Twista Biography

news-detailsTwista, born on November 17, 1973, got his meteoric rise to fame in 1991 when a local radio DJ, with a reputation for discovering Chicago artists, saw him performing at a talent show held at the Gold Dome on Chicago's West Side. Amazed, the DJ jumped at the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to become Twista's manager. He, at that time, did the performance under the name Tung Twista.

After going from one stage to another, Twista finally caught the attention of a Chicago promoter from Loud Records. He was invited to fly to L.A to demonstrate his unique lyrical prowess, and instantly won over the label bosses with his distinctive and undeniable talent. He subsequently made his mark on the signed to Loud Records, but also the first rapper out of the Windy City to ink a major record deal.

His debut album "aRunning Off da Mouth%" was released in 1992. In the same year, he was dubbed the world's fastest rapper in the Guinness Book of World Records, unrivaled in his inherent ability to pronounce 11.2 syllables per second. Unfortunately, his album did not sell well. He was dropped by the recording company after that.

Two years later, Twista released an indie album "Resurrection". Due to problems with record labels and marketing issues involving fellow Chicago rapper Common's album of the same name, the album was only released in the city of Chicago and thus got very little national attention despite its prospect to become a hit.

In 1996, he teamed up with fellow Chicago act Do or Die on the track "Po Pimp", which became a hit single. This led to a contract with Atlantic Records, which released "Adrenaline Rush" in 1997. He then dropped the word "Tung" from his stage name. The album became his first charting effort, peaking at No. 77 on Billboard Hot 200, and its single "Get It Wet" reached at No. 96 on Hot 100.

Twista's next studio album "Mobstability" (1998) was followed with incredible vigor on 2004's "Kamikaze". Its paramount success landed Twista nominations for Best Hip Hop Act at the MOBO Awards, Rap Artist of the Year and Male New Artist of the Year at the Billboard Music Awards. The album raked in milestones, soaring to double-platinum status upon its release, with the album's two hottest tracks, "Overnight Celebrity" and "Slow Jamz" skyrocketing to #1 on Billboard Rap Songs Chart.

"Kamikaze" featured rappers like Kanye West and Ludacris. The album came out in 2004 and debuted at the top spot on the U.S. albums chart. Its first single "Slow Jamz" (also featured on Kanye's debut album "aThe College Dropout%") became a number-one hit in the U.S. Overall, the "Kamikaze" album and its singles gave Twista a new level of success and rose his profile significantly within the rap community.

A year after, Twista came out with another studio project called "The Day After". With the help from Pharrell Williams, Darkchild, Scott Storch and Mr. Collipark on the production team, he cooked up materials with Mariah Carey, Lil Kim, Trey Songz and Pittbull among others as featured guests. The star-studded effort sold much lower than its predecessor though, but managed to be certified gold.

After dropping one more album "Adrenalin Rush", Twista formed his own record company, Get Money Gang Entertainment. His debut album under this label was called "Category F5" which arrived in 2009. It was certified gold in digital sales, in addition to gold ringtone sales, with one of his latest singles "Wetter". Also, the song soared to the #1 rap song on Billboard charts, and was further recognized by ASCAP as "The Most Played Single on Radio".

In 2010, Twista came back with "The Perfect Storm". It gave the world a glimpse of Chicago's West Side through infectious beats and sexy slow jams. The album's first single, "Make a Movie", produced by The Legendary Traxster and featuring Chris Brown, was raw and seductive preview of the celebrated rapper's newest groundbreaking album. R&B crooner, Lloyd, added sultry vocals to "Bad Girl", a shout-out to the type of girl you don't want to bring home to momma. From the street vibe and pulsating beats of "Cocaine," produced by Street Runners with a feature from Yo Gotti, to "The Heat," produced by The Legendary Traxster and No ID, "The Perfect Storm" speaks to Twista's unrivaled melodic syncopations which add depth and complexity to his already unique style.