E. Twiss - Chaos Theory (Album)

E. Twiss is one of those acts who only keeps improving with every release. Last year brought us what I personally consider to be his magnum opus, “It’s Ok, I’m Fine” but “Chaos Theory” may be close to taking its place in due time. The album opens with Twiss coming to the realization that, someone close to him was merely putting up a front. How can anyone claim to love you but only publicly, who, when behind closed doors, struggles so much with saying those three little words that pack so much power? Upon seeing this person for who they are, he immediately got himself up out of that situation to start anew, “Ten Thousand Miles” away. The simple fact that he was able to walk away from a situation that was no longer serving him is enough to make others jealous but he don’t fret over this, being that, at least whenever he looks at his reflection, he’s satisfied with who he sees. He’s not apologizing for this either, nor is he drowning the pain that came with making this decision, he’s simply doing what he wants & it just so happens, this involves a lot of beautiful women. He could’ve never imagined getting to this juncture in his life & career but it’s truly astonishing how fast your life can change.

He’s experienced enough fugaziness to spot fake love the second he sees it, whether that be people around him feeling some type of way cause he’s too busy with his career to catch feelings or hang around with certain people doing nothing all day. The second you get even the slightest amount of money or notoriety, people around you start acting different, possibly saying shit like “oh, he’s changed”, you damn right he has, he didn’t work this hard to stay stagnant & complacent with being so. The way he’s able to switch from his pacy flow to the slow flow then pick it back up again, those fluctuations in his flow are just so remarkably executed. Their love is “No Love” to him & anybody smart enough to see them for who they really are for that matter. This bleeds into the previously released posse cut “Ghidora”. It’s great that we still get famished records as such, just 3 elite level MC’s showing off their technical skills, especially in a climate that pretends like there ain’t a place for pure skill in this game. Twiss, Minus & Pauliiito effortlessly denote that notion, in monstrous fashion at that.

On “Cold Cities”, Twiss tries to thaw out his frostbitten heart. The city he knew & love turned cold on him once he started making a name for himself, that’s usually how it goes but he’s found that other cities are just as inclement, if not more as he rides alone & ponders returning home, hopefully to warm embraces. Things completely switch on “Blind”, a much more subdued, almost stripped down number. A beautiful mixture of Pop & Acoustic vibes & the most earnest record off this album, which finds Twiss expressing true regret & remorse for his missteps in his love life. He’s not desperate by any means to get this person back, he understands that after everything that’s happened between them, that’s not so likely, he’s all out of chances & is simply struggling with accepting having to lay in this bed he’s made for himself. Hopefully next time he won’t be so “Blind” & can see his mistakes & do what he can to hold himself accountable & do whatever he can to prevent them.

Too many people claim to be down but whenever the push comes to shove or even whenever you find yourself moving up in this world, those same people who claimed to always hold you down, now refuse to, for whatever reasons they tell themselves, it’s not really of concern to him, thought it can be very disconcerting, as he expresses throughout “Stay Down”. But fuck it, there’s bigger fish to fry, he’s been “Workin’ All Day” & don’t have the patience to come home & deal with other people’s nonsense. Frequent collaborator Stilo Jordan slides through, as well as SETTHETONE-T on this number strictly intended for the working man. We find him concerning himself with people & shit he really shouldn’t be all too worried about on “Bang Bang” but luckily is able to dismantle these evil forces lyrically before they do any real damage. He’s grateful he’s “Still Alive” after making it out of these war zones, seemingly unscathed on the Ominous the Monster assisted cut.

There’s nothing quite like an ear worm is there?  I find it to be a beautiful metaphor for his infatuation with this woman on “Greatest Song”, you know you’re talented when your sole interlude is spitting more game than most normal, day to day guys can do, they struggle so sadly to make the ladies swoon as much as he clearly will with this record. He wants her to be “Free”, absolved of all the stresses & ills of this world she’s been unfortunately exposed to on this DiversiD collab. These two always make a classic whenever they link. It’s never “Too Late” to go out & achieve your goals but it can be too late to try to finagle your way back into his circle after removing yourself out of spite or jealousy, you don’t get to just re-enter his circumference whenever you so please & you ain’t about to guilt trip him into opening those gates either.

He sacrificed a lot to reach a sense of “Paradise” & while life is going great since he’s now enjoying the fruits of his labor, he never forgets those times when it was all just a sheer dream of his, a fantasy he never could’ve imagined would be attainable in the years to come. As hard as he worked to get to this point is as hard as he works to maintain it & enjoy it while he can cause he knows none of it will mean a thing once God calls on him to come back home. He still ponders a love lost on “Hello, Goodbye” but that’s how life goes, people grow apart & it’s best that we just support each other from afar. It’s beautiful that he never forgot who was actually there when he needed it & maybe even when he didn’t really deserve their presence in their lives. He wishes her all the best in whatever endeavor she pursues in life. He ends this opus on a high note, vowing to save himself, no longer waiting around for someone else to swoop in & do it for him. He’s now comfortable standing tall on his own two but knows he’s yet to reach his peak & continues to strive for more.