What’s the situation with you and Roc-A-Fella? It seems like every other week there is a new rumor of you leaving Atlantic, or doing a joint venture with the Roc. Right now I’m on Atlantic. I ain’t really been talking to nobody on that type of vibe. I’ve just been working on the album, I ain’t been on that whole flip labels, walking out on labels mode right now. I’m just making music, and I’m kinda comfortable doing what I’m doing right now. I’m always looking out for my best interest, but I’m pretty cool, man. As long as I ain’t gotta holla at them to put my music out and everything is copacetic, we’re straight. I’m a vet now. I ain’t young and feisty like that anymore. As long as I can do what I do, and they happy and I’m happy, everything is straight. Do you think your label fully appreciates you as an artist? I will see what happens. I’m always open to do business. The Roc is my family, so if we ever are able to make that music happen, I’m a be 100% with it, cause that’s my family. I work with all the artists. I’m cool with Jay — he got my man from my hometown on his label, Beans, Peedi, Bleek, everybody. That’s my family, so if it was to happen that would be cool. But to answer the question of feeling fully appreciated as an artist on Atlantic I would say that I’m not fully understood as an artist. Why do you think that is? Because I’m not one of those “rah rah” artists. I’m not the in-your-face type of artist. You see how Prince just laid back later in his career? I got one of those type of personalities. I’m kinda laid-back; I just like to let my music speak for me. It kind of hurts me sometimes in situations where putting yourself out there to the point where the mistakes you make in life help your sales because I’m not the type to tell you all my problems outside of my music. A lot of times in interviews people only wanna talk to you about your tragedies, and that kinda hurts Twista, because Twista wants to let his music speak for him. I just wanna make dope ass music. But don’t you think that’s a part of making dope ass music? If people know your background and the situations in your life that influenced the music won’t they relate to it better and enjoy it more? I’ll talk to you about my music, I’ll let you know how Chi-Town is, I’ll let you know how we getting it, I’ll floss a little bit, let you see my ice, let you see how I’m doing it on a businessman level, but I ain’t gonna put myself out there on a negative level. I got too much pride; I’ll try to get it another way before I do something that I don’t feel is morally right. I ain’t finna exploit myself for no little music industry people. Can you tell me about the situation with McDonald’s dropping your from their tour? You know, the Don Imus thing kicked off, that was the first domino, and before we could get on the subject of what he said about our black women some kinda way it was immediately pushed on Hip Hoppers saying negative things about women, then it got pushed on this whole Reverend in Chicago saying some comments about a bunch of rappers. Then the Reverend started to single me out, and from Don Imus being the first domino to fall, Twista was the first artist to take a hit from Hip Hop becoming a scapegoat over racism. The whole situation made me mad because we have parental advisory stickers on all our music and kids’ parents can make the choice to either support another artist or buy the clean version. So to me it felt like they were trying to hurt my credibility, and my pockets, and my music, all because of something that another man started. There was an internet blogger that said the real reason McDonald’s dropped you was because you did a show in New York that didn’t fare too well, and that the crowd wasn’t really responsive. Do you think there is any truth to that? Naw, I think they did that strictly off of the Reverend giving them a call and speaking his comments. Everything was cool, and then all of the sudden it wasn’t cool. But its funny because they got the Bump J lyrics from the “Move Around” song on their commercial and Bump J is a street rapper, too, just like I am. But the Reverend just sent a direct hit out to me. When the Reverend put out all those anti-rap billboards protesting you, 50 Cent, Fat Joe, and Snoop Dog, and Eminem, what was your initial reaction? Man, I felt like, not that I got picked on, but that I got put in a bogus position. You gotta think that that Reverend leads a congregation in Chicago, so
I’m the easy to come at artist. So once McDonald’s was bringing an event to Chicago, and asking me to do the event, the Reverend decided to come at me. Have you spoken to him at all to try to work the situation out? Naw, the funny thing is that he never called any of these artists to say anything. He attacked us. And an attack is not positive, either. An attack is negative. He attacked us the way a rapper who has beef would attack another rapper. You know how rappers don’t call each other to work it out, they just diss each other before they get on the phone? That’s the same thing he did. He dissed us before he picked up the phone to ask us, “Man, can you clean it up a little bit?”I’m not saying we would have, because that’s how we make our money. But we put it in a certain category that allows you to control what music your kids buy. It’s the parents who decide what music their kids buy. If you don’t want your kids to have it, don’t let ‘em have it. There were a couple of charities I was gon’ look out for with that money, ‘cause I knew it was a McDonald’s thing and I’m a veteran artist, so I know how to flip it when it’s time to do something that’s for the kids. I don’t do profane lyrics at events for kids. I was gonna have the Choir Academy come out and do the “Hope” song with me, and I was gonna donate money to a couple of charities, but now the Reverend took money out of not just my pocket, but the community’s pocket. He didn’t know that, so he dissed me first. Back in 2004, it seemed like Chicago was the next major Hip Hop hub, and then that movement kind of ended a little bit. It’s not really like it ended, but the light will be on one place for a minute, and it’s hard to keep that light the light on that one place. At one point it was Houston, they had all the hot artists gettin’ it, and now people are coming at them the same way they were coming at Chicago, like, “Damn, I though y’all had it?” So it’s a shift. Everybody’s gotta share sometimes; the spotlight moves around. Sometimes it’s on the main man, sometimes it’s on the hype man. Speaking of sharing the spotlight, I heard you’re working on a new project with the Speedknot Mobstaz? Yeah, for sho. We got The Speedknot Mobstaz coming out on Koch Records, we got the new album, it’s hot to death. It’s called Mobstability Part 2: Nation Business. So they hitting you over the head with a ten year anniversary type of theme, too. We’re not making it just a Twista thing, we hittin’ you with a movement. The ten year anniversary movement. The album is coming out at the top of the year. Is it true that you’re going to be starting your own label? Yeah, The Get Money Gang. That’s something I’m starting to basically bridge the Midwest with the industry. It’s a way for me to help other cats get on. Are there any patiently waiting artists from the Midwest who you think we should look out for? Man, I gotta say love to man Skooda. I gotta say love to Dude N Nem for that “Watch My Feet” joint, I feel like they keepin’ it real with that one. That’s hot. I gotta say love to Chibliz; I like what he’s doing for Chicago. I gotta say love to Cap One, and especially I gotta say love to Yung Berg for doing it the way a Chicago artist should be doing it. But really, I’ve got love for all Chicago artists. I’m so happy Chicago is at the point now where I feel we can hit niggas over the head, and once we open the door fully it’s gon’ be business. The Midwest movement ain’t never end. Common just dropped his album. Kanye just dropped his album. The spotlight might move around a little bit, but we’re still right here doing our thing so I just want people to keep they eye open for the Midwest movement. Adrenaline Rush 2007 is my thanks to the fans for keeping me around for so long, doing my little thang thang. //
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now is called, “Pimp Like Me,” and that’s a tribute to Chi-Town juke music. I wanna let people see how infused our Hip Hop sound is with our sound in general. We make stepping music and we make house music, and juke music is like a faster form of house music. People are really loving that song, but I got even more on the album. I got a song with R Kelly called “Love Rehab,” and my joint with T-Pain called “Creep Fast.” I got a song with Bone Thugs N Harmony called “Ain’t No Hoes.” You’ll see. It’s some hits on there.
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