date=August 10, 2018|language=French}}{{Dead link|date=July 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
| 87 |
| scope="row"| Sweden Heatseeker (Sverigetopplistan){{cite web|url=http://www.sverigetopplistan.se/netdata/ghl002.mbr/lista?liid=215&dfom=20180803|title=Swedish Heatseekers Chart - 3 August 2018}}
| 3 |
| {{single chart|Billboardhot100|26|artist=Travis Scott|rowheader=true|date=August 18, 2018}} |
| {{single chart|Billboardrandbhiphop|17|artist=Travis Scott|rowheader=true|date=August 18, 2018}} |
Certifications
{{Certification Table Top}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Australia|artist=Travis Scott|title=R.I.P. Screw|award=Gold|type=single|relyear=2018|certyear=2021|accessdate=February 3, 2021}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Canada|artist=Travis Scott|title=R.I.P. Screw|award=Platinum|type=single|relyear=2018|certyear=2020|access-date=November 2, 2020}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=United States|artist=Travis Scott|title=R.I.P. Screw|award=Platinum|type=single|relyear=2018|certyear=2024|access-date=September 7, 2024}}
{{Certification Table Bottom|noshipments=true|nosales=true|streaming=true}}