Wiz Khalifa Press Clips 2.5.14

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SHIRT AROUND WAIST SAINT LAURENT BY HEDI SLIMANE
JEANS NUDIE JEANS (AVAILABLE AT MFWORTERCOM}
MAN
WIZ KHALIFA
This time I feel like it’s now or never
Ain’t going nowhere so no matter what
they say I’ll be here forever
JACKET AND PANTS
SAINT LAURENT BY HEDI SLIMANE
BELT VERSACE
BRACELET GUCCI
WATCH (THROUGHOUT) ROLEX
OTHER ACCESSORIES (THROUGHOUT)
WIZ KHALIFAS OWN
TjIM
INThTI*T)tTypicriJiy photographed with a giant h f smoke 7errin overhead, Wlz Khgijfa
earned his reputation on the back n(goc.d old-fashioned hurle Mixtaps and hard touringeulmi
nated In hi blazing breakout track B lack and YeIIow. Late last jqr, h rieased ONJ.PC, whkh
has already generated two hit singles, “Work Hard, Play 1-tard” and 9{cftieniber
ON lft5OIID I’m about partying, ao my songs ar usually just about smoking weed anTh1tng
htn.
Then somehody Isn’t having a great day. I like to be the guy that takes that load off your back”
CISIKCIIIL’Performing with Snoop at Cachlla [in 2012) was crazy. I grew up listening Cu
Snoop and idolizing hint. But not only did he bring me out that night, he brought our Dr. Dre and freekin’ hologram Tupac, To be in that aentencelapretty amazing. Pinchyonrecif? I had to slap
myself.”
OH[TTI$.IlI$ Ihis Ia a serious job. irs why I’m constantly at odds with friends and family—they don’t
under’nnd whyl go so hard, why never ttop, hut 1 like learning new things. Right now, i’m learning
to sue people and get tny money. After tahidng to peopie who work for Donald Truinp.—smarr, success
ful people—I’ve realized I gotta go after all bat. That’s what Pm going to do that I didn’t last year.”
WWI1UIUIHOTL ChIef Kee 9 t)on’t Like”; Juicy J. ‘Bandz a Make Her Dance.”
‘
I
4.
a
‘I’
iil1Lh
February 2013
Hand in hand:
Wz KhaIWa and
Amber Roe.
embrace IW.s
ups and down.
together.
‘
110
VI$ITEBO1Y.COM
I YEBItUAI{Y 2013
4
February 2013
(
COUPLES SPECIAL
Black American Style
O13
•M
here’s much that goes into
creating a marriage that not
only endures but also thrives
and grows: Chemistry.
Respet. Faith. And most
important, love.
Although they may have all taken different
paths to finding their happily forever
afters and may be at different points in
their journeys, our 2013 cover couples
embody all those essential ingredients
and represent various manifestations of
I
Tr
devotion. Bishop ‘LD. Jakes and First
Lady Serita have been married for 30
years; longtime couple rapper Ti. and
Tarneka “Tiny” Harris share a bqnd so
strong, marriage was merely a formality;
and newlyweds Meag Good and DeVon
Franklin looked to a higher power to guide
m down the aisle.
So in celebration of Black Love, we
asked these couples to share their secrets
to making it work, overcoming life’s
challenges and staying connected.
PIBRUARY 2013
I
VI8ITEBONY.OOM
111
LIIiJai
0•
a..
February 2013
I)ENZEL AND
PAULETTA
WAShINGTON
This summer, the Washingtons will
celebrate three decades of wedded
bliss. Most fans celebrate Hollywood
heartthrob Denzel for his work on the
big screen; however, it’s his union with
Pauletta that onlookers view as the
quintessential Black relationship. The
Washingtons have put their love of God,
family and passion for helping others
above all else.
ROBIN THICKE AND PAULA PATTON
Barack and
Michelle
Obama
Ho woohi fns’w1th his melodic voice and sexy
songs, andhe ttlrns heads with her killer bod and
smoldering-onscreen persona. ft’s no wonder the cou
ple, who started dating wher they were teenagers, has
all the chemistry they need to make beautiful music
together for many years to obrn.
