Carl Terrell Mitchell (born November 27, 1973), better known by his stage name Twista (formerly Tung Twista), is an American rapper and record producer. He is best known for his chopper style of rapping and for once holding the title of fastest English-speaking rapper in the world according to

Guinness World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...

in 1992, being able to pronounce 598 syllables in 55 seconds. In 1997, after appearing on Do or Die's hit single "

Po Pimp "Po Pimp" is the debut single by Do or Die, it served as the lead single from their debut album, '' Picture This''. The song was produced by The Legendary Traxster and featured a guest verse from fellow Chicago rapper Twista and vocals from R&B s ...

", produced by the Legendary Traxster, Twista signed with Big Beat and Atlantic Records, where he released his third album '' Adrenaline Rush'' and formed the group

Speedknot Mobstaz Speedknot Mobstaz are a hip hop group affiliated with Twista. They have released albums '' Mobstability'', and '' Mobstability II: Nation Business''. In 1994, they made their debut appearance on Twista's 2nd album, ''Resurrection''. Discography ...

, in 1998. His 2004 album ''

Kamikaze , officially , were a part of the Japanese Special Attack Units of military aviators who flew suicide attacks for the Empire of Japan against Allied naval vessels in the closing stages of the Pacific campaign of World War II, intending t ...

'' topped the U.S. ''Billboard'' 200, after the success of the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 number-one single "

Slow Jamz "Slow Jamz" is a song by American rapper Twista featuring fellow American musicians Jamie Foxx and Kanye West. Produced by the latter, it was released in 2003, through Atlantic and Roc-A-Fella Records, as the lead single from Twista's fourth ...

" (with

Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer. Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...

and

Jamie Foxx Eric Marlon Bishop (born December 13, 1967), known professionally as Jamie Foxx, is an American actor, comedian, and singer. He became widely known for his portrayal of Ray Charles in the 2004 biographical film ''Ray'', for which he won the A ...

Early life

Carl Terrell Mitchell was born on November 27, 1973, and grew up in the K-Town area of the

West Garfield Park West Garfield Park on the West Side of Chicago, Illinois, is one of 77 officially designated Chicago community areas. It is directly west of Garfield Park. Neighborhood boundaries The boundaries of West Garfield Park are NORTH: W. Kinzie St. ...

neighborhood on the West Side of

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockf ...

and began rapping at the age of 12.

Career

In 1992, Mitchell released his first album called '' Runnin' Off at da Mouth'' under the name Tung Twista. His second album, titled ''

Resurrection Resurrection or anastasis is the concept of coming back to life after death. In a number of religions, a dying-and-rising god is a deity which dies and is resurrected. Reincarnation is a similar process hypothesized by other religions, whic ...

'', was set to be released in 1994, but due to problems with his record label at the time Atlantic Records and marketing issues involving fellow Chicago rapper Common's album of the same name, the album was only released in the city of

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

and thus got little national attention. In 1996, he teamed with Chicago producer The Legendary Traxster and Cwal's Do or Die on the track "

" produced by the Legendary Traxster, which became a hit single. This led to a Cwal's label deal with Atlantic Records, which released '' Adrenaline Rush'' in 1997. Twista had by then dropped the "Tung" from his stage name. ''Adrenaline Rush'' became Twista's first charting album, as it peaked at #77 on the

Billboard Hot 200 The ''Billboard'' 200 is a record chart ranking the 200 most popular music albums and EPs in the United States. It is published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine and is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artist ...

. The album also spawned a ''Billboard'' Hot 100 hit in "Get It Wet" produced by the Legendary Traxster, which peaked at #96. In 1998, Twista teamed with other Chicago area rappers to form the

. They released their first album, ''Mobstability'' produced entirely by the Legendary Traxster, in 1998. Twista then formed his own Legit Ballin' label, which released two compilation albums: ''Legit Ballin'' in 1999 and ''Legit Ballin' Vol. 2: Street Scriptures'' in 2001. The label later released ''Respect The Game, Vol. 3'' in 2002 and ''Volume 4: Tha Truth'' in 2006. In 2000, Twista collaborated with

Ruff Ryders Ruff Ryders Entertainment is an American hip hop record label and management company founded by siblings and record executives Joaquin "Waah", Darin "Dee" and Chivon Dean. It operated as a subsidiary of Universal, and distributed by Fontana Dist ...

and

Drag-On Melvin Smalls, known professionally as Drag-On, is an American rapper. He is best known for his time on Ruff Ryders, through whom he released his debut album, '' Opposite of H2O'' (2000). The album was successful, debuting at number five on th ...

on the ''Ruff Ryders: Ryde or Die Vol. 2'' album, on the track "Twisted Heat." He also collaborated with Memphis Bleek on "Is That Your Chick" on "The Understanding" album. Beginning in 2002, Twista began recording his album ''

'' with rappers like

and

Ludacris Christopher Brian Bridges (born September 11, 1977), known professionally as Ludacris (, homophonous with 'ludicrous' in American English), is an American rapper, actor, record producer and record executive. Born in Champaign, Illinois, Ludac ...

