# Slow Jamz
"Slow Jamz" is a hip-hop song by the American rapper Twista featuring [Kanye West](https://www.edgepedia.org/kanye-west) and [Jamie Foxx](https://www.edgepedia.org/jamie-foxx), released in late 2003 and built on a sample of [Luther Vandross](https://www.edgepedia.org/luther-vandross)'s recording of "A House Is Not a Home." Produced by West, it became a number-one single on the Billboard Hot 100 in February 2004 and appeared on both Twista's album *Kamikaze* and West's debut *The College Dropout*.[1](https://www.chartreign.com/song/80619?chart=billboard-hot-100) • [2](https://musicbrainz.org/release/e152cf5b-37b9-4ccf-b9c1-72bbff55b121)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Artists | Twista featuring Kanye West and Jamie Foxx; produced by Kanye West[2](https://musicbrainz.org/release/e152cf5b-37b9-4ccf-b9c1-72bbff55b121) |
| Sample | Luther Vandross, "A House Is Not a Home" (album version); composers credited include Burt Bacharach, Hal David, Carl Terrell Mitchell (Twista), and Kanye West[2](https://musicbrainz.org/release/e152cf5b-37b9-4ccf-b9c1-72bbff55b121) |
| Album placements | Track 4 on Twista's *Kamikaze* (3:32) and track 12 on Kanye West's *The College Dropout* (5:16), both 2004[3](https://www.albumoftheyear.org/song/6302-slow-jamz/) • [2](https://musicbrainz.org/release/e152cf5b-37b9-4ccf-b9c1-72bbff55b121) |
| Billboard Hot 100 | Entered the chart on December 6, 2003; peaked at #1 for one week on February 21, 2004; 22 weeks on the chart, 13 in the top ten[1](https://www.chartreign.com/song/80619?chart=billboard-hot-100) |
| Other charts | #3 on the UK Singles Chart (13 weeks) and #26 on the ARIA Singles Chart (10 weeks)[4](https://www.chartreign.com/song/80619?chart=uk-singles) |
| Other personnel | John Legend on piano, Manny Marroquin mixing, Aisha Tyler additional vocals[2](https://musicbrainz.org/release/e152cf5b-37b9-4ccf-b9c1-72bbff55b121) • [3](https://www.albumoftheyear.org/song/6302-slow-jamz/) |
## Background and recording
The song began as a Kanye West production. According to the rapper Consequence, West built the beat from a Luther Vandross record and played it for collaborators in Chicago.[5](https://www.complex.com/music/a/insanulahmed/kanye-west-college-dropout-making-of) Twista later described his recruitment simply: "Kanye was like, 'I want to hear you on this song right here.'"[5](https://www.complex.com/music/a/insanulahmed/kanye-west-college-dropout-making-of) • [6](https://stereogum.com/2206718/the-number-ones-twistas-slow-jamz-feat-kanye-west-jamie-foxx/columns/the-number-ones) In the documentary *jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy*, West is shown recording the track at Jamie Foxx's house, which had a private studio, because [Roc-A-Fella Records](https://www.edgepedia.org/roc-a-fella-records) had frozen his recording budget while he recovered from a 2002 car accident.[7](https://time.com/6147551/celebrity-cameos-jeen-yuhs-kanye-netflix-documentary/)
**The single decision.** The track was not expected to be a hit. Plain Pat, West's associate Patrick Reynolds, said nobody thought "Slow Jamz" would be a smash, since Twista was not then a mainstream draw. What changed the plan, in Consequence's account, was Jay-Z, who asked about the song and told West it should come out as a first single for both artists.[5](https://www.complex.com/music/a/insanulahmed/kanye-west-college-dropout-making-of) Because Twista's label was paying for the recording, a deal gave *Kamikaze* the commercial look: it reached stores two weeks before *The College Dropout*.[5](https://www.complex.com/music/a/insanulahmed/kanye-west-college-dropout-making-of)
## Composition
The song is an homage to classic R&B "slow jams." Twista said he decided to name the old-school R&B artists who made slow jams in his verse, drawing on the Isley Brothers, Marvin Gaye, and Luther Vandross records he grew up hearing at home.