Even before they
became president
and first lady, they
kept us mesmer
ized with their
stately swagger,
cool-under-pres
sure personalities
and an underlying
we-mean-business
demeanor. Wheth
ei it’s a shared look,
COPY AND TIA MOWRY
a quick kiss, a hand
on her waist or a
heartfelt embrace,
after 21 years
of marriage, the
Obamas Only have
eyes for each other.
Despite closing in on live years of marriage,
this young and sexy pair often seems as if they
are still in the puppy love stage of romance.
Now that they have expbncled their family to
include 1-year-old son, Ores, and are sharing
the ups and downs of daily life with reality TV
viewers, these two clearly hold nothing back
from one another.
WIZ KHALIFA
AND AMBER ROSE
I
I
He’s a tattooed, cannabis-loving rapper, and
she’s a provocative fashionista. With the
impending birth of their first child, a boy due
this month, this duo will soon become a trio.
Wiz and Amber are a blend of street swag
and badass romance. Both are trendset
ters and tastemakers who have garnered a
legion of fans by displaying their admiration
for each other in steamy photo shoots, coy
tweets and candid interviews,D
120
VISITEBONY.COM I
FIIIRUARY 2013
EBONY
February 2013
II.’
I
II.
fl
361W1Z
KNALIFA
8YSNêAKMFO
PHDID1RAPHY flY BRYE DUFFY
Taylor Gang’s general has
millions of fans, a famous
flance, and more pressure than
ever. His new album, GN.I.F.C..
addresses it all. No matter how
outlandish expectations are, this
burner plans to light them i.
ON THE COVER T-a*1byJtrmsPr,
J*byNJewsiHatbyaeyI
Sekemar/AIJr.yWlzn
WIiEL
FACECOOI cOM/COMPItX
tWit TERCOWiCOMPt.FMAL
gc
F-
•
I
Wiz KhaliCa is about to take his career
to the next level, but will his OG Taylor
(lang fans go there with him’?
PHOTOGRAPHY BYBryccDujJj
BY InsanulAhme4
S
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BALANCING
ACT
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U
,Yrt--
11
t
PLAY
Theres a party going on right here. Fresh from
rocking acrowd of 13,50() at the Nikon at Jones
ileach Theaterin Longlsland, NY. Wiz Khalifa
is unwinding in his dressing room. The sold out
show was the latest stop on the Under the
Influence of Musk’ Tour. ks midnight, all tlw
boor is gone. and the strategically placed incense
sticks have all burned ouc. But a bunch of people
are still floating around. as are an endless supply
ofjoints. plastic red cups filled with Bombay gin
and lemonade, and the sounds of classic hip I iop
breaks and boats.
It’s all fun and games as Wix-—who’s l)OOfl reek
ing the same torn-up, skintightjeansrthree
dnvs—-kicksitwith histhnerc11,
There are TaylorGang ti a ‘mlii ‘l’s lii k I Cartem’.
Wiz’s personal tattoo artist,and Berner. hi aptly
named weedguy who’swoz’Idng with Wizen a
clothing line called Fresl ike. I-Ic’s also famous for
his web video series. StonerGirls Gone Wild.
There’s Chevy Woods, Wiz’s longtime blend and
trusty sidekick. Theres Benjy Grinberg, founder
and CEO 01’ Pittsburgh rap jxiwerhouse Rostrum
1{oi’oi’ds, It’s been a busy day tor Bunjy since both
olthc Onil’s headliners. Wmz anti Mac Miller, tn-c
signed to Rostrum.
Then there’s Brian Brick, owner ofthe clothing
store Thnehomb. a staple of Pittsburgh hip-hop
and one of the first places to sell Rocawear, Phat
Ftwm.and Eckö in the City of Steel, There’s a little
bit of all ut them in Wiz. who is, after all, a fully
tati ed St in mci’ rappel’ emit reprcm’ui’ whose come-up
put Iit1sbu ugh I np• hop on the map.