. ''Kamikaze'' came out in 2004 and debuted at the top spot of the American ''Billboard'' 200 album chart. Its first single "

" (also featured on

's debut album ''

The College Dropout ''The College Dropout'' is the debut studio album by American rapper and producer Kanye West. It was released on February 10, 2004, by Def Jam Recordings and Jay-Z's Roc-A-Fella Records. In the years leading up to release, West had received pr ...

''), featured West and

and became a number-one hit in the US. Other singles included "Overnight Celebrity" and "So Sexy" (featuring

R. Kelly Robert Sylvester Kelly (born January 8, 1967) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and sex offender convicted of racketeering and multiple sex offenses. During his recording career, Kelly sold over 75 million records worldwi ...

); the album sold around two million copies. The remix of the song "Jook Gal" by

Elephant Man Joseph Carey Merrick (5 August 1862 – 11 April 1890), often erroneously called John Merrick, was an English man known for having severe deformities. He was first exhibited at a freak show under the stage name "the Elephant Man" and then wen ...

featured Twista and the

YoungBloodZ YoungBloodZ is an American Southern hip hop duo from Atlanta, Georgia composed of J-Bo (born Jeffrey Raymond Grigsby on October 4, 1977) and Sean P (born Sean Paul Ryan Joseph on March 7, 1978). The duo was signed to LaFace Records. They are o ...

. The ''Kamikaze'' album and its singles gave Twista a new level of success and rose his profile significantly within the rap community. Twista College of Charleston 2008

Twista's album ''

The Day After ''The Day After'' is an American television film that first aired on November 20, 1983 on the ABC television network. More than 100 million people, in nearly 39 million households, watched the film during its initial broadcast. With ...

'' was released in 2005. It featured the hit singles "Girl Tonite" featuring

Trey Songz Tremaine Aldon Neverson (born November 28, 1984), known professionally as Trey Songz, is an American R&B singer and rapper. His debut album, '' I Gotta Make It'', was released in 2005 through Atlantic Records. His follow-up album, '' Trey Day' ...

, "Hit the Floor" featuring

Pitbull Pit bull is a term used in the United States for a type of dog descended from bulldogs and terriers, while in other countries such as the United Kingdom the term is used as an abbreviation of the American Pit Bull Terrier breed. The term was f ...

, and "

So Lonely "So Lonely" is a song by English rock band The Police, released as the third and final single in November 1978 from their debut studio album '' Outlandos d'Amour'' (1978), and again in February 1980 as a re-release. The song uses a reggae styl ...

" featuring Mariah Carey. His next album, ''

Adrenaline Rush 2007 ''Adrenaline Rush 2007'' is the sixth studio album by rapper Twista. It was released on September 18, 2007. The "2007" in the title references the ten years passed since his third studio album ''Adrenaline Rush (album), Adrenaline Rush''. The fi ...

'' came out in 2007. Its singles were "Give it Up" featuring

Pharrell Pharrell Lanscilo Williams (; born April 5, 1973) is an American record producer, rapper, singer, and songwriter. Alongside close colleague Chad Hugo, he formed the hip hop and R&B production duo the Neptunes in the early 1990s, with whom h ...

and "Creep Fast" featuring T-Pain. This album sold poorly compared to Twista's earlier albums. Twista appeared on the single " Hell No (Leave Home)" from Monica's album fall 2006 ''

The Makings of Me ''The Makings of Me'' is the fifth studio album by American singer Monica. It was released by J Records on October 3, 2006 in the United States. Built upon the hip hop, gospel and modern quiet storm styles of its predecessor, '' After the Storm ...

''. In 2008, Twista launched a new record label called "Get Money Gang Entertainment" and the album ''

Category F5 ''Category F5'' is the seventh studio album by American rapper Twista. The album marks the first collaboration with Chicago producer the Legendary Traxster since 2004's ''Kamikaze''. The album was released on July 14, 2009. Originally scheduled t ...

'' with the hit, "Wetter". In 2009, Twista appeared on the single "Legendary" with fellow Chicago rappers AK47 of Do or Die and Saurus and Bones. Twista released his eighth solo album entitled, ''The Perfect Storm'' on November 9, 2010. The first single from the album, " Make a Movie" produced by the Legendary Traxster, featuring Chris Brown, was released on August 24, 2010. Two buzz singles were released, "I Do" produced by Traxster and "Heat" produced by fellow Chicago producers

NO I.D. Ernest Dion Wilson (born June 23, 1971), professionally known as No I.D. (formerly Immenslope), is an American hip hop and R&B producer from Chicago, Illinois. Wilson is also a disc jockey (DJ), music arranger and former rapper, having relea ...

and the Legendary Traxster. The album features artists such as

Waka Flocka Flame Juaquin James Malphurs (born May 31, 1986), known professionally as Waka Flocka Flame, is an American rapper. Signing to 1017 Brick Squad and Warner Bros. Records in 2009, he became a mainstream artist with the release of his singles "O Let's ...

