Twiztid

Twiztid is an American hip hop duo from Detroit, Michigan, known for both their horror-themed lyrics and rock-influenced sound. Formed in 1997, Twiztid is composed of rappers Jamie "Madrox" Spaniolo and Paul "Monoxide" Methric. Spaniolo and Methric are also members of the group House of Krazees with Bryan "The R.O.C." Jones, which formed in 1992.

Twiztid was signed with Psychopathic Records from 1997 to 2012. They released their debut album, Mostasteless, in 1998. In addition to the duo's involvement in side projects such as Psychopathic Rydas and Dark Lotus, the releases of Freek Show (2000), Mirror Mirror (2002), and The Green Book (2003) established Twiztid within the horrorcore subgenre and juggalo fanbase. After two solo albums (one each by Methric and Spaniolo) and three Twiztid albums from 2004 to 2007, the duo released their most commercially successful album in 2009, W.I.C.K.E.D., which peaked at No. 11 on the Billboard 200 chart (the third-highest position in Psychopathic's history). After the release of Heartbroken & Homicidal in 2010 and Abominationz in 2012, Twiztid departed from Psychopathic in late 2012.

Although 2013's A New Nightmare was essentially released without backing from a label, Twiztid eventually formed their own label in 2014, Majik Ninja Entertainment (MNE). Around the same time, Spaniolo and Methric reformed House of Krazees with Jones as a side project. 2015's The Darkness then became Twiztid's first album on the MNE label. Their subsequent album in 2017, The Continuous Evilution of Life's ?s, notably appeared on the most Billboard charts in Twiztid's career with seven total. Around the same time, Twiztid established the yearly Astronomicon event which focused on video games, horror films, comic books, and musical acts. Twiztid then released six additional albums between 2019 and 2022 (during that timespan they also formed the spin-off groups The Rydas and Eastside Ninjas). Both Methric and Spaniolo individually released their second solo albums in 2024, followed by another solo album from Spaniolo in early 2025. Twiztid's most recent album, Welcome to Your Funeral, was released in 2025.

Prior to Twiztid, Jamie Spaniolo and Paul Methric were members of the hip hop trio House of Krazees alongside Bryan Jones. They performed under the personas of Mr. Bones, Hektic, and The R.O.C. respectively. The group released five albums in the 1990s before Methric and Spaniolo departed in 1997. Jones continued using the House of Krazees name for a few years before turning to a solo career instead.

After the split, Methric and Spaniolo sent a demo tape to Insane Clown Posse member Joseph Bruce (Violent J), which also featured their friend Chris Rouleau (Blaze Ya Dead Homie), under the name ISI (Infamous Superstars Incorporated). 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 better fit the duo—"Twiztid". They also took the stage names of Monoxide Child (Methric) and Jamie Madrox (Spaniolo).

Twiztid's debut album, Mostasteless, was originally released independently by Psychopathic Records in August 1998. A few of the tracks were conceived while the duo performed under their old personas of Mr. Bones and Hektic, while the other tracks were finished by Mike E. Clark of Psychopathic Records. When Insane Clown Posse signed with Island Records, they helped get a deal for Twiztid as well. In 1999, Mostasteless was pulled, and re-released on Island with a slightly altered tracklist and new artwork. In his review of the reissued album, AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine wrote that "[Although] the thought of a group of Insane Clown Posse protégés isn't exactly inspiring", the album "may take you by surprise...Mostasteless actually works better than most ICP records," that "Twiztid often is more convincing than [its] Dark Carnival colleagues," and concluded that "if you don't buy into the whole comic book-horror schtick, Mostasteless...will be irritating, but if you've bought into it, you'll enjoy this record as much, if not more, than most ICP albums". The reissue of Mostasteless peaked at No. 8 on the Billboard Top Heatseekers chart and at No. 149 on the Billboard 200 chart.

After the release of the Mostasteless albums, Twiztid continued to build their fanbase within the juggalo community by performing at numerous shows and being involved with associated projects. Dark Lotus was the first project that emerged, as it consisted of the then-current roster of Psychopathic Records. Although the debut album had been set for 1999 after the release of the single "Echo Side", the album was delayed and the song instead appeared on Insane Clown Posse's album The Amazing Jeckel Brothers. Another project formed was Psychopathic Rydas, which was a supergroup that consisted of Twiztid, Insane Clown Posse, Blaze Ya Dead Homie, and Myzery. The group took a satirical tone in the lyrics and used well-known gangsta rap beats as the backing music. The group's debut album was released in 1999, titled Dumpin'.

Twiztid was a headlining act at the first Gathering of the Juggalos in July 2000. The event was a success and Twiztid's presence continued for over a decade later. The duo also had made their acting debut in the comedy film Big Money Hustlas. The plot was conceived by Insane Clown Posse and Twiztid. The film was a success as the home video peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Top Music Videos chart. On October 31, 2000, Twiztid released their second studio album, Freek Show. In his review of the album, AllMusic's Brad Mills wrote that "this kind of music appeals to a small sector of hip-hop listeners and will probably do well within [its] niche market, but the average hip-hop listener will just have to understand that this is a different kind of album". The album peaked at No. 51 on the Billboard 200 chart. Freek Show also featured producer Fritz the Cat for the first time, who the duo would work with on-and-off throughout their career. Twiztid released their first compilation album titled Cryptic Collection on November 13, 2000. It consisted of studio outtakes, cut songs from the original Mostasteless album, and 1990s tracks from the House of Krazees era.