Brick a.ndWiz arc discussing one ol’Wiz’s D).vorite
groups, Three 6 Mafia. “There are kids these days
-whntcn*nmvhmiro1dshitays’Wiz.
Before, Juicy was cadences, he’s more lyrical now”
Though he’s down with he ‘l’:myl ii’ ( a og. Juicy’s
headlining the Smokers Club Tour today. But an
unexpected guest has come by to hang out: .1. Ci ik’,
Wiz has known 11w Roe Nation rapper for years.
“We met itt the sti’et.s when we were both out
a hugging,” says Wiz. “We ain’t have no money and
no deal. We rose In out’ sit ijatlons together, We
share a lot of the same experiences.”
Those would be the experiences shiii ted by i
mw Iv minted rap stars—the delicate balancing
w( of chasing chart success while maintaining
underground respect. And make no mistake.
whether you prefer his crossover hit.s or his harder
mixtape. cuts, 24-year-old Cameron Jibril Tliornmu
is by all means a star. He’s got the Ililiboard hits,
the plaques, and the national tour to prove it. More
iflpi ii’taiit. Vlz has done what sii many young spit
tel’s dream of; but only a select 1(3W ni’ttiatly Pull
off: lie’s evolved from local star to indie signee to
Internet celebrity to major-label superstar..
TI tese days Wi is Uncle Snoop’s favorite nephew.
He’s the only one in the Industry Kanyc West ic
spects. And in Wiz’s own terms, he is the O.N.l.F’,C.
(Only thgga in First Class). itching him balance
work and play.juggle commercial expectations
arid creative vision—all while maintaining m’ela
tioiiships with fansand friendsalike—isan ihji’i’t
lesson in the trials and tribulations of rap stardom
circa 2012.
But right now, he’s just having fun playing
a game with Cole, The game revolves awn mid
Identifying the samples behind classic rap records
like the Channels’ “As Long as I’ve Got You’
(sampled on Wu-Tang CIa
QR.E.A.M.),Doby
Caldwell’s’My Flame” (Bigaic’s “Sky’s the LImIt),
and the Five Stairsteps’ “0-n-h Child” (2Pac’s
“Keep YaHeal Up),aIlof which are bumping
through a Bose speaker dock from a playliston
\Viz’s iPhone.
Guests arnund the room have to name the rap
record that used that })aI’t,icLiltSt’ sample. Ifthey
get it wrong. they have to gu’i.zlo a shot from a one
hiterbottleofl3ornbay. If they get it right, whoever
asked the question takes the shot,
Who’s the white boy that doesn’t ki iow this
shitT’ asks 3. Cole, nl’no one in particular.
One vh 1w boy who would probably recognize
all the samples (but has no time to play bei’atic
he’s too busy reccim’cling on his Wu ‘bus) is Wi.z’s
lahel.mate, Mac giller, ‘I’lw Pittsburgh nnxtap&’
sensation, whose India release Blue Slide Park
debuted al No.1 on the Billboard albums chart last.
year. was recently sued for $iO mill ion by Lord Fi
nesse over a 2010 niixtape cut. It seems the Diggin’
in the Crates Crew wasn’t cool with \ lw diggin’ in
their crates.
“l’he game has changed,’ Wix says. ‘Not to say
anything uga mist Mac. hut to an,v artist (who wants
toj mnak theim’ situation stronger. make sure the
songs that you publish sell more than youi’ mix
tape stuit That wiUhelpyou stand upagainsi that
becabse nobody’ean say that you’re lnmildlngyour
eareeroll’it.’
Wiz ought to know; be’s built quite a career him
seILHit,s,like the Stargate-preduced smash D1ack.
& ‘Yellow’ amid the [3ennv III;Lnco -produced follow—
ttp-’Nii-Irs”p” hn’t” raised-hun to the-sep ofl’he-rap---—-—
game. Still, the hustle never stops, One of the two
huge Provost tour buses parked outside contains a
makeshift recording studio. Ho’s conic a long way
sincethe days when he rolled back and forth flni
Pittsburgh to Now York in Benjy’s black t97 VW
Jotta. HWsgone from perrming in front of 20
people to averaging 20,000 a night. and from
earning thur figures aperl’oi’manco to six.
