Twista

Biography

Carl Terrell Mitchell (born November 27, 1973), better known by his stage name Twista (originally 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×Po Pimp16 July 1996 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracks1Po Pimp (radio version)3:582Po Pimp (dirty version)4:013Promise4:404Promise (instrumental)4:40", produced by the Legendary Traxster, Twista signed with Big Beat and Atlantic Records, where he released his third album Adrenaline Rush×Adrenaline Rush24 June 1997 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 13 tracks1Intro2:042Adrenaline Rush3:433Death Before Dishonor4:234It Feels So Good6:085Overdose4:166Mobster's Anthem5:077Get Her in tha Mood1:298Emotions4:329Unsolved Mystery4:4510Korrupt World5:4011Get It Wet4:0312No Remorse4:3213Emotions (remix)4:49 and formed the group Speedknot Mobstaz, in 1998. His 2004 album Kamikaze×Kamikaze27 January 2004 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 18 tracks1Get Me3:582Kill Us All3:103Pimp On4:024Slow Jamz3:325Overnight Celebrity3:546Still Feels So Good4:097Drinks4:148Badunkadunk4:149One Last Time4:5610So Sexy3:5111Higher3:3112Snoopin'5:2213Like a 244:2814Hope4:3315Sunshine3:4416Art & Life (Chi-Roc)4:0717So Sexy, Chapter II (Like This)4:0218Freek-A-Leek (remix)4:05 topped the U.S. Billboard 200, after the success of the Billboard Hot 100 number-one single "Slow Jamz×Slow Jamz2003 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracks1Slow Jamz (edited)3:362I Know4:11", featuring 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.
However, before starting his professional career, he worked at several other jobs including working at a factory, selling shoes, working at McDonald's, working as a security guard, and even cutting hair.

