Twista Discography

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 style of rapping and for once holding the title of fastest English-speaking rapper in the world according to Guinness World Records in 1992, being able to pronounce 598 syllables in 55 seconds.

In 1997, after appearing on Do or Die's hit single "Po Pimp", 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, in 1998. His 2004 album ''Kamikaze'' topped the U.S. ''Billboard'' 200, after the success of the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 number-one single "Slow Jamz" (with Kanye West and Jamie Foxx).

Early life

Carl Terrell Mitchell was born on November 27, 1973, and grew up in the K-Town area of the West Garfield Park neighborhood on the West Side of Chicago, Illinois, 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'', 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 and thus got little national attention.

In 1996, he teamed with Chicago producer the Legendary Traxster and Creator's Way / CWAL artists Do or Die on the track "Po Pimp" 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'' 200. 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 Speedknot Mobstaz. They released their first album, ''Mobstability'', produced entirely by the Legendary Traxster, in 1998. Twista then joined label Legit Ballin', 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 and Drag-On on the album ''Ruff Ryders: Ryde or Die Vol. 2'', on the track "Twisted Heat". He also collaborated with Memphis Bleek on " Is That Your Chick (The Lost Verses)" on the album '' The Understanding''.

Beginning in 2002, Twista began recording his album ''Kamikaze'' with rappers like Kanye West and Ludacris. ''Kamikaze'' was released in 2004 and debuted at the top spot of the US ''Billboard'' 200 album chart. Its first single "Slow Jamz" (also featured on West's debut album ''The College Dropout''), featured West and Jamie Foxx and became a number-one hit in the US. Other singles included "Overnight Celebrity" and " So Sexy" (featuring R. Kelly); the album sold around two million copies. The remix of the song "Jook Gal" by Elephant Man featured Twista and the YoungBloodZ. ''Kamikaze'' and its singles gave Twista a new level of success and rose his profile significantly within the rap community.
Twista's album ''The Day After'' was released in 2005. It featured the hit singles " Girl Tonite" (featuring Trey Songz), "Hit the Floor" (featuring Pitbull), and "So Lonely" (featuring Mariah Carey). His next album, ''Adrenaline Rush 2007'', was released in 2007. Also in 2007, Pitbull released the song "Candyman" featuring Twista off the album ''The Boatlift''. Its singles were " Give It Up" (featuring Pharrell) 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 2006 album ''The Makings of Me''. In 2008, Twista launched a new record label called Get Money Gang Entertainment and the album ''Category F5'' with the hit, " Wetter". In 2009, Twista appeared on the single "Legendary" with fellow Chicago rappers AK-47 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. and the Legendary Traxster. The album features artists such as Waka Flocka Flame, Raekwon, Tia London, Diddy, Ray J, and others. Production on the album is mainly by the Legendary Traxster along with Streetrunner, the Kray Twinz, Tight Mike, and No I.D., 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'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 Kanye West's record label GOOD Music, although in an interview with ''HipHopDX'', Twista denied the rumor. The first single was "Throwin' My Money" (featuring R. Kelly) and produced by Chris Millionaire. Twista appeared on the song "Jewels n' Drugs" by Lady Gaga on the album ''Artpop''. "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 radio in the United States on May 27, 2014, by Capitol Records. ''Dark Horse'' was 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 the mixtape ''Summer 96'' in 2019, this includes the song "Home Invasion" which features Do or Die and produced by Hearon Tracks.

In 2019, Twista appeared as a judge on the rap competition series ''Rhythm + 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 team Get Money Gang worked together with Chicago Food Bank's Producemobile program to feed hungry people in the community.

Twista is a gun enthusiast, has an Illinois Concealed Carry License, and is a US Concealed Carry Association (USCCA) and National Rifle Association of America (NRA) certified instructor. He teaches a course on concealed carry in Chicago, aiming to using education to combat gun violence.

Discography

Studio albums
* ''Runnin' Off at da Mouth'' (1992)
* ''Resurrection'' (1994)
* '' Adrenaline Rush'' (1997)
* ''Kamikaze'' (2004)
* ''The Day After'' (2005)
* ''Adrenaline Rush 2007'' (2007)
* ''Category F5'' (2009)
* '' The Perfect Storm'' (2010)
* ''Dark Horse'' (2014)
* ''Crook County'' (2017)

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

References

External links

*
*

{{Authority control

1973 births
Living people
African-American male rappers
20th-century American male rappers
African-American record producers
American hip-hop record producers
Atlantic Records artists
Big Beat Records (American record label) artists
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 musicians