Midway through, Wiz and Cole’s sample game
takes an unexpected detour as they sIn m’l debating
who knows the lyrics to Canibus’ “too Bars’ bettet’,
(To his credit, Cole can recite the first few bars of
the song.) Entt’i’. when Cole descrthes a wonia.n
with a particularly fat ass, Wiy replies “1 can’t even
hear this man. Igota1iniice.’They play on into
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the wee hours of the morning. tIm row ‘trig back
shots ofgin until Cole winds up hauling in t h(-’
bathroom while Wiz pats him on the back. It’s all
part ofthebalancing act.
WORK
Back in 200.1. when Wiz was a teenager attend ng
‘raylor Alldem’tl ice High School. Ii’.’ wandered into
a Pittsburgh recording studio headed by E. Dan of
the production duo 11). Labs. When E. Dan heai’d
WI ; rhyme over a Dipset insti’u mental, ho was
blown
He helped Vi’i. put together a handful
of songs that landed In the hands ol’Benjy Grin’
berg, who signed Wiz to Rostrum Records in 2OO!.
‘Thcre are a lot ofguys who can rup. says E. Dan.
“But there are only certain guys who have that
39
ehansmu. ft was one of the first Limes I
W(IOCI somebody and thought ,‘This
dude has got IL”
The sec’ds of Wit’ charisma and
his love the music were planted by his
lhther a military man iamed Laurence
Thomas. Whc’S clad isa real musical
pi’rson says W LU Uzerubak, Wtrs day
toiiay iinger nod co-CEO ofThylor
Gang. “Grcnvlng up instead ol’wutcltLng
TV, they used to always listen to music.
He took that with him as he got older.’
As he grewup. WIz went through
phases whero heu14 dream ol’belng
a member ofhi.s favorite rap crewn Wu
‘fling Clan, Bone Thugs-N-I-Ia ,‘inonv.
Thnw It Mafia. and the Diplomats. Still.
his hither kept him rootxtd in reality,
“Mv dad made fle write down goals
every couple otmonths.” Wiz recalls.
say. ‘Whatareyottrgualsfor the
nexi. ceuple months?’ I’d tell hirn’To get
this, to do his, and have ‘nough money
tobuy this.”
Looks like the advice paid ott Last
year, Wiz tied Dmke on .f4bthcs’ list of
Hip-Hoiis TopEi’ners, coming In at No.
ii with $u mUllen. Enough nioney to cop
a inan5io in suburban Cononshueg. PA
bra reported $otxWoo togo with his
apartment in LA.
The road ot.hat mansion was paved
with hard work, starting with Wis’s
llrst mixtap’. PruicL’oj’tlwOttp: Wcfronw
roPisuAvwtiti, Rek’nst’din May 2006, It
featured a very diffeN’rn -sounding rap
1)01’, As he title would suggest. Wix’s rap
style was more aggressive and street
oriented than the laid-hark stoner flow
lw’sknown lbr now.
Still.young Wis bud enough promise to
score a deal with Warner Music Group in
200Z But after twityears and little prtig
ross, Wiz antI V MG parted ways.
They butted heads.’ says Sledgren,
9”s longtime proclucet who ret i o’t n
hers the days when they couldn’t get
airplayin Pittsburgh. ‘it was like, ‘Let.
me olt’t.he label and Ft na do this niyscli’,’
Sonwpcivple have ug’y label splits but It
wasn’t like that. Warner tnt let the situ
ation go. People uQd to make firn ofs,
like, ‘Whcgot dropped, A till was like.
‘So what’?”
The Warner years weren’t a coinpiete
-
loss, thougb.According to UeiUie
experience taught them an important
lasn.” When we signed with Wirnei’
weflgured they’d handle everything,”
Benjy said via emid “We were wrong.
