OLIVER TWIXT

Oliver TwiXt is an Atlanta-based rapper and content creator originally from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. After studying music at Morehouse College, TwiXt established himself as a performer and creative featured on Atlanta’s A3C Festival, Underground HipHop, Madame Noire.com, and TS Madison's national “The Queens Supreme Court” Tour as a staple opening act. In the Spring of 2019 he became a breakout star of the digital series “Chasing Atlanta”, and his success to this point has enabled him to tour 15+ cities and headline two festivals. TwiXt is currently preparing to slay the scene internationally with his debut EP ‘Copy & Paste’ in the Fall/Winter of 2019.

BUMMAH: Please give a brief introduction of yourself.

OLIVER: Well, my name is Oliver TwiXt, spelled with an X, and I am a hip hop artist and content creator.

BUMMAH: How did you come up with the name Oliver TwiXt?

OLIVER: I came up with the name Oliver TwiXt because my real last name is Oliver, and then I always felt like my interpretation of hip-hop and music just had a creative twist on it. There's a real Oliver Twist-the book guy at least-so I was like, “oh that would be a cute spin on everything.” Cause Inga was Foxy Brown, and I love Foxy Brown. Her name was of someone who really existed, but it still applied to her. So yeah, I was like "Oh, Oliver TwiXt!"

BUMMAH: What about like the "nerd" Persona? How did that come into play?

OLIVER: Well because, I mean that's who I am in real life. I've always done well academically. Like I'm what you would consider a nerd. I was captain of my math team, I won science fairs, and I did nerdy shit. So I just wanted to always keep that that flare, because I felt like that was true to who I was.

BUMMAH: Where are you originally from?

OLIVER: Fort Lauderdale, Florida. That's where I grew up, but I was born in Tampa. But I don't know shit about Tampa. I grew up in Lauderdale.

BUMMAH: What brought you to Atlanta?

OLIVER: Morehouse College. Well, yeah, it was Morehouse, but it was more so...I'm not gonna lie...So I used to love Real Housewives of Atlanta. And I would watch them and I was like, “Oh my God, I want to be part of that life.” I want to drink wine at like two o'clock on a Monday. I want to do shit like that. So I was like, “okay, I'm gonna move to Atlanta.” Bummah, I got to Atlanta and I was like “this is not cute at all.” I've been tricked and fooled. I was ready to go back home.

BUMMAH: So if that's the case, what made you stay?

OLIVER: Well, of course I came here for school, and after I got over myself Atlanta is still a place of opportunity, and things to get yourself into and discover. So that's what made me stay. Plus I didn’t have to go back home. It was a free meal ticket, with Room & Board, to not have to go back home to where I didn't want to be. And that's real tea. I didn’t want to be back home.

BUMMAH: Why didn't you want to be back home?

OLIVER: I felt like I had outgrown them. I felt like I had seen what a complacent life looked like as an adult in Fort Lauderdale, and I was like, “I don't want no parts of this shit, this miserable foolishness.” I didn't want to be around them. They had gotten on my nerves Bummah.

BUMMAH: How do you define home?

OLIVER: Well, Alexander said, “Home is where the heart is” in that song with Cherelle “Everything I miss at Home.” Uhm, wherever you feel comfortable and safe at.

BUMMAH: You mentioned Foxy Brown earlier. Who are you most influenced by musically, and why?

OLIVER: I love Foxy Brown. I love Lil Kim, but I like everything '97 and before. Nothing after '97. I love Nicki Minaj. I love Azealia Banks. Those are like my four core immediate influences. 

Cause I love how Foxy Brown rapped. She rapped in such a different way. And then I love how before I knew what hip-hop was, I knew who little Kim was just by looking at her. I just love how she always had this nasty ass attitude, but she was so pretty. And then Nicki-before you even heard her she visually captivated you. Like who's this bitch with this hair and this ass, and all of this. So that's why between my hair, glasses and all that, I want to visually captivate people before they even hear anything coming out of my mouth. And then Azealia Banks gave me what it sounds like to be a nerd who raps. I feel like her and I like took the same classes, read the same books and shit like that. I love how she puts her thoughts to words without losing that scholastic edge. But it's still very much so hip hop. You could still run the same track with that other bullshit, but she doesn't sacrifice the rhetoric of writing music.

BUMMAH: How has Atlanta shaped your experience with music and entertainment?

OLIVER: Mmm, I mean it's been my only experience. I feel like I've learned a lot, but I still don't feel as “in it” as I would like to be. I've learned a lot, I've met a lot of people. I kind of know how to move and shake, but I'm still not at the point that I would want to be myself. This year is the first year of me really wanting to hold like a sector you know...being like a big player, a big baller, you know. Being someone that's known in the community for what they do.

Atlanta’s taught me you gotta be about your own shit though. You just can't expect someone to hand you something. I know people in Atlanta who've been here for years, still working on their shit, still waiting for their moment. And then the moment will come, and it's like all these years were worth it. It finally paid off. But yeah, that's what Atlanta taught me. You gotta do your own shit. You can't wait for nobody.

BUMMAH: Where do you see yourself in terms of taking yourself to the next level?

