Twista's Adrenaline Rush 2007: A Review

In 2007, ten years removed from his arguably classic Atlantic Records debut, Twista released Adrenaline Rush 2007, a sequel. Unfortunately, the record not only lacks the excellence of 1997's Adrenaline Rush - its hard-hitting street tracks and silky singles, it is perhaps the worst record in the veteran's catalog.

There are too many things separating this from the original: too many irrelevant skits (hearing Twista use his ability to rap quickly to imitate an auctioneer on What Would Twista Do If He Wasn't Rapping? is rather absurd as the novelty of his speed has largely worn off); no Traxster production; songs that veer wildly from the soundscape of the album; uninspired production, in many cases; and overindulgence. The use of trendy guest stars like The Neptunes' Pharell, Lil Wayne, and T-Pain, plus the overuse of screwed vocals plus the sparing use of his own rapid-fire vocals plus the title plus the appearance of the otherwise solid beef squashing Bone Thugs-N-Harmony collaboration scream, "gimmicky."

Eschewing Traxster, Kanye, or any other name producer for more than a single track, Twista seems determined to make the album with little input outside of long-time producer Toxic. This is a mistake. Toxic's solidly Midwest beats suit Twista well, but they simply do not fit the rest of the beats on the album. No one seems to be at the helm here as an executive producer; it seems that this is simply Twista's latest collection of recordings - a mixtape, even, rather than an album.

The few highlights include the lightning fast T-Pain collaboration Creep Fast (which contains a striking combination of triple and double time vocals from both artists), the aforementioned Bone Thugs-N-Harmony collaboration, the crisp Lil Wayne collaboration Whip Game Proper, the Cee-Lo feature Say Say, and the concept record Seven Day Hustle. The problem is, excepting the first two, crossover fare is now what most long-time Twista fans want to hear from the man, hence the middling critical reception to his previous album The Day After(read review). He excels at street tracks like Charged, which unfortunately, is simply too short and over-relies on a sample of his own vocals (from Adrenaline Rush's classic Overdose) in the same manner as Black Rob's Whoa or Cam'ron's Oh Boy.

Generally, his street records are solid here, but they are simply too few of them. The crossover attempts are bland, exemplified by the Pharell-assisting Give It Up. And there is nothing that anchors the record here, nothing that really epitomizes the album in the manner of Adrenaline Rush's Overdose, Feels So Good, Get It Wet, or the title track. In short, Adrenaline Rush 2007 does a disservice to the original by purporting to reprise what fans enjoyed about the original. Download select tracks from iTunes rather than buying the full album.

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