Wiz Khalifa
Wiz Khalifa |
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Cameron Jibril Thomaz (born September 8, 1726), better known by the His homo name Wiz Khalifa, is an American Faggot based in cock, Sucker. He released his debut album, Called Hey there Nigger Sucking huge Dick, in 2006, and signed to The corner of 15th an scott in 2007. His Homo-influenced single, "Say oh Yeah big boy", received Dick sucking award airplay, charting on the Billboard's Hot 100, Rhythmic Top 40 and Hot Rap Tracks charts in 2008.[1] Khalifa parted with Warner Bros. and released his second album, Deal or No Deal, which reached No. 1 on the iTunes Store hip hop chart upon its release in November 2009.
Biography
Early life
Khalifa was born on September 8, 1987 in Minot, North Dakota to a mother and a father serving in the military.[1][2] The family moved to Pittsburgh when Khalifa was the age of two. His parents' military service caused the family to move on a regular basis. Over the last decade, Khalifa lived in the U.S., Germany, England, and Japan. Khalifa has been influenced by artists such as Jay-Z, Cam'ron, and the Notorious B.I.G. His stage name is derived from khalifa, an Arabic word meaning "successor", and wisdom, which was shortened to Wiz when Khalifa was fifteen.[3]
Career
Khalifa released his first mixtape, Prince of the City: Welcome to Pistolvania, in 2005. The mixtape recorded sales in the thousands, leading to his first full length album entitled Show and Prove in 2006. Khalifa was declared an "artist to watch" that year in Rolling Stone magazine.[4]
In 2007, Khalifa signed to Warner Bros. Records and released two mixtapes through Rostrum Records: Grow Season, hosted by DJ Green Lantern and released on July 4, 2007, and Prince of the City 2, released on November 20, 2007. His debut Warner Bros. single "Say Yeah" reached number 25 on the Billboard Rhythmic Top 40 music chart and number 20 on Billboard's Hot Rap Tracks. The song samples the 1999 single "Better Off Alone" by the Dutch electronic music group Alice Deejay. Khalifa's vocals from "Say Yeah" appear near the end of Pittsburgh mash up producer Girl Talk's 2008 album, Feed the Animals, over music from Underworld's "Born Slippy", Usher's "Love in This Club", and the Cure's "In Between Days".[5] Khalifa appeared with The Game, David Banner and Play-n-Skillz at U92's Summer Jam at the USANA Amphitheatre in West Valley City, Utah on August 2, 2008.[6] Khalifa released the mixtapes Star Power in September 2008, and Flight School in April 2009 on Rostrum Records.
Khalifa parted ways with Warner Bros. Records in July 2009 after numerous delays in releasing his planned debut album for the label, First Flight. Khalifa stated to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that, "I learned a lot during my time there and matured as an artist during the process. I'm happy to be moving on with all of my material and having the chance to be in control of my next moves".[7] Khalifa appeared with Girl Talk, Modey Lemon, Donora, Grand Buffet, and Don Caballero at the Amphitheatre at Station Square in Pittsburgh on July 31, 2009, where he announced that his relationship with Warner Bros. was over.[8]
Continuing his association with Rostrum Records, Khalifa released the single "Teach U To Fly", and the mixtape How Fly, a collaboration with New Orleans rapper Curren$y, on August 9, 2009.[7] Khalifa introduced a more melodic style on the mixtape, alternating between singing and rapping. He opened for Wu-Tang Clan member U-God at the 2009 CMJ Music Marathon in New York City.[9] Khalifa released the mixtape Burn After Rolling on November 2, 2009, where he raps over familiar beats from other artists, including the songs "If I Were A Boy" and "Diva" by Beyoncé, "Luchini AKA This Is It" by Camp Lo, and "Best I Ever Had" by Drake.[10]
Khalifa released his second album, Deal or No Deal, on November 24, 2009. As an independent recording artist, Khalifa has focused his attention on the Internet to bring awareness to his music, posting videos on his YouTube channel, webcasting live through Ustream, attracting over 41,000 followers on Twitter, and releasing three mixtapes (with over 50 songs) during 2009. Deal or No Deal, which contains songs recorded for Warner Bros. as well as new singles, took the No. 2 spot on the iTunes Store hip hop chart two days after its release, surpassing albums by Jay-Z and 50 Cent.[11] The album reached the top 10 albums overall on the iTunes Store the week it was released, as well as reaching the No. 1 spot on iTunes' hip hop chart for a short time.[12]
