NEW TWISTA INTERVIEW [ALLHIPHOP.COM]

AHH Accessories Wireless News E-mail Story Print Story Twista: Staring at My Rearview By Lakeia Brown A decade ago, it was arguably Twista who first became the cliché “favorite rapper’s favorite rapper.” With his Guinness Book of World Records lightning fast delivery, the Chicago star was a well-kept secret, from the now-defunct Big Beat Records, an Atlantic company. His 1997 album Adrenaline Rush remains a cult classic, that spawned styles in both coasts. With one of the longest tenures in the company, Twista has always been affiliated with Atlantic Records. In 2004, by way of his Kanye-assisted “Slow Jamz,” Twista got the platinum plaque that he rightfully deserved, and subsequently became a “Joint Chief” in Atlantic’s rebuilding process. Since 2004, not much has changed. The Day After was as uneventful to the mainstream as its title would suggest, and many wondered if the veteran artist was not only a fluke to the charts, but a radio-hungry compromise to the fans that touted him. Like a true vessel for his listeners, Twista has returned with Adrenaline Rush 2007. While skeptics might compare similar recreation albums from Method Man, AMG and Pastor Troy, others value the integrity of a Stillmatic. As this summer release may likely define the tongue-twisting MC’s stay on a major, Twista explains his motives, and speaks about the automobiles he’d like to see himself in – as a result of more success. At a pivotal red light, Twista is staring at his career through the rearview. AllHipHop.com: In 2004, Atlantic Records had a campaign of the Joint Chiefs… their four biggest stars which were Trick Daddy, Fat Joe, Fabolous and you. But once T.I. popped off, it seemed like the campaign diminished. Any thoughts on that? Twista: Nah, really, I think it was something they were doing for the time being. I don’t think T.I. popping off is what stopped it; I just think it was something they were just putting together for the time being, as a quick promotional thing. AllHipHop.com Tell me about your new album, Adrenaline Rush 2007, which hits stores in August. What can we expect from it? Twista: It’s really just me giving it back to the fans how I feel they want it. Because I did The Day After, and I had figured out the formula how to make good music for the radio, how to be successful and get my commercial success but still be a lyricist. The A&R was trying to pick most of the songs that were radio friendly. So when the album came out, I still enjoyed it, but at the same time, you had the criticism from the fans who were like, “We want that Adrenaline Rush Twista.” Then I was like, “Okay, this will be a 10 year anniversary. Adrenaline Rush came out in ’97, and now it’s 07. And seven is my favorite number.” [I took] it back to the essence and re-visit that whole style of music I was doing. Just giving them the Chi-town Twista. AllHipHop.com: For the younger fans, explain that… Twista: That sound was a new sound coming out of the Midwest, specifically Chicago. You would have an artist come out and they would be original, and then, as they go along they might start to sound like other people. So I felt like Adrenaline Rush was the rawest, newest sound that was coming out of the Midwest at the time. The way I was spitting the lyrics with the double time flow. Then you have people following my lead, like Crucial Conflict, Do or Die, [and] Bone [Thugs N’ Harmony]. AllHipHop.com: Kamikaze had radio hits and went platinum. The Day After didn’t, why? Twista: With Kamikaze, I had the help of “Slow Jamz.” I didn’t come up with “Slow Jamz” until later when we were about 90% through with the album. So I felt like it was a little harder edge. Plus, The Day After came out in the fourth quarter. I was one of the first artists to make a hit when the industry took a turn. If you look, every artist that came out after me, when they’re album dropped, the first week’s sale was half of what it was expected to be. Kanye was the only one who slipped through the cracks with his album. A lot of artist weren’t selling like they expected and that was due to downloads and other ways people get their music other than CDs now. I definitely don’ think it was my fault, as far as the music. AllHipHop.com: You mentioned that a lot of people are getting their music from other sources now – does that scare you at all that people aren’t buying as many albums as they used to? Twista: I think it would scare you if you didn’t know the way the industry is turning. For a minute, people were so addicted to cassette tapes that they didn’t want to accept CDs. So now it’s like you don’t want to be so addicted to CDs that you’re not accepting the digital world. Right now people are listening to iPods and music in their phones. They are getting it so many different ways that it’s not about the sale of your CD anymore; it’s about the sale of your music as a whole. AllHipHop.com: A lot of people are curious about Trackster and