| The Green Book | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | July 1, 2003 | |||
| Recorded | 2002–2003 | |||
| Studio | The Lotus Pod | |||
| Genre | Horrorcore, rap rock | |||
| Length | 65:36 | |||
| Label | Psychopathic | |||
| Producer |
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| Twiztid chronology | ||||
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| Green Book | ||||
 Inner cover | ||||
The Green Book is the third studio album by American hip hop duo Twiztid. It was released on July 1, 2003, through Psychopathic Records. Recording sessions took place at the Lotus Pod. Production was handled by member Monoxide Child, as well as Fritz the Cat, Mike E. Clark and the Soundsquad. It features guest appearances from Insane Clown Posse, Anybody Killa, Blaze Ya Dead Homie, Bushwick Bill, E-40, Esham, Layzie Bone and Tech N9ne. The album peaked at number 52 on the Billboard 200 and number 2 on the Independent Albums in the United States. It was reissued on vinyl for the first time on August 19, 2016 via Majik Ninja Entertainment, leading the album to top the Billboard Vinyl Albums chart and receiving a Detroit Music Awards nomination for Outstanding Anthology/Compilation/Reissue.
Background
After having established themselves with "grandiose" stage personas, Twiztid wanted The Green Book to be more personal in its lyrics; as Jamie Madrox explained, "We wanted people to see that inside those Shogun warriors there were people. After telling them stories about the mutants from Dimension X and all that, it was cool to try to personalize those characters more and let people into who we are as people".[1] This was particularly evident in the song "Fat Kidz", which reflected Jamie's childhood weight issues in a way that he intended to "make being fat cool. 'Be proud to be fat'. It's cool to be fat and try to empower those people who felt they were inferior".[1] It name drops numerous plus-sized public figures and fictional characters, including Biggie Smalls, Chubb Rock, Chris Farley, John Candy, Big Pun, Kevin Smith, E-40, King Kong Bundy, Fat Joe, Blaze Ya Dead Homie, Fat Albert, the Fat Boys and Grimace.[2]
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [3] |
AllMusic's Rob Theakston panned the album, writing that while The Green Book was an improvement over Insane Clown Posse's The Wraith: Shangri-La, "Twiztid sounds like a half-hearted attempt at a flaccid Kid Rock or Everlast recording session gone very wrong. Even appearances by the main juggalos themselves can't save this ship from sinking".[3]
On the 20th anniversary of the album, Jamie Madrox said that the album "resonated with people over a long period of time. We're proud of that".[1]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Green Book" | 0:52 | ||
| 2. | "On the Other End" |
|
| 2:19 |
| 3. | "White Trash Wit Tat-2's" |
| Fritz the Cat | 3:13 |
| 4. | "Afraid of Me" |
|
| 4:08 |
| 5. | "Wondering Why?" |
| Mike E. Clark | 4:21 |
| 6. | "Call Me" |
| 1:34 | |
| 7. | "I'm the Only 1" (featuring Shaggy 2 Dope) |
|
| 2:58 |
| 8. | "Speculationz" (featuring E-40) |
| Monoxide Child | 4:33 |
| 9. | "The World is Hell" (featuring Esham) |
| The Soundsquad | 3:53 |
| 10. | "Nikateen" | Methric |
| 1:07 |
| 11. | "U Don't Wanna B Like Me" |
| Fritz the Cat | 2:57 |
| 12. | "Serial Killa" (featuring Tech N9ne) |
|
| 2:56 |
| 13. | "Marsh Lagoon" (featuring Violent J) |
| Fritz the Cat | 5:20 |
| 14. | "Bobby's Dad" |
| Fritz the Cat | 3:05 |
| 15. | "Hydro" (featuring Layzie Bone) |
|
| 5:12 |
| 16. | "Frankenstein" (featuring Colton Grundy) |
| The Soundsquad | 3:36 |
| 17. | "Everybody Diez" (featuring Anybody Killa and Bushwick Bill) |
| Fritz the Cat | 4:05 |
| 18. | "Fat Kidz" | Spaniolo | Fritz the Cat | 1:33 |
| 19. | "Hom-Sha-Bom" |
|
| 4:32 |
| 20. | "Darkness" | Spaniolo |
| 3:22 |
| Total length: | 1:05:36 | |||
- Notes
Personnel
- Jamie "Madrox" Spaniolo – vocals (tracks: 1-9, 11-20), concept
- Paul "Monoxide" Methric – vocals (tracks: 1-17, 19), producer (tracks: 2, 4, 8, 10, 20), additional producer (tracks: 7, 15), concept
- Joseph "Shaggy 2 Dope" Utsler – vocals (tracks: 6, 7)
- Earl "E-40" Stevens – vocals (track 8)
- Esham A. Smith – vocals (track 9)
- Aaron "Tech N9NE" Yates – vocals (track 12)
- Joseph "Violent J" Bruce – vocals & mixing (track 13)
- Rich "Legz Diamond" Murrell – additional vocals (track 13), additional guitar (track 14)
- Steven "Layzie Bone" Howse – vocals (track 15)
- Chris "Blaze Ya Dead Homie" Rouleau – vocals (track 16)
- James "Anybody Killa" Lowery – vocals (track 17)
- Richard "Bushwick Bill" Shaw – vocals (track 17)
- The Soundsquad – music (track 1), producer (tracks: 9, 16), additional producer (tracks: 12, 19), mixing (tracks: 1-12, 14-20)
- Fritz "The Cat" Van Kosky – guitar (tracks: 2, 16), producer (tracks: 3, 7, 10-15, 17-20), additional producer (tracks: 2, 4)
- Marco Brushstein – additional guitar (track 20)
- Ashley "Lil' Pig" Horak – drums (track 20)
- DJ EZ-D – scratches
- Mike E. Clark – producer (track 5)
- Eric "Ewolf" Wheeler – photography
- Gary Arnett – design, logo, layout
Charts
| Chart (2003) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200[4] | 52 |
| US Independent Albums (Billboard)[5] | 2 |
References
- 1 2 3 Graff, Gary (October 26, 2023). "Rap duo Twiztid celebrates Halloween, 20 years of 'The Green Book' album". The Oakland Press. Oakland County, Michigan. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
- ↑ "Fat Kidz lyrics". Genius. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
- 1 2 Theakston, Rob. "Twiztid - The Green Book Album Reviews, Songs & More". AllMusic. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
- ↑ "The Billboard 200". Billboard. Vol. 115, no. 29. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. July 19, 2003. p. 50. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved November 3, 2023.
- ↑ "Top Independent Albums". Billboard. Vol. 115, no. 29. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. July 19, 2003. p. 53. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved November 3, 2023.
External links
- Twiztid – The Green Book at Discogs (list of releases)