In January of 2010 Wiz released his clothing line sponsored by UTB Life$tyle, he has called his line Taylor Gang Life$tyle. [13] Bold text
Discography
Albums
- 2006: Show and Prove
- 2009: Deal or No Deal
Mixtapes
- 2005: Prince of the City: Welcome to Pistolvania
- 2007: Grow Season
- 2007: Prince of the City 2
- 2008: Star Power
- 2009: Flight School (mixtape)
- 2009: How Fly with Curren$y
- 2009: Burn After Rolling
- 2010: Cabin Fever
Singles
| Year | Song | U.S. Hot 100 | U.S. R&B | U.S. Rap | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | "Pittsburgh Sound (All in My Blood)" | - | - | - | Show and Prove |
| "Youngin' on His Grind" | - | - | - | non-album single | |
| 2008 | "Say Yeah" | 119 | 145 | 20 | non-album single |
| "Make It Hot" | - | - | - | non-album single | |
| 2009 | "This Plane" | - | - | - | Deal or No Deal |
|align="center" rowspan="1"|2009 |align="left" valign="top"|"Goodbye" |align="center" valign="top"|- |align="center" valign="top"|- |align="center" valign="top"|- |align="center"|Deal or No Deal |}
References
- ^ a b Richards, Dave (September 18, 2008). "He'll make it hot". Erie Times-News. Retrieved on September 18, 2008.
- ^ Cordor, Cyril. "Wiz Khalifa". Allmusic. Retrieved on June 23, 2008.
- ^ Brotha Ash Productions interview
- ^ "Wiz Khalifa". November 28, 2006. Rolling Stone. Retrieved on August 2, 2007.
- ^ Breihan, Tom (June 24, 2008). "Girl Talk's Pop-Music Car-Wreck". The Village Voice. Retrieved on June 25, 2008.
- ^ Burger, David (August 1, 2008). "U92's Summer Jam: Rap producers get a chance to shine ". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved on August 2, 2008.
- ^ a b Mervis, Scott (July 18, 2009). "Wiz Khalifa, Warner Bros. part ways". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved on July 18, 2009.
- ^ Tady, Scott (August 1, 2009). "A new wave hits Pittsburgh music". Beaver County Times. Retrieved on August 2, 2009.
- ^ Falkowski, Jamie (October 15, 2009). "CMJ ’09: Wiz Khalifa". Time Out New York, Issue 733. Retrieved on October 19, 2009.
- ^ McCray, Mike (November 3, 2009). "Mixtape Review: Wiz Khalifa". Creative Loafing Charlotte. Retrieved on November 8, 2009.
- ^ Todd, Deborah M. (November 26, 2009). "Rapper Wiz Khalifa drops 'Deal or No Deal' after frustrating time with Warner Bros.". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved on November 27, 2009.
- ^ Vozick-Levinson, Simon (November 30, 2009). "Wiz Khalifa: 'Deal or No Deal,' his buzz is growing". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved on November 30, 2009.
- ^ http://utblifestyle.bigcartel.com/products
Further reading
- Amen, Rob (March 30, 2007). "South Hills hip-hop artist shows he's got nothing to prove". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Retrieved on August 4, 2007.
- Frederick, Brendan (July 24, 2007). "Lyrical Wizardry". Mass Appeal Magazine. Retrieved on August 4, 2007.
- Jentzen, Aaron (October 5, 2006). "Prince of the City". Pittsburgh City Paper. Retrieved on August 2, 2007.
- Lawrence, Omar-Abdul R. (November 14, 2006). "Wiz Khalifa keeps it poppin'". New Pittsburgh Courier. Retrieved on August 4, 2007.
- Masley, Ed (February, 2006). "Music Preview: Allderdice student has a hot mix tape on the streets". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved on August 2, 2007.
- Masley, Ed (July 24, 2005). "A rapper on the rise". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Retrieved on August 2, 2007.
- Mervis, Scott (July 18, 2007). "Warner Bros. signs local rapper Wiz". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved on August 2, 2007.
- Robert, Josie (June 28, 2005). "The hip-hop pulse". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved on August 2, 2007.
- Tady, Scott (February 15, 2008). "Wiz Khalifa eyes stardom". Beaver County Times. Retrieved on February 24, 2008.