Twista

About Twista

The platinum selling Chicago MC Twista has managed to forge a reputation for himself as one of the fastest men in hip hop and, over a lengthy career, a rock solid player in the hip hop game. Twista has been the mouth behind several Billboard Hot 100 singles and has set the Guinness World Record for fastest rapper twice. Born Carl Terrell Mitchell, Twista quickly discovered he had the gift of rhyme and gave himself the stage name Tongue Twista (later shorted to just Twista.) Chicago was a rough neighborhood, and Twista is said to have had connections to local gangs The Vice Lords and Folk Nation. After working a series of low-end jobs-McDonalds, telemarketing, shoe salesmen etc.-before realizing that music was gonna be his ticket out. His 1991 album Runnin Off At Da Mouth got him listed with Guinness and brought a lot of buzz but sold poorly. Twista gained a local reputation with Chicago's thriving rap underground and released a series of strong mix tape appearances. Commercial success finally found Twista in 2004 when the he hooked up with fellow Chicago rapper/producer Kanye West on the album Kamikaze. Kanye brought his studio magic to two singles, "Slow Jamz" with Jamie Foxx and Overnight Celebrity." Though he is currently signed to Atlantic Records, Twista has been unofficially adopted by Dame Dash's Roc-A-Fella, and the two labels are in prolonged contract negotiations. Twista collaborated with Kanye West again for a track on the Mission Impossible III soundtrack and he has also recorded "Lose Your Love" with Christina Millian, from her So Amazin album.