Career

Mitchell released his debut single "Mr. Tung Twista×Mr. Tung Twista1991 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracks1Mr. Tung Twista (Vocal)4:082Mr. Tung Twista (Accapella)1:003Mr. Tung Twista (Instrumental)4:074Hokus Pokus3:59" in 1991. In 1992, he released his first album, Runnin' Off at da Mouth, as Tung Twista.
His second album, Resurrection×Resurrection18 October 1994 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1Da Resurrection2:122Suicide (remix)4:283Anomosity Kills4:244Street Paranoia4:225React With a Mic4:266Scat Like Dat3:347Return4:188Dirt on the Down Low4:119Shadow Boxin4:1310All About the Papes4:1311One Shot, One Kill6:3412Suicide (original)4:19, 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×Po Pimp16 July 1996 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracks1Po Pimp (radio version)3:582Po Pimp (dirty version)4:013Promise4:404Promise (instrumental)4:40" 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×Mobstability25 September 1998 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 14 tracks1Intro0:442Crook County (Bone Crusher mix)3:493Mob Up4:334Front Porch5:175In Your World4:416Legit Ballers5:187Mobstability5:068Party Hoes4:359Warm Embrace6:1810Smoke Wit’ You4:2611Loyalty4:1812Motive 4 Murder6:1113Dreams5:1214Rock Y’all Spot5:28, produced entirely by the Legendary Traxster, in 1998. Twista then joined label Legit Ballin', which released two compilation albums: Legit Ballin'×Legit Ballin'30 November 1999 · Album · CompilationSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 25 tracks1Intro0:572Victory or Death3:143Legit Ballaz4:254Artillery3:435It's Burning1:116Wide Open3:587Don Juan0:538My Apartment3:589What Ya Gone Do4:2010Don Juan0:2211Jail Time4:3512Pastor Ya' Dig1:0813Piece of Mind3:5514Bennie Franks4:3315Unprotective Sex1:2516Rider Bitch4:2017Don't Blink4:5218Get 'em Off Me1:2319Break 'em Up4:0520Blood n Blood Out3:0021Born This Way0:4222Game Recognize Game4:3323Get Ya4:1424Grand Finale4:2925Weeeee Straight0:40 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 Ryde or Die Vol. 2, on the track "Twisted Heat×Twisted Heat2000 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracks1Twisted Heat (radio edit)3:482Twisted Heat (instrumental)4:24". 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×Kamikaze27 January 2004 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 18 tracks1Get Me3:582Kill Us All3:103Pimp On4:024Slow Jamz3:325Overnight Celebrity3:546Still Feels So Good4:097Drinks4:148Badunkadunk4:149One Last Time4:5610So Sexy3:5111Higher3:3112Snoopin'5:2213Like a 244:2814Hope4:3315Sunshine3:4416Art & Life (Chi-Roc)4:0717So Sexy, Chapter II (Like This)4:0218Freek-A-Leek (remix)4:05 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×Slow Jamz2003 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracks1Slow Jamz (edited)3:362I Know4:11" (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×Overnight Celebrity2004 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracks1Overnight Celebrity (edited)3:542Overnight Celebrity (instrumental)3:543Overnight Celebrity (explicit)3:54" 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×The Day After3 October 2005 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 15 tracks1The Day After2:492Check That Hoe3:313Chocolate Fe’s and Redbones3:544Get It How You Live4:015Lavish3:426Girl Tonite3:417Do Wrong4:008Heartbeat3:009Holding Down the Game4:2410When I Get You Home (A.I.O.U.)4:1611So Lonely3:5112Had to Call3:4713Out Here4:0414I’m a Winner4:2015Hit the Floor3:37 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×Adrenaline Rush 200714 August 2007 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 21 tracks1Adrenaline Rush the Saga Continues...1:182Charged2:473What T Is? (skit)0:274I Ain't That Nigga3:225Say Say4:296Whip Game Proper4:197No Pistols3:578Phone (skit)0:169Love Rehab3:5810Seven Day Hustle3:4911Creep Fast3:3212Wrist Stay Rocky3:4213What Would Twista Do If He Wasn't Rappin' (skit)1:0614Give It Up3:3015The Come Up4:0816Ain't No Hoes5:1517Pimp Like Me4:0718Ya With It or Ya Ain't (skit)1:5319Trouble4:2320Be A Hustla4:0921Heist4:06, 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×Category F51 January 2009 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 15 tracks1Misunderstood4:352American Gangsta3:313Fire4:344Talk to Me3:225Yellow Light3:566Walking on Ice4:437Wetter4:168Billionaire4:119Yo Body3:5110Hustla3:4511Gotta Get Me One4:3312On Top3:2713Jump Off3:1214Wanna See’em Buss3:2115Birthday3:42 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, The Perfect Storm×The Perfect Storm9 November 2010 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1Darkness4:162Up to Speed4:033Make a Movie3:204I Do3:22520124:066Sweating3:417Back to the Basics3:328Hands Up, Lay Down3:359Call the Police3:0110Cocaine4:22113 Minute Murder3:02 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, Sean "Diddy" Combs, 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, Dark Horse×Dark Horse12 August 2014 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 13 tracks1The Dark Horse3:252I Am Such a Mobsta3:253Devil’s Angel3:104Beast3:325Getting Paper4:036It’s Yours3:297One More Joog3:508Crisis3:239Burnin4:2110Want My Love3:5011Nothing Like Me3:4712Me and You3:24136 Rings4:36. 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 US 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 released his mixtape Summer 96×Summer 9628 June 2019 · Studio album · Mixtape/StreetSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 15 tracks1Summer 962:072Home Invasion3:423Shoot Out2:404Body Talk2:505How I Look3:056Smoke on By2:427War Ready4:128No Weapon3:369Heaven3:5210All I Know1:5511So Fresh so Clean4:2112Weekend3:1813Hey Na3:0014Radio4:1515Tonite3:16 in 2019. It includes the song "Home Invasion" which features "Do or Die" and was produced by Hearon Tracks.
Twista appeared on the TV game show To Tell the Truth (on ABC) in 2017. In 2019, he 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, aiming to use education to combat gun violence.
He is a Muslim.