''Kamikaze'' is the fourth

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...

by American rapper

Twista Carl Terrell Mitchell (born November 27, 1973), better known by his stage name Twista (also known as Tung Twista), is an American rapper. He is best known for his Chopper (rap), chopper style of rapping and for once holding the title of fastest ...

. It was released on January 27, 2004, by

Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over the course of its first two decades, starting from the release of its first recor ...

. The album reached the top of the US ''Billboard'' 200 chart in early 2004, after the success of its lead single, "

Slow Jamz "Slow Jamz" is a song by American rapper Twista together with the American rapper and producer Kanye West and American singer Jamie Foxx. Produced by West, it was released in November 2003 through Atlantic Records, Atlantic and Roc-A-Fella Reco ...

". It sold 312,000 units in its first week of sales, and received generally positive reviews from critics. It is Twista's most successful album, being certified double platinum by the

RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

Background

On his website, Twista stated that he made ''Kamikaze'' to show that he was still true to the ideals that he had when he started out. "I represent for the MCs that have skills, not just make music for the hell of it. I take the time to concentrate. Otherwise, I could have 10 albums out there, easy. I could sit down all day and write something. But I write when I get in a zone more than writing because I’ve got to do this. I represent the artists that keep it true to what really is, to be able to make rappers want to write." "I want to show the streets that I'm back and that I'm true to the game. Musically, I want to show that I'm still out here doing my thing. After all the people that were out when I was out years ago fell off, I’m still out here competing with the shorties. I also want to gain platinum success. It's something that I haven't done." The song "Sunshine" contains the backing track from Lovely Day by

Bill Withers William Harrison Withers Jr. (July 4, 1938 – March 30, 2020) was an American singer and songwriter. He is known for having several hits over a career spanning 18 years, including "Ain't No Sunshine" (1971), "Grandma's Hands" (1971), "Use Me ( ...

. The song "Overnight Celebrity" contains a sample of the Lenny Williams' 1978 song "Cause I Love You".

Critical reception

The album has a score of 66 out of 100 based on "generally positive reviews". ''

The A.V. Club ''The A.V. Club'' is an online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was created in ...

'' gave it a favorable review and stated that the album "feels eclectic without stooping to demographics-pandering, though its contradictory elements create a few jarring moments."

E! Online E! Entertainment Television is an American basic cable television network. It is owned by the NBCUniversal Media Group division of Comcast's NBCUniversal. The channel focuses primarily on pop culture, celebrity based reality shows and movies. ...

gave it a B and said, "Twista still manages to steal the limelight on hot booty-busters like 'Slow Jamz' and 'Pimp On.'" Yahoo! Music UK gave it seven stars out of ten and called it "overlong, like almost every rap album today, and it's not the sort of place to come expecting erudition or insight. But for one singular rapper unwilling and unafraid to stick to his guns, it's a deeply satisfying record." Other reviews are pretty average or mixed: '' Q'' gave it three stars out of five and said, "Twista's overshadowed by anyeWest, but with jacked-up soul tunes such as 'Overnight Celebrity', the result, who cares?" ''

The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture publication based in Greenwich Village, New York City, known for being the country's first Alternative newspaper, alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf (publisher), Dan Wolf, ...

'', however, gave it a mixed review and said that the album "Suggests nothing so much as ''Adrenaline Rush'' part two."

Commercial performance

The first single "Slow Jamz" featured

Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer and record producer. One of the most prominent figures in hip-hop, he is known for his varying musical style and polarizing cultural and political commentary. After ...

and

Jamie Foxx Eric Marlon Bishop (born December 13, 1967), known professionally as Jamie Foxx, is an American actor, comedian, and singer. Known for his work in both the screen and music industries, his accolades include an Academy Award, a Grammy Award ...

. It topped the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and world R&B charts in early 2004. ''Kamikaze'' built on the success of "Slow Jamz" to reach the top of the ''Billboard'' 200 album charts on release in January 2004 and to go Platinum by March 2004. The second single "Overnight Celebrity" had also reached top 10 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and world R&B chart in March 2004. The single "So Sexy" with R. Kelly reached #25 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, becoming a success.

Track listing

Bonus tracks

These songs were included on the re-released version of ''Kamikaze''. #

" So Sexy: Chapter II (Like This)" (featuring R. Kelly) # "

Freek-a-Leek "Freek-a-Leek" is a song co-written and recorded by American rapper Petey Pablo. It was released on December 1, 2003, as the second single from his second album, '' Still Writing in My Diary: 2nd Entry'' (2004). It was produced by Lil Jon and is ...

