The Deep End with E. Twiss on Its Ok, I’m Fine

Since the release of his “Devil’s Lie” single earlier in the year, E. Twiss has been quietly working on an album to vent out the trials and tribulations that he was experiencing in life at the time. E. Twiss has always been an artist to lay everything on the line for his listeners and never holds back anything. A great example would be his latest magnum opus titled “It’s Okay, I’m Fine,” which showcases his effort on a more personal level that many can find relatable factors and witness his glory in all. We got to take a more depth look into the album with E. Twiss as we break down each of the tracks on the album and ask him questions for our latest edition of the Deep End.

“Introduction”

Things open up on an ominous note with Twiss immediately on his knees, undergoing the penance of past actions, an integral part of the growth process for him & it seems that the second he began holding himself accountable for his actions is the second that he was finally able to attain all the finer things in life & is encouraging others to follow suit. Although it may seem like he has it all on the outside looking in, he’s still human & faces as many problems that many of us deal with daily & no amount money or nice things can make those issues go away so instead, he’s just appointed them straight to the art. He sounds like a man who’s been to hell, back, hell & is coming back up again to reach the heavens this time around, he has never sounded more determined, which lets me know that we’re in for some more insight on who he truly is and or becoming.

“Runaway”

He’s more than aware that he’s never truly alone, I’m sure he has plenty of people in his corner who don’t carry the illest of intent towards him upon seeing his success but there’s just enough that do, which makes him just want to “Runaway” from it all, isolate himself cause he’s not hanging out with any of you people, he’s reclusive now so what do you have to say about that? Not so nice things I suppose but it’s great to hear that he’s prioritizing himself & shaking haters off his surface like a bad case of fleas, this music is deeper than just the music & all they know is what they see, they don’t know the actual man behind the glitz & glamour but they shall soon enough.

“Basement”

Whenever he & Stilo Jordan connect, which they have on numerous occasions, it’s always magic & that’s more than the case with “Basement”, a subtle little trap esque number. Their auto tune flows are just ripping through the waves like the strongest of ripple effects, they’ve come a long way from the basements they were rapping their hearts away in some time ago & although they still have a ways to go up that inclination they’re steadily on, they still rap with the same fervor they had when they were first starting out, that hunger is something that’ll never leave them no matter how hard they try to fight, they were destined for this.

“Floatin’”

Things get a little bit more meditative as she floats throughout these emotions of his, he just has this uplifting tonality in his vocals as he subtly croons out his conversational flow to her. If I was her, I’d be swooning upon hearing this, continuing on with the auto tuned flow, he has never felt more elated than he has when she’s around him & even when she’s not, she’s still taking up major space within his mind & what’s even better is that the feeling is mutual. That’s just the power of not only his words but his character that she can fall head over heels for it & actually be able to trust the conviction exhibited throughout, something I’m sure she’s not used to feeling cause she’s probably been dealing with little boys & not a man like him.

“Roses”

What’s the point in getting flowers if you receive them when you can no longer smell them, I never understood why people still do that but when you’re alive, all you get are the thorns from those “Roses” & them stomping on those petals in front of you cause they just can’t bring themselves to show love to anyone cause they don’t have it for themselves, perhaps they too have felt like he does for longer than they care to specify. It’s almost bittersweet cause it seems like he’s accepting the reality of this for what it is & he knows all this hard work will pay off so, who cares if he doesn’t get the flowers he so deserves from people who honestly don’t matter in the grand scheme of things, he can just plant his own garden & it’ll be one only he can tend to.

“Deserve It”

Twiss has clearly overcome a lot of hardships to get to the point he’s at now this juncture in his career, he doesn’t do anything without a purpose, not even blink & to people who aren’t used to being this determined, it can sound like Morse code to them when he’s speaking, as straightforward as he is about his progression, some people just can’t hear it but he doesn’t let it stop him from putting in hours on end to work on his craft & perfect it even more than it already was. He never claimed to be perfect but once again, those outside of his circumference don’t see just how much goes into what he does, how stressful & tedious it all is for him to maintain this stature of his, anybody lesser than would’ve given up long ago but not he, he’s too stubborn.

“K.D.D.”

Posse cuts will always be something a Hip Hop head like myself can appreciate & here we get 4 entirely different artists coming together for something beautiful that meshes their respective styles together effortlessly. This is clearly gang, love when artists work with the same people we’ve grown accustomed to seeing them work with, the same people I’m sure he came up with so it’s beautiful to see that they’re still moving strong as a unit & having fun doing it, I mean you hear that hook? It’s always great to see artists actually enjoy the music they’re creating cause if you’re not a fan of yourself, if you don’t believe in yourself then how can anybody else? It’s been a lot of blood, sweat, tears, sacrifices, hardships, etc to get to this level they’re standing firmly on & there’s only more to come as they continue to move up the ladder.

“You Know That”

When he’s not putting in that work on his craft, he’s putting in that work in his relationship, she knows that he’s the shit & she obviously can’t get enough of it, it’s just the way he carries himself that gets her riled up in more ways than just sexually. His compliments to her aren’t the least bit empty & we know that cause he doesn’t waste no time getting straight to the point, letting his intentions known right away & she’s all for it cause as we all should know, women like a man who takes control, who’s so confident with himself that he just attracts her rather than chase her.

“Shine”

Still Jordan showing his face for a third time on this record cause why not? We all need a little shine to beam down upon us from time to time cause this is a dark world we’re living in but it’s a blessing that we have leading lights like these gentlemen to shine their light upon us & give us that motivation to persevere through any & all adversities we may be facing on the daily. They too have had to face a lot to get where they’re at & still, it comes with a price, it’s amazing how they haven’t lost their minds yet putting in as much work as they have & especially dealing with the ills of being a creative let alone being a person so combine those struggles, it’s no wonder they remain lowkey.

