Next month Chicago veteran Twista will step into the executive’s chair for the first time, helming a Midwest-centered compilation off his newly launched Get Money Gang records.
Christened Twista Presents: The GMG Compilation: Who’s Got Next?, Twista explains to AllHipHop.com that his primary goal as CEO is to introduce on a national scale the overlooked talent of his region.
“My own reason for doing this is like you got a lot of artists that’s like the representative or the main person that come out of they city and is supposed to reach back and put on guys from your area and that’s what I’ve been doing from day one,” Twista told AllHipHop.com. “Right now I feel like Skooda, Mello, and the rest of the guys that’s down with me are like the hottest guys in the Midwest right now.”
Now having to study market trends as a fledgling CEO, Twista expressed frustration on what he views is the music’s movement away from actual rapping and lyrical dexterity to singing and other theatrics.
“I know ni**a’s got swag but this is about skills, because ni**a’s done got too far away from rapping,” he reasoned. “Ni**as is crying and whining on records and sh*t. It’s about lyrics.”
Although by no means retired, Twista elaborated that it felt good to take a backseat on the musician side and give a great opportunity to emcees with the drive and work ethic.
“With this album, I just sat back and played the Puffy role,” Twista stated. “I’ve been waiting to get to that point anyway when I can just sit back and watch the next guys come up and just do they thing. If I hear something that sounds too crazy or something I pull out the shotgun and be like no we can’t go there, but for the most part, the guys be tearing it up. They keep me on point, so I’m loving how everything is.”
The Get Money Gang compilation Who’s Got Next is set for release on November 11, and features long-time Twista producers Tight Mike (“Pimp Like Me,” “Whip Game Proper”) and Toxic (“Pimp On,” “Kill Us All”).