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Twista - Street Edge
Interview By: Quinton Hatfield
 Having been ten years after releasing the highly acclaimed album “Adrenaline Rush” to ever come from the Windy City is Chicago rap pioneer Twista. Many people don’t realize that the fast-rapping MC Twista was one of the first to rep Chi-Town and was responsible for putting it on the map along with other Chi-Town hip-hop acts such as Crucial Conflict, Do or Die, and Common. After having some commercial success with his last two releases with “Kamikaze” and “The Day After” Twista is ready to take it back to the streets with the sequel to “Adrenaline Rush” in which long time Twista fans will get next is “Adrenaline Rush 2007”.
 Beside the music grind and everything Nobodysmiling.com caught up with the Windy City vet to see what else he’s doing outside the music. We get into Twista’s early history. Many may not know he is in “The Guiness World Record’s” for being the fastest rapper and how this tactic worked well for him as far as getting him mad exposure in the game, not a bad idea Twista. Showcasing some of the finest ladies in the Chi-Town Twista gives up some details on the “Windy City Angels” calendar and the class it presents with the women in it. Twista is very creative and as he says along with the scientific theory that comes from being left-handed (shout-out to the lefty’s out there as I’m in the same boat too) as this creativeness will be applied to his upcoming clothing line. Twista also speaks on “The Roc” and why he considers Bleek, Freeway, Beanie Sigel, Peedi Crack his boys and why he’s proud to rep Chicago.
Nobodysmiling.com : You dropped the last album “The Day After” and now you coming back out with “Adrenaline Rush 2007” so what will make this album better than the last?
Twista : Just really the music that’s on it being close to the way “Adrenaline Rush” was. I felt like with the last album people saw me make a few hits and a few jams for the clubs and real quickly the fans will forget how you bring it. As soon as I started to hear any small talk about “Twista is blown up now, Twista is out there now” I had to let them know that the fans is important to me and credibility for an MC is everything. I had to come with “Adrenaline Rush 2007” with the same style of music that I came with on the last “Adrenaline Rush”. For me particularly I think it’s going to be better, because the album got a more street-edge and you can move to the music better.
Nobodysmiling.com : Will we get some more tracks like “Overnight Celebrity” and “Girl Tonight” though?
Twista : Definitely, when you speak on that flavor I got my jam on there called “Love Rehab” with my man R. Kelly and that’s off the chain. I got something for the ladies called “Trappers Delight” with my man Jazze Pha and Cee-Lo so I’m definitely putting it down like that. This album is a little more evened out and I got a chance to hit em over the head with some new cuts like “Charge”, “I Ain’t that Ni**a” , I got some jams on there. Soon as the album come on you will be satisfied, because you will get that adrenaline rush for it.
Nobodysmiling.com : Who are some of the other artists you working with?
Twista : On this project I definitely kept it home. I got the Speednot Mobstaz' on the album and they got a project coming out this year so you know I gotta keep it rocking with them. I also got my man Pharrell on the album which is also the single I’m about to come out with next called “Give It Up” and my man Pharrell definitely put it down. Man it’s a nice thing, but one of the surprises on the album is the song I got on there with Bone Thugs. People be like “Man ya’ll beefing” and I just had to flip it. It’s ten years later with a whole different vibe and I got to show them that the Midwest has grown and we got unity. I know how much we can hold it down in the Midwest if we just click up like everybody else so definitely I got some heat on there with Bone.
Nobodysmiling.com : I remember what ya’ll did on “Spit Your Game” ya’ll were killing it!
Twista : Oh yeah and I definitely got something on their album with them so listen for that Twista/Bone sound, we gonna be hitting them over the head.
Nobodysmiling.com : What’s good with the “Windy City Angels” I see you got the calendar popping off?
Twista : You see em [laughs] you know how we do it. I just had to put a little something classy out there and let them know that my hands is in a little of everything. I got buddies down at the car lot where we had did that at where we got all the Bentley’s, Lamborghini’s and all the fly rides. I was able to pay them a few visits over the past couple of years so it just seemed right to team up with some of the hottest cars with the hottest females. We just went at it and we were classy, I didn’t want it to be like a stripper calendar. I wanted it to be real classy with some nice looking ladies on there so we came with the “Windy City Angels” with some nice looking females for every month of the year.
Nobodysmiling.com : [Laughs], I’m looking forward to that!
Twista : Man it’s off the chain, make sure you pay close attention to April and February.
Nobodysmiling.com : Besides the music what’s good with the clothing line?
