TSS: What’d you think of him turning the tempo up on his flow for the new album? How you think he did?

Twista: Oh, man, I think it’s dope! And, let me give you a reason. Somebody might just say, “Oh, it’s dope that he rap fast.” But, me, I’m a true lyricist and I pay attention to the craft. So, when I listen to Tech N9ne, there’s a certain cadence and a certain rhythm that gets me down to the bone and the soul, that let’s me know, “Yeah, this is the shit.” Or, when I listen to Bone Thugs, or Ludacris. Everybody has a certain style of cadence, or style of rhythm, that no matter how much they switch it up, it’s still in there; how they rap. When I listen to Eminem, there’s a certain cadence he does when he raps fast, that I can hear and it let’s me know that it would be interesting if we jumped out on something together.

TSS: Kind of going hand in hand with that conversation right there, in December of 2008 your Guinness World Record title of “World’s Fastest Rapper” was taken by Spanish rapper Chojin. What was your reaction to the news?

Twista: Oh yeah, I heard about that. Well, one of the first things that came to my mind was how glad I was it spawned my career and did what it did for me in a major way, before anyone got a chance to come after the record back then. Think about me breaking the record back then, in ’91 or ’92, and then for someone to come out way later in ’08…I think I did pretty good for holding it down almost twenty years.

TSS: [Laughs] I would agree.

Twista: And then, when I go back and look at the syllables…how many syllables did he get? I don’t know.

TSS: Shoot, off the top of my head, I couldn’t tell you, (921) but I do know that if you go to YouTube and type in his name and ‘fastest rapper,’ the syllable count comes up in the title of the video. I didn’t write it down.

Twista: I’m pretty sure he didn’t go too far past the max. The max is between, like 675 and 700. I’ve done it so much. People don’t realize a bait verse held the title for almost twenty years. I thought Daddy Freddy would come right back and try to break the record again, but he didn’t. So, I caught myself stopping at exactly 600 syllables. I thought he was going to come back and go 625, then I was gonna go to 650. But, my max at the time was probably around 675…674. So, if you can go past 674 syllables, you’ve got me, hands down.

TSS: You sound like a mathematician over there, man. [Laughs]

Twista: Yeah. I be on it. [Laughs]

TSS: Obviously, rapping fast is your forte. It always has been, and more than likely, always will be. After all, your name is Twista. It’s your MO. Yet, over the past two or three albums, you started to put out more and more songs slowing down the flow. A few examples, being: “Get It How You Live” from The Day After and “Billionaire,” from Category F5. With so much time invested in branding yourself as a rapid-fire rapper why switch it up?

Twista: Just wanting that respect as a lyricist, sometimes…to the fullest. Even though I have a unique way of bringing my lyrics across, so they attract people, I think about an artist like Jadakiss or Jay-Z – who just come straight out with the flow – I envy an MC being able to make you like his flow with just regular words, because the metaphors and the subject matter make you pay attention. So, sometimes I want people to pay attention to my music without having to put the…you know, the sauce on it, to make it look so hard. Sometimes I just want to spit it with a regular flow and make you like my music the same way another artist does.

TSS: Well, obviously that’s a conscious decision on your part. Have you ever felt pressure from the industry to dumb down your music?

Twista: Yeah. But, with me, it’s not dumbing it down. It’s like, “I can rap normal, too, God damnit!” [Laughs]

TSS: [Laughs] Without a doubt. I mean, what did you say–675 syllables a minute? I don’t think taking it down a notch should be a problem. When it’s all said and done, and your mic is placed in your trophy room next to the platinum plaques, do you feel that your legacy in music will be solidified by more than just your style?

Twista: Definitely. The reason being, that…one, the path I’m taking with my music is kind of different. Songs like “The Heat,” that I did with Raekwon,” I feel that song solidified me as a true MC that can do it different ways. But, not only will my legacy be fast lyrics, but it will be longevity. That topic doesn’t come up a lot, right now. You just have the dopest MC or dopest lyricist come up. But one day or one year, the topic’s going to be, “who put out a record out waaaay back then, that you can go and look up in 2010 and they still got a record banging on radio right now?”

So, I feel once people start talking about longevity, and who been putting hits out consistently for a long period of time, then I think my name will be at the top.

TSS: Well, hopefully that doesn’t happen for a while. What’s the one thing you want to accomplish between now and then?

Twista: The one thing I really want to accomplish between now and then is to brand my Get Money Gang, label, imprint…whatever you want to call it…and just bridge that gap between the industry and the Midwest artists a little more. Even though you have me, Common, Kanye, or Nelly with the St. Lunatics; Kanye with G.O.O.D. Music…I want to do my part as a Midwest artist to bring forth a certain element of artist to shine and do they thing. So, like I said, I’m starting to get into the music through other aspects of the game. Not just putting out albums as an artist, but now I want to start A&Ring projects and writing for other artists, and even start to film things. We going to start filming things, as well.

TSS: That’s the real longevity, right there and we wish the best to you. Um…that’s pretty much all I got, man. We appreciate the time and want everybody to go out and cop the album, The Perfect Storm, on November 9th. It’s November 9th, right?

Twista: November 9th. 11-9-Heat, that’s what I’ve been calling it.

TSS: 11-9-Heat, that’s what’s up. One last thing I wanted to say before I let you go, is that – on a personal tip – you’ve been one of my favorite rappers for a long time, and it’s appreciated that you do keep it up and you do stay consistent. And, I wanted to let you know that my mom – an almost 60-year-old white female who lives the suburbs of Detroit – happens to know almost all the words to your song, “Hope,” from Kamikaze. So, I wanted to shoot you some props for that, because that’s really bridging the gap, man.

Twista: Man…that’s crazy. I knew it was something with that song. Man…thank you for telling me that. That song really means a lot to me, and I do what I do with a lot of feeling, so I appreciate that.

TSS: Well, that song and your music – in general – mean a lot to a lot of people, so we all appreciate that. Thanks again for the time and best of you luck with the album.

Twista: And I appreciate the interview, for real.

Twista’s eighth solo album, The Perfect Storm is on iTunes, Amazon and in stores NOW courtesy of Get Money Gang/EMI Records. Follow him on Twitter @twistagmg and visit for Twista.com for all the latest information.