Kamikaze

It’s tempting to listen to Twista’s massive hit “Slow Jamz” and write him off as a novelty. As if his mile-a-minute rhyming wasn’t enough, the tune also includes a Luther Vandross sample played at 78 rpm and a chorus crooned by Jamie Foxx (yes, that Jamie Foxx) that name-checks a roll call of R&B icons. But he’s for real. Like his nearest antecedent Busta Rhymes, Twista has a distinctive style that could easily grow tired. But on his latest album, Kamikaze, clever production and a good sense of humor consistently bail him out. The grand, theatrical backing for “Get Me” works as a nifty counterpoint to Twista’s dazzling lyrical acrobatics, and “Badunkadunk” may be the most entertaining tune about big asses since “Baby Got Back.” By the end, we’d certainly heard enough of Twista’s self-aggrandizing tales of lady-slaying to last a lifetime, but it seems that when your tongue works that fast, it’s a little hard to shut it off.