[8](https://www.powmag.net/p/question-in-the-form-of-an-answer-twista) • [9](https://allhiphop.com/features/twista-talks-new-album-turning-40-and-those-g-o-o-d-music-rumors/) Jamie Foxx sings the hook, which name-drops soul singers including [Marvin Gaye](https://www.edgepedia.org/marvin-gaye), Luther Vandross, and [Anita Baker](https://www.edgepedia.org/anita-baker).[10](https://www.whitelotuscreative.com/articles/Smooth%20Jazz%20Magazine%20February%2006.pdf) The underlying sample is Vandross's "A House Is Not a Home," written by [Burt Bacharach](https://www.edgepedia.org/burt-bacharach) and Hal David, which is why both men share the songwriting credit.[2](https://musicbrainz.org/release/e152cf5b-37b9-4ccf-b9c1-72bbff55b121) • [11](https://www.musicchartsarchive.com/singles/twista/slow-jamz)
The title plays against Twista's reputation. He had appeared in the 1992 *Guinness Book of World Records* as the fastest rapper, credited with 598 syllables in 58 seconds, and his rapid-fire delivery over a mellow soul beat became the track's central contrast.[6](https://stereogum.com/2206718/the-number-ones-twistas-slow-jamz-feat-kanye-west-jamie-foxx/columns/the-number-ones) The *New Yorker* noted in March 2004 that the song carried what it called the most quoted couplet of the year to that point: "She's got a light-skinned friend look like Michael Jackson / Got a dark-skinned friend look like Michael Jackson."[12](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2004/03/08/rapping-it-up)
The two album versions differ. The *Kamikaze* cut runs 3:32, while the *College Dropout* version runs 5:16 and includes an extended bridge in which Foxx sings a run of R&B artists' names.[2](https://musicbrainz.org/release/e152cf5b-37b9-4ccf-b9c1-72bbff55b121) • [3](https://www.albumoftheyear.org/song/6302-slow-jamz/)
## Chart performance and commercial impact
"Slow Jamz" entered the Billboard Hot 100 on December 6, 2003 and climbed to #1 for the week of February 21, 2004, holding the top spot for one week during a 22-week run.[1](https://www.chartreign.com/song/80619?chart=billboard-hot-100) It was the first Hot 100 chart-topper for Twista, West, and Foxx alike.[1](https://www.chartreign.com/song/80619?chart=billboard-hot-100) • [13](https://time.com/6148010/kanye-west-slow-jamz-jeen-yuhs/) In the week it peaked, it sat above Usher's "Yeah!" and OutKast's "The Way You Move" on the chart.[1](https://www.chartreign.com/song/80619?chart=billboard-hot-100) The single also reached #3 on the UK Singles Chart in April 2004 and #26 in Australia.[4](https://www.chartreign.com/song/80619?chart=uk-singles)
The song powered both parent albums. *Kamikaze* premiered at #1 on the [Billboard](https://www.edgepedia.org/billboard-magazine) album chart on February 4, 2004 and had sold more than 820,000 copies by mid-March 2004; the *Los Angeles Times* credited the hit with helping Twista's third album reach that position.[14](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2004-mar-11-wk-pop11-story.html) Twista called the song "definitely the biggest thing that happened in my career."[5](https://www.complex.com/music/a/insanulahmed/kanye-west-college-dropout-making-of) For West, the single arrived just as his debut album established him as a solo artist after years as an in-demand producer for Jay-Z, Alicia Keys, Scarface, and Ludacris.[12](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2004/03/08/rapping-it-up) • [15](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2004/feb/15/popandrock.kanyewest)
## Music video
The video was directed by West together with Coodie Simmons and Chike Ozah, the team behind "[Through the Wire](https://www.edgepedia.org/through-the-wire)." Unreleased footage shown in *jeen-yuhs* documents a difficult 2004 shoot marked by creative differences, logistical problems, and financial limitations; West is shown clashing with his creative team over his vision. The finished video was released and supported the single's run to #1, and it had accumulated about 18 million views on YouTube as of 2022.[13](https://time.com/6148010/kanye-west-slow-jamz-jeen-yuhs/) The video featured [Anna Nicole Smith](https://www.edgepedia.org/anna-nicole-smith), whom West personally insisted on casting, according to director Coodie Simmons.[5](https://www.complex.com/music/a/insanulahmed/kanye-west-college-dropout-making-of)