Raekwon Corey Woods (born January 12, 1970), better known by his stage name Raekwon The Chef, or simply Raekwon (), is an American rapper. He rose to prominence as a founding member of the hip-hop group Wu-Tang Clan, which achieved mainstream success ...

, Tia London, Diddy,

Ray J William Ray Norwood Jr. (born January 17, 1981), known professionally as Ray J, is an American singer, actor, and television personality. Born in McComb, Mississippi, and raised in Carson, California, he is the younger brother of recording a ...

, and others. Production on the album is mainly by the Legendary Traxster along with Streetrunner, Twinz, Tight Mike and

No I.D. Ernest Dion Wilson (born June 23, 1971), professionally known as No I.D. (formerly Immenslope), is an American hip hop and R&B producer from Chicago, Illinois. Wilson is also a disc jockey (DJ), music arranger and former rapper, having relea ...

, Twista discussed his new documentary, directed by Vlad Yudin and the making of The Perfect Storm, including his belief that artists need to do more than just record songs and that they need to become more involved with the community around them. A documentary film, ''Mr. Immortality: The Life and Times of Twista'', was released in November 2010. In January 2013, Twista was featured in a remix of

Lil Reese Tavares Lamont Taylor (born January 6, 1993), known professionally as Lil Reese, is an American rapper from Chicago, Illinois. Hailing from Chicago's drill scene in the early 2010s, he is known for his collaborations with fellow rappers Chie ...

's song "Traffic". As of 2013, Twista was working on his ninth studio album entitled Dark Horse. He also was rumored to be in the works of signing a record deal with

's music label

GOOD Music GOOD Music (also known simply as GOOD, stylized as G.O.O.D. Music; a backronym for Getting Out Our Dreams) is an American record label founded by rapper Kanye West in 2004. The label signed an exclusive long-term worldwide label agreement with t ...

, although in an interview with

HipHopDX ''HipHopDX'' is an online magazine of hip hop music criticism and news. The website's current president and publisher is Sharath Cherian and the Head Of Content is Jerry L. Barrow. ''HipHopDX'' is the flagship publication of Cheri Media Group. ...

Twista denied the rumor. The first single was "Throwin My Money", featuring

and produced by Chris Millionaire. Twista appeared on the song "Jewels N Drugs" by

Lady Gaga Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta ( ; born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She is known for her image reinventions and musical versatility. Gaga began performing as a teenag ...

on the album ''

ARTPOP ''Artpop'' (stylized in all caps) is the third studio album by American singer Lady Gaga. It was released on November 6, 2013, by Streamline and Interscope Records. Gaga began planning the project in 2011, shortly after the launch of her second ...

''. "It's Yours" featuring Tia London was released on May 6, 2014, as the second single of the aforementioned album. It was serviced to

urban contemporary Urban contemporary music, also known as urban music, hip hop, urban pop, or just simply urban, is a music radio format. The term was coined by New York radio DJ Frankie Crocker in the early to mid-1970s as a synonym for Black music. Urban conte ...

radio in the United States on May 27, 2014, by Capitol Records. Dark Horse released on August 12, 2014. Twista is featured on the song "Gossip" from When Music Worlds Collide released in May 2015. Twista appeared on ABC's '' To Tell the Truth'' in 2017. Twista Released Twista Summer 96 mixtape in 2019, this includes the song Home invasion which features Do or Die Produced by HearonTrackz El aka HearonTrackz. In 2019 Twista appeared on rap competition as a judge to the show "Rhythm and Flow" on Netflix

Personal life

Twista was married from 1991 to 1999 and had a daughter with his ex-wife. During the holiday season in 2010, Twista and his GMG team worked together with Chicago Food Bank's Produce mobile program to feed hungry people in the community.

Discography

Studio albums

* '' Runnin' Off at da Mouth'' (1992) * ''

'' (1994) * '' Adrenaline Rush'' (1997) * ''

'' (2004) * ''

'' (2005) * ''

'' (2007) * ''

'' (2009) * '' The Perfect Storm'' (2010) * '' Dark Horse'' (2014) * ''Crook County'' (2017) * ''Summer 96'' (2019)

Collaboration albums

* '' Mobstability'' (with

) (1998) * '' Mobstability II: Nation Business'' (with Speedknot Mobstaz) (2008) * ''Withdrawal EP'' (with Do or Die) (2015)

References

External links

Official website
* {{Authority control 1973 births Living people African-American male rappers African-American record producers American hip hop record producers Atlantic Records artists Big Beat Records (American record label) artists Five percenters Gangsta rappers Midwest hip hop musicians Rappers from Chicago Zoo Entertainment (record label) artists 21st-century American rappers Record producers from Illinois 21st-century American male musicians 21st-century African-American musicians 20th-century African-American people