Twista : Well we at the beginning stages of that you know, I’m still developing some looks with some names and everything. I haven’t been really talking about it a lot, but definitely when you look at the Twista clothes you gonna be like “Man this something I wanna rock”. A lot of times people put out clothes and you be like man “That’s a little shabby man”, I don’t want to be one of those rappers who just put out that basic gear. I want to make sure the gear I put out is really marketing to the fellas in the streets, but not so raunchy. I want to make some gear that the fellas in the streets feel and just because the police see you walking with it on their not gonna sweat you [laughs].
Nobodysmiling.com : [Laughs], With you being left-handed and everything I know it’s going to be something creative!
Twista : Yeah you know how that go, we talked about that the last time thinking with the creative side of the brain. All ya’ll right-handed haters out there don’t be mad the left-handers we got our creative side going on so don’t trip.
Nobodysmiling.com : Since the Gangstas don’t dance what you do in the club [laughs]?
Twista : Two-stepping you know, you got to two-step it side to side. Really the Spednot Mobstaz gonna let you know about that, because when you see us chillin you gonna get what the whole vibe is. You gonna be like “Man them brothers got me moving so much, but they barely doing nothing”. We just be two-stepping side to side with that Chicago vibe and that’s how it go.
Nobodysmiling.com : Twista tell me about the Spedknot Mobstaz, how far ya’ll go back?
Twista : Man you talking bout like ’91, ’92, we been clicked up for almost twenty years man and it’s love.
Nobodysmiling.com : Everybody know you was in “The Guiness Book of World Records” so how did that come about?
Twista : Really we were just looking for a way to promote an artist like me. I was the one coming out with these styles and these vibes and they was like “How can we promote a guy like Twista”. My man at Loud Records was like “You know it’s a category in Guiness for the world’s record as the fastest rapper” and I’m like “Man get out of here”. I couldn’t believe it, because that was the perfect thing for me to do before it comes out. When I looked and actually saw that it was a record in there and when I started spitting the syllables seeing how easy it was to break the record it was just on and poppin from there. Really that Guiness thing was like the main thing that pushed me out there to other people, I was known to other people in the hood but that allowed me to get on TV, radio stations, Ricki Lake, I got some of everything and it was poppin.
Nobodysmiling.com : What’s your current relationship with the “The Roc” since it’s not tight like it used to be, I know you was supposed to have a joint venture with them so what happened?
Twista : It’s actually a crew cut that were working on right now, “The Roc-A-Fella Crew Cut”. I think Jay is on it, everybody is on it and they actually sent it to me too, because that’s like my Mob. Regardless of what the contracts may say or you don’t see us getting down like that with me being a brother from the street I click with people that’s on my vibe. When I click with Jay-Z, with Dame the brothers are on my vibe, it’s definitely when I click with people like Peedi Crack, Freeway, Beanie Sigel, Bleek, everybody. One of Bleek’s best homies is one of my buddies in Chicago so those are some of the brothers that I really clicked with in the industry that’s on my vibe. We always will be working together, we got music out there right now and you gonna hear me on some new Peedi Crak, Young Gunz, that’s the crew right there and we always gonna work together.
Nobodysmiling.com : Are we going to hear you on anymore Lil Jon type joints?
Twista : Lil Jon oh yeah I got a Lil Jon beat right now killing them over the head.
Nobodysmiling.com : That’s what’s up you getting with the Young Gunz repping with cats from my hometown Philly.
Twista : Yeah Philly you know what it is, Philly style.
Nobodysmiling.com : Back to the new album what’s going to be the first single?
Twista : Right now we hitting them over in the streets with that “Whip Game Proper” featuring Lil Wayne so that’s out there for everybody to check out. People from my hood is really who I made that song for to let them know I’m still “T” and spitting it for them. The official single we dropping with the video and everything is called “Give it Up” with Pharrell.
Nobodysmiling.com : How you get up with Lil Wayne, you know he’s doing his thing right now?
Twista : Man he was one of the people I was clicking with. We was cool before that whole new Wayne was kicking, Lil Wayne been around for a minute and he got a new surge of energy that kind of got us a new light. Don’t forget Twista is a legend I been around for years and them guys were my fans. When I first met Baby and Lil Wayne they was cool, because they was used to my music. By me being a person that other people refer to as a legend is just easy for me to click with other guys in the industry, because they respect you.
Nobodysmiling.com : Now Twista how you feel about Chicago being one of the hottest city’s in the game right now and representing it?
Twista : Man it is a big honor and a pleasure especially when people are doing they thing. Common, Kanye West, Rhymefest, you see people doing they thing it just makes you proud to be from the city. Then we still hitting them over the head and I got my imprint going on with “Get Money Gang” so be looking for that soon, I’m a have a whole bunch of artists come through from the Midwest into the industry so be looking for that. I’m all about that Midwest vibe, it’s late in my career now so I’m trying to give shine to the next hottest thing to come out the Midwest.
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