It’s been over 20 years since Twista and Lil Jon gave the culture a certified club banger — in 2002, the two were featured on Trick Daddy’s “Let’s Go,” which is still in rotation today. Now, they’re back for a mash-up that might leave you hungry for more (literally).

In celebration of their latest snack offering, Lunchables brought the legendary pair together to remix “Peanut Butter Jelly,” a hit that recently resurfaced, thanks to TikTok.

Just three days after its release, the duo’s reimagined jingle was listened to more than 8 million times via Instagram, further proving that no matter how much time has passed, they still hold the special sauce that creates a tune that can get people, no matter their age, excited and inspired.

On re-creating “Peanut Butter Jelly Time”

“It was some work,” Lil Jon told Blavity. “Whenever you work with a brand, you’ve got to kind of understand what the brand wants. So when we initially had a conversation, the first time we talked about it, I took a stab at it, and I kind of made it more like the original, and they were like, ‘No, we want something new.” I was like, ‘OK, got it, noted,’ and went back, and then I came up with basically what you got right now. The song is a classic hit song that everybody knows. It’s been in movies and TV shows, and it went viral again when it was on Family Guy and Brian was dancing with the costume on. So, it’s like, I got to make sure I do this thing justice — all that was in my head while working on the track. I knew, though, it would take it over the top once I put my vocals on it. It took me a while to get the right bass line for the song, but once I got that, I was like,’ OK, we good.’ I wanted it to knock and I wanted it to have a little club appeal, little trap appeal, and I think we nailed that.”

When it comes to the craft, the musicians respect and love one another equally, which is not only evident in the way they blend together so well on the track but even in the way they explained reuniting to work with one another again.

“It’s some of the same,” Twista said when asked if their chemistry has changed since they last worked together. “He’s high energy, very creative, a master of what he does. So, it’s just luck on my part to link up with him every time. This time, it was a stroke of luck too, because the record is banging. For me to put my wordplay on it, and having input from the company that it was exactly what they wanted, like Lil Jon said, it made it a little easier to kind of craft it. But I wanted to put my Twista spin on it and mesh it with what Lil Jon did so that we can get that right sound. And then it does help that we’ve been eating PB&J for a long time — all our lives. It brings back childhood memories. A bunch of childhood energy went into the whole vibe of the track. And like he said, he nailed it, and I just wanted to put my stamp on it so we can make it what it is.”

Lil Jon added, “It’s funny, because when you do these type of songs, or you try to create these viral things, sometimes the brand is like, ‘Can you change this? Can you make it a little more like this? Can you add this?’ When they heard Twista’s verse, they were like, ‘Oh, that’s good. We’re good. No changes. Song’s done.’ So much credit to Twista for nailing it on the first try.”

The divine alignment that brought them back together

Lil Jon said that just three months shy of the Lunchables team reaching out to each of them about the project, he ran into Twista during an installment of the Taco and Tequila Festival, where there was lots of time in between their respective sets. He recalled Twista asking him to send him some beats, and so Lil Jon sent about 30 or 40 different instrumentals — perhaps meaning that this recent linkup might just be the first of many.

“God be giving you signs,” Lil Jon said. “Like, stuff is about to happen for you. Something is meant to be. You’re supposed to connect with somebody and do some things, and when I look back, I was like all of these things were, you know, bringing us together, to set us up to do this thing. It’s already going viral, and it’s only been two days. I think the Instagram views right now are at 8 million. God was putting us in the same places and aligning us to come together and do this thing. This is pretty amazing. It’s awesome, a beautiful thing. It really is.”

Lil Jon and Twista created timeless music still evident in pop culture today

With Lil Jon’s title as the King of Crunk and Twista’s rapid-fire rapping style (yes, he once held the Guinness World Record for the fastest English-speaking rapper), they both left an indelible mark on society and culture through their contributions to music throughout the late ’90s and early 2000s.

Twista and Lil Jon walked so that many artists who came right behind them and are becoming popular today could run, something neither of them takes lightly.

“I see a lot of our influence in a lot of the younger artists, some to the level that they know, and some are influenced and don’t even realize they’re influenced by us,” Twista said. “But man, I see it all the time. I remember when I first started rapping the way I was rapping, you had a few other people that were doing what I was doing, and they used to battle each other and have issues with each other because we wanted to claim a style. Then one day, I remember, me and Bone Thugs[-n-Harmony], and some of us looked up and we had a conversation, and like were arguing with each other, and look at all the artists that we’ve influenced that do what we do while we were trying to claim something. That’s a beautiful thing. I see my influence all the time, and am proud of it.”

“I just saw a video of a girl going viral, dancing to Twista’s song [‘Wetter’] — that’s how you know right there,” Lil Jon said. “Because they’re going viral on our original s**t, and they’re sampling us. Beyoncé, didn’t she do over your s**t too? I’m saying, motherf**king Beyoncé! How many people can say Beyoncé did they s**t over? Not many people, bro. I ain’t never told you that, but congratulations and kudos to you for doing it. I remember when you first came out as the world’s fastest rapper and they had you in the Guinness Book of World Records. That’s how far I go back with you, and then I became a super-duper fan when you were doing the stuff with Do or Die and all of that, that was the soundtrack, a part of my life. It’s a blessing that we are still here. We’re still walking. We’re still healthy. The 2000s and ’90s are coming back, and we can go and do these shows. I’m making more money doing shows now than when I was out and hot, which is insane to me, because of these festivals and the nostalgia.”

He added, “It’s just a blessing to be able to do it right now, and just to do it period, because there are a lot of people that started with us. They’re sitting at home, doing nothing. We’re blessed that our music is still continuing to inspire and motivate, and just making people feel good. At the end of the day, it gives people a feeling, and that’s why it’s lasted. That’s why it’s gonna continue to go.”

Bringing awareness to Lunchables’ latest snack

The new Lunchables PB&J, “grounded in kids’ love of dipping and the timeless debate between the perfect ration of peanut butter to jelly,” per a news release, includes “two deliciously creamy, crustless peanut butter sandwiches with a side of grape or strawberry-flavored spread,” and is currently available in select retailers nationwide.

Check out the reimagined “Peanut Butter Jelly Time” to commemorate the new release below.

Twista

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