whether he’ll be on the album with an “Overdose 2”… Twista:: No. I would have, but me and that brother have problems when we try to get down together. I really don’t have time for it, so I just do it my way. AllHipHop.com: It took you some years to gain mainstream success, what lessons did you learn while you waited? Twista: The lesson I learned while I waited was to make sure my business was taken care of. Don’t be so into the music that I don’t want to pay that much attention to the business end. AllHipHop.com: A lot of artists decide to explore other ventures. Tell me a little bit about the clothing line and the barber shop… Twista: The barber shop is just something small. The way I’m doing it now is like – you’ve got some people that feed directly off of what they do in the industry, but what I’m trying to do is just to do things on a small scale. It’s not Twista’s Barber Shop. With my shop, I’m doing the thing with the people I was cutting hair with in high school who I would have been in business with, had I not been doing music. But now I’m jumping back toward them trying to link up so that we can do something together because that was our dream before I started doing this music thing. I got like the Windy City Angels calendar. I’m trying to open a communications store. I was telling you about the downloads and the digital world. I want to jump the gun so I want to start a communications store and sell my phone, my fresh phones that I’ve explored around the world. I look at my age and how long I’ve been in the industry and I know it’s not going to last forever, so I’m just starting to take my money and put it into things that I know I can bounce back off of. I don’t want to feel like I can make $30,000-100,000 a month doing this rap thing, and don’t feel like I can make $30,000-100,000 when it’s over. So I’m just setting up everything in case I drive into a tree or hit my throat or due to old age, or big industry shift, that I’ll be able to have some things to fall back on. AllHipHop.com: What prompted you to start your label, Get Money Gang? Twista: I just wanted to bridge a gap between the industry and the Midwest. Because it’s so hard for people from the Midwest to get on. We never could figure it out. Here it is 2007, and we still ask questions that should have been answered 10, 15, 20 years ago. I listen to so many of these young rappers coming out. I like artists like Cap.One. I worked with him. I want to be able to look up and be like, “Man, I put seven acts on from the Chi or Midwest.” AllHipHop.com: What is about Chicago that breeds so many talented musicians and artists? Twista: That’s a good question. I think one of the reasons is because of where we are located. When you listen to music from the Bay area, it all sounds different but yet you can hear a Bay sound. Then when you listen to New York music or the East Coast music, it sounds different but you can hear an East Coast sound - same thing with the South. But if you come to Chicago, me and Kanye don’t sound anything alike. Common and Crucial Conflict don’t sound anything alike. Because we’re located in the middle and we are a consumer market, all of the acts on the other coasts come to the middle to sell their music. AllHipHop.com: You’re an automobile enthusiast right? Twista: Yes, yes. AllHipHop.com: In your opinion, what is the hottest car out there right now? Twista: The hottest car out there right now is the Maybach coupe. AllHipHop.com: And how much does that run a person these days? Twista: Between $400,000 to 600,000. AllHipHop.com: What makes it the hottest car in your opinion? Twista: Because it’s the latest coupe to come out, as far as what I know. You might have something later, but it’s not as big or interesting as the Maybach. When the Bentley came out with the coupe, it’s like the Bentley Coupe took over everything. Everybody was loving the death out of the Bentley Coupe and no matter what car you came out with, you couldn’t really fade the Bentley Coupe. And when Jay turned around and rode in the video for “Lost Ones” that just took it to another level. I feel like the Maybach Coupe is the hottest car out there. AllHipHop.com: Okay, so what about for us regular folks? Twista: Regular folk cars out there – I’m gonna give you a good one – A Range Rover. No, No – that’s a truck, let me go down to the car. I like a Benz, no matter what. You can like a lot of cars, but a Benz to me expresses the true success of a person when it comes to cars. AllHipHop.com: What do you hate to see on cars? Twista: Phony Spinners. The phony spinners are the worst thing in the world. When a car stops, the spinners are still supposed to be spinning, but the spinners are standing still. Definitely phony spinners and bogus colors. AllHipHop.com: What are bogus colors? Twista: Bogus colors like...green; you don’t put green on a car. I’ve seen like lime green and gray – just crazy stuff. Bogus colors. Or rims that are more expensive than the car.