Twista

Chicago native Carl Terrell Mitchell, better known as Twista, first gained attention for his rapid-fire chopper delivery and briefly held the Guinness World Record for fastest rapper after a 1992 demonstration. Emerging gradually from the city’s underground scene during the final years of the 1990s, he reached mainstream prominence in the early 2000s when the single “Slow Jamz” climbed to the top of the charts. That track anchored his fourth studio album, Kamikaze, which itself debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 in 2004. Twista continued to place singles inside the Top 40 well into the following decade while working alongside an array of artists that included Lil Jon, DJ Khaled, Tech N9ne, Mariah Carey, the Prodigy, Travis Barker, and Lady Gaga.

His first major appearance came on “Po Pimp,” the platinum-certified hit by fellow Chicago group Do or Die. Shortly afterward he secured a deal with Big Beat/Atlantic and issued his proper debut, Adrenaline Rush, in summer 1997. A year later came Mobstability, followed in 1999 by Legit Ballin’. Recording for a third full-length began in fall 2002 and featured contributions from Ludacris, Jay-Z, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, and additional guests; the resulting project, Kamikaze, arrived in early 2004 and was propelled by the chart-topping “Slow Jamz.” In 2005 Twista released The Day After, which spawned the hit “Girl Tonite” featuring Trey Songz. Adrenaline Rush 2007 appeared two years later.

After launching his own imprint, Get Money Gang, in 2008, he delivered Category F5 the next year. The Perfect Storm followed in 2010 and included guest spots from Chris Brown and Tia London. Work on a ninth studio album reportedly began in 2013; that project, titled The Dark Horse, surfaced in August 2014. A pair of EPs—Livin Legend and the Do or Die collaboration Withdrawal—came out in 2015. Crook County arrived in 2017 with appearances by Blac Youngsta and Jeremih plus production from Zaytoven. Two years later Twista returned with the standalone singles “Tonite” and “Blessed.”