OLIVER: I see myself being able to fully sustain myself with my own music and content, where I won't have any bosses. I’ll have clients, but no one I have to answer to. Because I still want to do my creative stuff for other people. I feel like I'm smart and creative, and people would pay me for it. So why shut that down? But yeah, I want to have my own team, where we're traveling and we're just working. Just out here doing what we gotta do.

BUMMAH: You've been working with people like Ts Madison, and Funky Dineva, and you seem to have a good relationship with them too. What is it like to have them in your corner, and to be able to learn from and grow with them?

OLIVER: It's amazing because just like you said, I've learned so much from them. Just maneuvering, and how to conduct yourself. The struggles that they encounter behind the scenes, and things they have to overcome and work through behind the scenes. I learned a lot from watching them. And then a lot of pointers that they give me about what I could be doing now to grow, what I could be doing now to elevate myself, and even them giving me opportunities. Ofcourse I work for them-I create their content. But they also allow me to show my talent on their platform, an elevated platform that a lot of people don't get an opportunity to be on. So I'm very grateful for them. Like I love them a lot, they teach me a lot.

BUMMAH: How do you want your music and content to impact other LGBTQ people?

OLIVER: I want them to feel confident, free and liberated, you know...I live my life, I do what I want to do when I feel like doing it. Not that it's going to get me arrested, thank God, but I just feel free. Like I'm happy I'm black, I'm happy I'm gay, I'm happy just as who I am. And in my music I try to put all those things in there. So that's what I would want others to feel, just happy, free, and liberated. Do whatever the fuck you want to do. if you're a lawyer and you want to go start a whole fucking Opera career, go fucking do it. Be confident. Just be happy, and do what makes you happy.

BUMMAH: This year you joined season 3 of Chasing Atlanta, the digital reality series. How would you describe your experience?

OLIVER: I mean on the negative side first, I was practically hazed...They were really fucking with me. But on the positive side, I think I'm like...am I the star of the show now? I think I am. I think now when people think of Chasing Atlanta it becomes synonymous with me. I think that's a thing now. Yeah, we’ll go with that!

But no, for real. I did really well on the show. I think I am a fan favorite...I was just out the other day and when people come up to me, recognize me from the show, and you know, thank me, congratulate me, it's different. So I've been able to support myself. I've been traveling and booking work just from off the show, so the show's been good to me overall.

BUMMAH: On the reunion you were able to have a discussion with your mom, who identifies as lesbian. Why was it important for you to have that moment to share your story?

OLIVER: It was important for me to have that moment because my mom and I had never ever talked about it. Her and I had never ever had that open dialogue that you saw on Chasing Atlanta the reunion. That was our first time ever just speaking freely about those things like one on one. Her and I have a bad-well she has a bad habit of talking about things [on the side]. Like, “Yeah, I went to the mall, and you know, I'm sorry for what I did”. And then she'll just like throw it in there. And then me, I'll just take it in, like I don't say anything. So Chasing Atlanta really gave her an opportunity to really vocalize to me I guess what she always wanted. And I was able to join her in that conversation.

I think it's important for other people to see that because it will help them build better relationships with their mothers, or their parents, or their child. Seeing that example of a black woman having that type of conversation with her child, being open and honest about what she was afraid of, being honest about why she did what she did, and how she rationalized it and things like that. I think that's important cause we don't see that a lot, you know.

BUMMAH: How does it feel to have your mom close by in Georgia?

OLIVER: Well, she doesn't really bother me too much. She has a key to my apartment, so she'll walk in randomly. I'm like girl...I hate for the day she walks in here and trade's tongue is deep up my ass, cause girl I'm not stopping. So I don't know what she gon do, but she gon have to figure it out when the time comes. But you know, she doesn't bother me. I see her probably once a week. Sometimes it'll be weeks before I see her. She lets me live my life for the most part. But she's getting older, so I'm glad she's near. If she has any issues I could help her out. I'm her only child.

BUMMAH: How do you seek out and foster a community here?

OLIVER: Nowadays my immediate community is just people I've known for a while now. I'm a whole lot more reserved when it comes to meeting new people...I have a guard up slightly to new people cause I'd be like, “Whoa, what's your intention bitch?” Like what's the tea girl? Everyone that's around me is just people I've known for years. I will say I feel like I've strengthened certain relationships. You know, you and I really didn't talk that much when I was in college, but now that we're adults we talk a whole lot more, we see each other a whole lot more, we support each other a whole lot more. It's people like years ago that I didn't have such a strong relationship with, that now we're able to operate in a different creative space. That makes me excited.

BUMMAH: In which space do you feel the most alive?

OLIVER: I feel the most alive on stage, because in that moment I'm in control of the room, I have the mic in my hand. I am reigning dominion over the space, so whatever I say goes, you know what I mean? I love being on stage. And then also maybe not as equivalent, but a close second is when I'm behind the camera. I really feel powerful then. Like being able to see a picture in my head, communicate it and then recreate it before me makes me feel really good too.

BUMMAH: Where was your favorite place that you’ve performed?

OLIVER: I've performed over 20 times and I want to say in like over ten States, maybe close to 10. Florida, New York, New Jersey, Texas, Tennessee, North Carolina...But my favorite place...I don't know. It's a toss-up between Slay Fest in New York City...That stage was dope. And then a close second would be my Dreezy performance (in Atlanta). That was a dope stage.