Syleena Johnson says on the title cut, “You’re gonna make it … You gotta fight to survive.”
That bit of encouragement isn’t worth battling through the rest of this disc. Gangsta threats and brutal retaliation mark “The Day After,” “Heartbeat,” “Check That Hoe” and the liner photos, which show Twista plotting and executing an attack on his record label. The artist salutes the hustling/pimping lifestyle (“Get It How You Live”). “Lavish” considers making cash and living large as life’s most noble pursuits. Marijuana invades a half-dozen tracks. Cocaine and alcohol crash the party as well. A guy takes a shot of tequila before a one-night stand (“Do Wrong”). Twista’s sexual conquests are extremely graphic, detailing techniques, positions and locales (“Check That Hoe,” “Get It How You Live,” “Girl Tonite,” “Hit the Floor,” “When I Get You Home [A.I.O.U.]” and “I’m a Winner”). Other songs describe a racially diverse ménage à trois (“Chocolate Fe’s and Redbones”) and managing prostitutes (“Holding Down the Game”). Obscenities appear early and often—lots of f-words and misogynist slang.
Twista, who claims his lyrics are as “deep as the word of a preacher,” is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the fastest rapper on earth. All that means is that he only needs 57 minutes to spew the same sleaze it takes rivals over an hour to rhyme. Steer clear.
