Twista’s “Overnight Celebrity,” now becomes Britcertified Silver according to the British Phonographic Industry. The award was given on September 29, 2023 for sales and streams equivalent units of 200,000 as measured by the Official Charts Company,
The song has been popular in the U.K. and was used in a U.K. advertisement for the BBC documentary “Celebrity: A 21st-Century Story.”
The second single from Twista’s 2004 album Kamikaze, the song Produced by Kanye West is undoubtedly one of those party starters that have transcend eras. West is also an uncredited featured vocalist on the hit, along with uncredited violin by Miri Ben-Ari.
In addition to the new U.K. certification, the song is certified Gold in the U.S. by the Recording Industry Association Of America.
“Overnight Celebrity” peaked at number six on the US Billboard Hot 100, with notable chart positions on Germany’s Black Chart (Official German Charts): #15, Ireland : #44, New Zealand : #12, Scotland : #54, UK Hip Hop/R&B: #5, UK Singles chart: #16, US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard): #2, US Hot Rap Songs (Billboard): #1, US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard): #23 and on US Rhythmic (Billboard) at #3.
The lyrics of the song tells the story of Twista meeting a woman on the street and using his lyrical prowess to charm her. He added fantasy to reality promising he could, you guest it, ‘make her a celebrity overnight’. The track also references Outkast’s “Prototype,” with Twista mentioning that Dr. Dre himself had praised the woman as the prototype.
The accompanying music video, directed by Erik White has surpassed 17 million views on YouTube, features an ensemble cast, including Israeli violinist Miri Ben-Ari, models Miya Granatella and Esther Baxter, and various Chicago rappers. Notably, while Kanye West played a significant role in the song’s production and vocals, he did not make an appearance in the video. “Overnight Celebrity” has surpassed 154 million streams on Spotify, Twista’s third song to reach the milestone.
Rappers Cam’ron and Bumpy Johnson did official remixes of the song, while an unofficial remix included Cam’ron, 50 Cent, and DJ Clue. Additionally, Kellee Maize’s viral song “Google Female Rapper” used the instrumental from “Overnight Celebrity” for a freestyle performance.
