Twista's "Slow Jamz" (2003)

Album: Kamikaze
Producer: Kanye West
Label: Atlantic

What began as a Twista album interlude featuring Jamie Foxx doing a stand-up comedy bit turned into the biggest hit of Twista's career and a catalyst for Chicago hip-hop's come-up in the mid-Aughts. "Slow Jamz" almost didn't happen for a number of reasons: missed deadlines, lost hard drives, etc.—but when it hit, it hit hard.

The first No. 1 single for all three artists, “Slow Jamz” was hugely important for Twista, who'd been in label limbo at Atlantic and hadn't released an album in seven years when “Slow Jamz” pushed Kamikaze to double-platinum status.

But while Twista received top-billing on the record, arguably the song’s biggest star was producer-turned-rapper, Kanye West. Having trouble understanding Twista’s tongue-twisting lyrics? Well, the new kid with the Midwestern charm made his own sing-songy verse easy to follow. Despite its mellow tempo, “Slow Jamz” shot to the top of the charts and every party playlist—and all three artists have had viable music careers since.