(Remix)" (featuring

Petey Pablo Moses Barrett III (born July 22, 1973), better known by his stage name Petey Pablo, is an American rapper and record producer from Greenville, North Carolina. He is best known for his 2003 crunk single " Freek-a-Leek," which peaked at number seve ...

Jermaine Dupri Jermaine Dupri Mauldin (born September 23, 1972) is an American rapper and record producer. Raised in Atlanta, Georgia as the son of Columbia Records executive Michael Mauldin, he began his career in music at the age of nine. He discovered th ...

) "Y'all Know Who", produced by Toxic, was an international bonus track, while "Get Dat Doe", produced by Don Vito, was a bonus track in the UK Notes *"Pimp On" features additional vocals by Bishop Don Magic Juan and Highbeam. *"Slow Jamz" features additional vocals by Aisha Tyler. *"Overnight Celebrity" features violins by

Miri Ben-Ari Miri Ben-Ari (; born ) is an Israeli Americans, Israeli–American violinist, record producer, and humanitarian. As of 2025, she is the first and only violinist to win a Grammy in the Hip Hop category, known as "the Hip hop music, hip-hop vio ...

, keyboards by

John Legend John Roger Stephens (born December 28, 1978), known professionally as John Legend, is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He began his musical career working behind the scenes for other artists, playing piano on Lauryn Hill's " Every ...

, and additional vocals by

. *"Still Feels So Good" features additional vocals by Ms. Kane. *"Drinks" features additional vocals by Highbeam. *"Badunkadunk" features additional vocals by

Jazze Pha Phalon Anton Alexander, known professionally as Jazze Pha ( ), is an American record producer, rapper, singer and songwriter. He founded the record label Sho'nuff Records in 1995, through which he signed R&B singer Ciara in 2003. He produced h ...

. *"So Sexy" features guitars by Greg Landfair, additional keys by Rodney East, and additional vocals by JS. *"Snoopin'" features additional vocals by Danny Boy. *"Hope" features additional vocal production by Mike Caren and a children's choir led by Yvonne Williams *"Sunshine" features additional vocal production by Mike Caren Sample credits *"Get Me" contains elements from "Here I Am" written by

Leon Huff Kenneth Gamble (born August 11, 1943, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) and Leon A. Huff (born April 8, 1942, Camden, New Jersey) are an American songwriting and production duo credited for developing the Philadelphia soul music genre (also known as P ...

and Cary Gilbert and performed by

The Three Degrees The Three Degrees are an American female vocal group formed circa 1963 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Although 12 women have been members over the years, the group has always been a trio. The current line-up consists of Helen Scott, Valerie Ho ...

. *"Slow Jamz" contains samples from the composition "

House Is Not a Home "House Is Not a Home" is a song recorded and written by Canadian singer Deborah Cox. Released as a single on September 13, 2005, the track became her ninth number one hit on ''Billboards Dance Club Songs The Dance Club Songs (also known a ...

" written by

Burt Bacharach Burt Freeman Bacharach ( ; May 12, 1928 – February 8, 2023) was an American composer, songwriter, record producer, and pianist who is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential figures of 20th-century popular music. Start ...

and

Hal David Harold Lane David (May 25, 1921 – September 1, 2012) was an American lyricist. He was best known for his collaborations with composer Burt Bacharach and his association with Dionne Warwick. Early life David was born and raised in New ...

and performed by

Luther Vandross Luther Ronzoni Vandross Jr. (April 20, 1951 – July 1, 2005) was an American Soul music, soul and Contemporary R&B, R&B singer, songwriter, and record producer. Over his career, he achieved eleven consecutive RIAA certification, RIAA-certified ...

. *"Overnight Celebrity" contains excerpts from the composition "'Cause I Love You" written by Michael Bennett and Lenny Williams and performed by Williams. *"Sunshine" contains elements from " Lovely Day" written by

and

Skip Scarborough Clarence Alexander "Skip" Scarborough (November 26, 1944 – July 3, 2003) was an American songwriter, best known for romantic ballads. Biography Scarborough was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He lived in Los Angeles most of his life. A prol ...

and performed by Withers

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

{{Authority control 2004 albums Twista albums Atlantic Records albums Albums produced by Jazze Pha Albums produced by Kanye West Albums produced by R. Kelly Albums produced by Red Spyda Albums produced by The Legendary Traxster