Press Fanatic Magazine October 2015 | Page 23

Twiztid is an American hip hop duo from Detroit, Michigan. Formed in 1997, Twiztid is composed of Jamie Spaniolo and Paul Methric, who perform under the respective personas of Jamie Madrox and Monoxide Child. Spaniolo and Methric are former members of the group House of Krazees, which disbanded in 1997 a year after Jamie and Paul left.

Twiztid performs a style of hardcore hip hop and have released nine studio albums, nine EPs, seven compilations, and one mixtape. September 12, 2014, InGrooves released its upcoming "New Release Packet" for October and it was announced that their new label will be called Majik Ninja Entertainment. Since their new label they have released albums such as A New Nightmare and The Darkness

Prior to Twiztid, Jamie Spaniolo and Paul Methric were members of the hip hop trio House of Krazees, under the names Mr. Bones and Hektic, along with the third member, the R.O.C. The group released five albums before disbanding in 1997. After the split, Methric and Spaniolo sent a demo tape to Insane Clown Posse member Joseph Bruce (Violent J). The demo contained the tracks "2nd Hand Smoke," "Diemuthafuckadie," and "How Does It Feel?" Bruce was extremely impressed, invited Methric and Spaniolo to perform on 'The House of Horrors Tour', and signed them to Psychopathic Records. Before the tour kicked off, Bruce, Methric and Spaniolo decided on a name that they felt would fit the duo—"Twiztid".

On February 7, 2014, at the Days of Dead convention Twiztid held a seminar and announced that they have started their own label. No name was given, but they said the label had already signed some artists with only one being announced; Blaze Ya Dead Homie. They said that they are wanting to give artists a chance, like they were given, that may not have had that opportunity. It is more than likely the label had already been started in 2013, and was finally announced at the "Days Of Dead Convention".

In a mid April 2015 interview with NE-HipHop with Monoxide Child, he stated that Twiztid will take a backseat after 2015 to focus on the label roster. He also stated that they are close to releasing the label roster, and they will be siging 5 new artits, 3 from California, 1 from New York, and 1 from Detroit. He also stated that they will be working on their movie next year. On May 13, 2015 it was announced that Twiztid will be rereleasing W.I.C.K.E.D. through Majik Ninja Entertainment on a double blood red vinyl with only a limited edition of 2,000 copies being made. The vinyl release is scheduled for August 21, 2015. On July 6, 2015 it was announced that Twiztid will be performing the entire "Freek Show" album in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The date is unknown as of July 6, 2015. On July 16, 2015. it was announced that the 15 Year Freek Show Anniversary Show will be held October 21, 2015. On August 19, 2015 on Twiztid's official periscope page it was announced that they would not tour in the United States, but only in Canada in 2016, aside from their regular annual shows (GOTJ, Fright Fest etc.) to focus on albums, movies and other things with the label. At Crypticon Kansas City 2015 Sid Haig announced that he had just helped the group finish recording the 2nd half of The Darkness and that it will release before the end of the year.

Twiztid's performance style is often described as horrorcore. According to Spaniolo, "Think of it as if there was a Halloween or Friday the 13th on wax and Jason and Michael Myers could actually rap, this is what their vibe would sound like." Spaniolo has cited Kiss as an influence. While Man's Myth featured a hip hop-oriented sound, Mutant featured a rock oriented sound. According to Spaniolo, "I've always wanted to do a Rock album and to date that was the closest thing to it we have ever done, so it holds a special place in my heart."