## Legacy
The single marked a turning point for all three performers: it gave Twista his first #1 and his biggest commercial breakthrough, gave West his first chart-topping single months before his debut album solidified his status, and gave Jamie Foxx a high-profile musical showcase ahead of his Oscar-winning turn in *Ray* (2004).[13](https://time.com/6148010/kanye-west-slow-jamz-jeen-yuhs/) • [16](https://www.jones-massey.com/index.php/en/component/jdownloads/?Itemid=640&catid=688&id=12184&m=0&task=download.send) On Album of the Year, the song holds a user score of 94 based on more than 6,700 ratings, with 98 percent of users rating it favorably.[3](https://www.albumoftheyear.org/song/6302-slow-jamz/) Twista's follow-up single with West, "Overnight Celebrity," also became a hit, and the two Chicago artists remained associated with the run of hits that opened 2004.[17](https://www.complex.com/music/a/al-shipley/the-evolution-of-kanye-wests-production-before-college-dropout)
## References
1. [Slow Jamz, Billboard Hot 100 chart history, ChartReign](https://www.chartreign.com/song/80619?chart=billboard-hot-100)
2. [Release "Kamikaze" by Twista, MusicBrainz](https://musicbrainz.org/release/e152cf5b-37b9-4ccf-b9c1-72bbff55b121)
3. [Slow Jamz, Kanye West, Twista, Jamie Foxx, Album of the Year](https://www.albumoftheyear.org/song/6302-slow-jamz/)
4. [Slow Jamz, UK Singles Chart history, ChartReign](https://www.chartreign.com/song/80619?chart=uk-singles)
5. [The Making of Kanye West's "The College Dropout," Complex](https://www.complex.com/music/a/insanulahmed/kanye-west-college-dropout-making-of)
6. [The Number Ones: Twista's "Slow Jamz," Stereogum](https://stereogum.com/2206718/the-number-ones-twistas-slow-jamz-feat-kanye-west-jamie-foxx/columns/the-number-ones)
7. [Every Celebrity and Music Industry Cameo in Jeen-Yuhs Explained, TIME](https://time.com/6147551/celebrity-cameos-jeen-yuhs-kanye-netflix-documentary/)
8. [Question in the Form of an Answer: Twista, POW Magazine](https://www.powmag.net/p/question-in-the-form-of-an-answer-twista)
9. [Twista Talks New Album, Turning 40, AllHipHop](https://allhiphop.com/features/twista-talks-new-album-turning-40-and-those-g-o-o-d-music-rumors/)
10. [Smooth Jazz Magazine, February 2006](https://www.whitelotuscreative.com/articles/Smooth%20Jazz%20Magazine%20February%2006.pdf)
11. ["Slow Jamz" Song by Twista ft. Kanye West & Jamie Foxx, Music Charts Archive](https://www.musicchartsarchive.com/singles/twista/slow-jamz)
12. [Pop Notes, The New Yorker, March 1, 2004](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2004/03/08/rapping-it-up)
13. [This Unreleased Clip from Jeen-Yuhs Shows Kanye West's 'Slow Jamz' Video Shoot Spiraling Out of Control, TIME](https://time.com/6148010/kanye-west-slow-jamz-jeen-yuhs/)
14. [Twista is touching down, Los Angeles Times, March 11, 2004](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2004-mar-11-wk-pop11-story.html)
15. [West life, The Guardian, February 15, 2004](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2004/feb/15/popandrock.kanyewest)
16. [2003–2006: Ray, Unpredictable, and Dreamgirls (Jamie Foxx chronology)](https://www.jones-massey.com/index.php/en/component/jdownloads/?Itemid=640&catid=688&id=12184&m=0&task=download.send)
17. [The Evolution of Kanye West's Production Before "The College Dropout," Complex](https://www.complex.com/music/a/al-shipley/the-evolution-of-kanye-wests-production-before-college-dropout)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musical works and recordings › Compositions and songs › Pop, rock, and metal songs › Hip-hop songs › 2000s hip-hop songs*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license