Kamikaze [Clean Bonus Tracks] [Edited]

Performer: Twista
Artist: Too Short; Freeway; Ludacris; T.I.; Kanye West; R. Kelly; Anthony Hamilton; Memphis Bleek; Young Chris; Jamie Foxx; Eightball; Jazze Pha; Liffy Stokes; Cee-Lo
Engineer: The Legendary Traxster; Chris Steinmetz; Jun Ishizeki; Mike Caren; Kamel Abdo; Brian Frye; Mike Baker; Tatsuya Sato; Abel Garibaldi; Larry Sturm; Ray Seay; Andy Gallas; Ian Mereness; Nathan Wheeler; Corey Williams; Brian Stanley
Distributor: WEA (Distributor)

Notes: Personnel includes: Twista, 8 Ball, Too Short, Kanye West, Jamie Foxx, Jazze Pha, R. Kelly, Freeway, Ludacris, T.I., Liffy Stokes, Cee Lo, Anthony Hamilton, Memphis Bleek, Danny Boy, JS, Young Chris. Producers include: Kanye West, Jazze Pha, Toxic, Don Vito, Wildstyle. Includes bonus tracks. Personnel: Twista; Danny Boy, Bishop Don Magic Juan, Aisha Tyler, Highbeam, Penelope Magnet, Co (vocals); Donnie Lyle, Gregg Landfair (guitar); Miri Ben-Ari (violin); John Legend, Rodney East, Kendall D. Nesbitt (keyboards); Ian Mereness (programming); Jazze Pha, Kanye West (vocals); Petey Pablo, 8Ball, Freeway, Jamie Foxx, Jermaine Dupri, Liffy Stokes, Ludacris, Memphis Bleek, R. Kelly, Anthony Hamilton, T.I., Too $hort, Cee-Lo. Audio Mixers: The Legendary Traxster; R. Kelly; Chris Steinmetz; Manny Marroquin; Daniel Romero; Larry Sturm; Serban Ghenea; Leslie Brathwaite; Corey Williams; Brian Stanley . Recording information: Battery Studios, New York, NY; Cherokee Studios, Hollywood, CA; Chicago Recording Company, Chicago, IL; Circle House Studios, Miami, FL; CRC Studios, Chicago, IL; CWAL Mob Recording Studios, Chicago, IL; DSL Studios, Louisville, KY; Legit Ballin Studios, Chicago, IL; Orange Grove Studios, Los Angeles, CA; PS West, Atlanta, GA; Sony Studios, New York, NY; Sound On Sound Recording, New York, NY; SouthSide Studios, Atlanta, GA; Stankonia Studios, Atlanta, GA; The Chocolate Factory, Chicago, IL; The Record Plant, Los Angeles, CA; United Technique Recording INc., Chicago, IL. Editor: Mike Caren. Photographer: Vincent Soyez. Arranger: R. Kelly. With a flow so speedy that the Guinness book recognized him as the world's fastest rapper over a decade ago, Chicago hip-hop legend Twista ironically scored a breakout hit with the song "Slow Jamz." However, when he kicks in his trademark rapid-fire flow in the second verse of that song, the veteran's skill is instantly overwhelming. It's not just that Twista's been honing his style for years, it's that he observes, after spitting a dizzying array of clever masters-of-the-slow-jam name-checks, "no matter how much of a thug you see, I still spin it like it's R&B." Far from a performer with a motor-mouth gimmick, Twista is an artist, a songwriter, and a rap-stylist, and KAMIKAZE marks his return to the form of his 1996 debut, ADRENALINE RUSH. To that extent, "Still Feels So Good," a sexy track featuring Jazzy Phe, calls back to "It Feels So Good" from that record. He continues to party through switch-pace tracks like "Drinks" and darker, nearly "screwed-up" tracks such as "One Last Time." Eventually, he closes on a more substantial note, musing with Cee-Lo on "Hope," basking with Anthony Hamilton (conjuring up Bill Withers) on "Sunshine," and philosophizing with some of the State Property crew on "Art & Life." To say that motor-mouthed Twista and producer Toxic took their time getting Kamikaze out is an understatement. Released nearly five years after his last album and promoted by the rapper since 2001, Kamikaze finally dropped in one of the least popular months for music buying, January. The long-talked-about Timbaland team up ended up on Timbaland's album, and Kamikaze's original single, "Tattoo," landed on Toxic and Twista's Legit Ballaz project instead. Seems like Kamikaze is doomed from the start, but it's actually a fair album for two main reasons: the new lead single, "Slow Jamz," and the killer guest productions of Kanye West. West is at the helm for "Slow Jamz," producing, singing, and delivering what could be the couplet of 2004: "She got a light-skinned friend look like Michael Jackson/Got a dark-skinned friend look like Michael Jackson." Between the speedy Luther Vandross samples, Jamie Foxx's verse, and West name-checking all of the heroes of pillow-talk radio, there's just enough room for Twista's rapid rap. Twista's style is stunning, doubly so for any aspiring rappers, but for those who just listen, it lacks the depth to carry a full album on its own. Still, his in-and-out appearances on other artists' tracks whetted the appetite for more, and Kamikaze delivers past the single. "Still Feels So Good" is a worthy sequel to Adrenaline Rush's "It Feels So Good," "So Sexy" features a slinky R. Kelly appearance, and "Get Me" finds Toxic's production coming off as cinematic where elsewhere it's just anemic. Two slower numbers toward the end -- the introspective "Hope" and the Bill Withers-sampling "Sunshine" -- go a long way toward expanding the album's narrow spectrum, and Twista's skills adjust nicely to the mellow pace. Whatever the reasons for Kamikaze's delay, it does make for near-perfect timing for stunning yet limited rapper. One album per five years, monthly guest spots, and the occasional brilliant single equal just the right amount of Twista. [The bonus remixes edition of Kamikaze improves on the original release with two well-chosen extras. "So Sexy Chapter II (Like This)" is the usual "Chapter II" from R. Kelly, one where he stretches out the best riffs and grooves from the original and tops it with freewheeling raps and vocals. The slinky "Freek-a-Leek" is always welcome, even if Twista's contribution to the remix is minimal. The bonus remixes edition was also released in a clean version, with all explicit material removed.] ~ David Jeffries

Chicago rapper Carl Mitchell, better known as Twista, once made it into the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's fastest rapper (not for nothing was his original moniker Tung Twista). An influential artist since the early 1990s, Twista combines his lightning-quick rhymes with a combination of Southern jeep beats, East Coast gangsta themes, and West Coast G-funk. In the notoriously fickle rap world, he's prospered through several different eras of hip-hop, collaborating with everyone from Puff Daddy to Timbaland and always keeping his name in the game.

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