“Devil’s Lie”

Don’t ever believe the lies that devil on your shoulder loves to whisper into your ears & much to Twiss’s chagrin, he’s had to hear his bullshit constantly but the better angels of his nature are far too strong to allow the devil to overtake him. They’ve been hard at work eliminating the deadwood up out of his life, which can be hard to do, being that it’s usually the people closest to you, those that you love dearly who just be keeping you down & not only that, but, he has a lot of eyes on him & those people as well take issue with anyone making a name for themselves, which I’ll never understand, he’s not here for any of the fake love so it’d be wise to keep that to yourself.

“Trippin’”

I have a deep admiration for the subtle banger, the production keeps you at ease so as to focus on the verbiage that’s just flying at you, line after line. He clearly just took peyote then skydived after hallucinating & once he comes back down, it’ll be thousand of lines, if you know what I mean, entering their way into the listener’s bloodstream seamlessly, leaving them trippin’ as much as I’m sure he was upon recording this zanily insane record. Easily, this is the standout record for me, it’s just dope sick in every which way, like the blunt has been laced.

“Ok!”

We open strong then we end strong, you lose some, you win some & that’s the case with Twiss. He’s lost so much to be able to speak his struggles to us & like many of us, he too has had to overcome plenty of mental health concerns. It truly hurts when the people closest to you say things that they believe is helping but is only further causing you more mental & emotional strain & it can be hard to speak up out of fear of yourself feelings being dismissed, I sure as hell can relate. But, as frustrating as it can be, he is fine, everything is ok cause, he’s still alive to speak on it & hopefully his emotional musical journey can aid others in theirs.

E.Twiss managed to take a phrase that a lot of us tell ourselves when we’re actually not doing fine & things are far from ok & was able to make things fine & ok in this maturely crafted magnum opus of his. After all, it’s all about growth so may we continue to watch him grow & may we continue to grow with him for everything will be fine once it’s all said & done.

“It’s Ok I’m Fine” is your third album in your catalog, in terms of ranking where this does stand at in writing and growth for you?

E.Twiss: I would have to say it is at the very top. As an artist I strive to make each song, each project better than the last and continue to progress. With this album I really tried to show my versatility and growth as an artist and I think I was able to accomplish that.

The album is full of records where I feel like your pen was welded with more might, was there a new intake of motivation that you endure to help construct this album?

E.Twiss: During the creation process of this project I was experiencing a lot of difficult times in life. Struggling is a part of the journey as an artist and I used that as motivation to succeed and deliver a high quality album that helped vent about it a little bit.

Your not one to hide your emotions in your content especially when it comes to the intro records, what was the feeling of welcoming the Introduction on this album? 

E.Twiss: The feeling of the intro is meant to be motivating. And not necessarily motivating as far as working hard, but more so motivating to keep pushing through every day and to keep your head up. Everyone has a purpose in life, and sometimes the hard times can make us blind to that. I wanted people to hear it and think to themselves exactly what the album says "It's Ok, I'm Fine"

Any tracks that standout to you the most where during the writing or recording process you felt different about it until you actually heard it? 

E.Twiss: Yes, the very last song on the album actually. I don't want to give away too much about the record before people get a chance to listen but its very different than most of the music I've released to this point. Not just with that song, but the whole album, I wanted to step out of my comfort zone a little bit  as an artist and see what different vibes I could create.

You can easily hear the growth from “91” to “Its Okay, I’m Fine”, what changes in your life if any helped inspire some of the things we hear on it?

E.Twiss: I would say that just maturing overall in life and as an artist had a lot to do with that.

Your no stranger to wearing your heart on your sleeve and on this album I think it showcase plenty of examples of that, how important is it to you to have people listen in on the emotions your going through? 
E.Twiss: I think it's very important. As artists and music creators we make music to make people feel something. Someone listening could be going through something very similar and hear a song that may express exactly what they're feeling but may not necessarily be able to put in to words. So being able to use music as a form of expression to potentially help someone get through what they are dealing with or say how they're feeling is something I try to accomplish with every record. 

I know you had previously released “Devil’s Lie” earlier in the year, was an album already planned for you when you dropped it or did it happen afterwards? 
E.Twiss: We did already have an album planned,but the concept behind that project was something entirely different than the end product we have now. The things in life that I was going through made me start writing different styles of songs and made me adapt all together when creating the album that we have now.

I know fellow AAG member Stilo Jordan is seen very much throughout the project, how important was his role in assisting you on these tracks?

 E.Twiss: Man, I can't say enough about that dude. He actually recorded me and mixed every song on the project at Stone Creek Sound studio. That man puts so much into making sure that every recording sounds as good as it possibly can, and will literally sit there perfecting the mix not only until I was happy with it, but until he was happy with it as well. On top of the recording he produced 5 songs on the album (Basement, Roses, K.D.D, You Know That, & Trippin). From doing all that to also providing some of the hooks and background vocals. He put a lot of time into making sure everything sounded amazing, and whats extremely impressive is he does that for EVERY client that book a session with him, not just our team.

Any tracks off the album we can expect to receive the visual treatment for?

E.Twiss: Oh without a doubt. My goal is to get visuals out for at least half of the album. I wont reveal which ones those are just yet, but I have a good feeling that they will be able to keep all the viewers entertained and vibing.

If you could introduce your music to someone new in five words or less, what would it be? 

E.Twiss: Thats a damn good question. I'd have to say it's  versatile, lyrical, vibey,authentic, and unique.