Sometimes it takes an artist a little bit of time to come into his own.

Rapper Twista burst -- well, not so much burst as appeared -- onto the scene close to a decade ago and is now finally reaping the benefits.

His most recent offering, Kamikaze, showcases the word-worker's abilities on the mic but also surprisingly, and somewhat refreshingly, takes on a mellow vibe. Apparently, the wait has paid off for Twista because he's entering the Billboard charts at No. 1 this week, knocking off the seemingly unstoppable OutKast.

On Kamikaze, Twista picks and chooses when to explode, wisely leaving spots open for well-known guest stars such as R. Kelly and Ludacris. But don't be fooled by the aforementioned mellow comment; this is not an album you'll fall asleep to, because once Twista lets loose, he does so in a big way.

The big single off the album, "Slow Jamz," takes on a comedic aspect by having Jamie Foxx -- yes, Wanda from In Living Color Jamie Foxx -- providing vocals on the track. Surprisingly enough, he's actually not half bad, but he should not ditch the day job just yet. The comedy continues with Kanye West spouting lyrics like "She got a light-skinned friend look like Michael Jackson/She got a dark-skinned friend look like Michael Jackson." Lyric of the year right there, people.

For not being on the scene for several years, Twista has definitely kept his wordy roots intact while still offering up something for the newbies to his music. In any case, he's proven that his career won't be as fast as his "fastest rapper" Guinness World Record-holding mouth.

-- Reviewed by Jay Barimani