We learned that we couldn’t evei’ rely
solely on the major label. From thatpoirtt
on we were going to rely on ourselves.’
Wiz looks back on ‘1)7 as an important
turning point. When t did Pi*icc’of
theCil?,2. I never felt like I was forcing
anything.” 1w says. “1 put Itall together,
I had club records, girl records, and ones
where I was spitting. I figured out all
hi’ different dimensions of utyseif arid
pulled them together and realized. I
can’t just givepeopic one ot’ two styles. I
had to be lIke. ‘This is tue. I’m the com
plete package.”'
That growth spurt load tentrioofprctj
ects starting with 200t)’s FZihtSthaol,a
mixtapo on which E. Dan says Wlz was
‘starting to find his own path.” That was
aved by the successful 1 tolependent
album Deal or Mi Die I. And then, in 2010,
Wlz blossonwd usan art ist. unleashing
his breaktl i rough, Kusli & Ow,piji Juice,
The znixtape’s impact was undeniable,
bötoming a trending topic on Twitter
the day of it release. “‘rhat was when he
completed the transition to the Viy we
all know and lov,:,,* suys Fl Dan. “l’hat
the first project where he said, ‘Ire
going lodoexactly whaU’m feeling,
what I wari ito hear, I’m not going to try
‘
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WHEN YOU
DO AN ALBUM,
YOU CAN’T
SEPARATE THE
MUSIC FROM
THE BUSINESS
BECAUSE IT’S
MUSIC
BUSINESS.
U
to 9 )(‘ci&SIly appeal tO itlu’flfl(’. I’m going to do.iny style.’ It
va like, ‘Thisis me. Ibis lswhernlm coming flnm,and this is
the statement I want to make.’”
Rolling ajoint filled with h own st rain of weed—dubbed
Khalifa Kush—Wiz explains the (liJ’tl.mm(’v. “Kush& Orange
Juice isaclassic mixtape. but it’s still a niixtapo,” he says. “l’hnt
mixtape is raw. I did what I v;inied todo. You can’t do that
on an album because otherpeoplegotta eat offthat album.
There’s business that goes into an album. When you do an
alhurn.you can’t separate the music from the business bacause
it’s inusicbusiness,’
The album Wizzle has been eating ofl’is his Atlantic Records
major label debut. 2Oii Rolling Papcis. It wasahuge cornn1er(ial success, topping the Rap chart anti debuting at No.
on Billboanl’s 1 lot 100. spawningseveral Top 40 hits. anti
selllngover 750,000 copies in the US. But Wiz’s longti inc fans
criticized the alhtm for a lack of lyrical depth antI the pop feel
oCWiz’swnrkwithstargate and Benny Blanco.
“Peoplewero like. ‘Wizehanged. flu’s singingand making
inure nidie son.” says Sledg,’en. lint he wns always singing
ii. just didn’t-eumeout until certain projects.” Still. Wiz found
it hardtoslwug off thecr’iticism, One night last February. he
tlcided to post a letterim hisTuniblr titled “Strictly for My
TrItit’s.” The letter began as a thank—you to hi Cans hut sn it
tui’necl into a reflection cuRe! ujPnpers The album did ct’&’at
numbers, hut creatively wasn’t nw best wtu’k.”beiolmmtft’d.
Wiz says the letter was his way of lotting the Taylors know
‘that I hear what they’x’essying. That letter has becotrie
almost as significant to his fans as any uf his records—a masteri’ul examl)le of tue hip’hop bulancinguct. The letter was
followed up shortly with Tayk’rAliderrliec, a in izt.ape on par
with his best work that functioned ass creative reboot,
Although Wix’s letter specflcally said he didn’t regret the
album, it’s clt’ai’ he did have some regrets. ‘(‘ni used to listeningtomy music all thetirne, critiquingit. and rnakingit
better.” said Wiz, when asked about the lotter.”I didn’t really
get a chance to do that with Rolling !hpci I looked hack and
decided 1 can’t do that again.
5
He’sdetermincd not to let the same thing happen with his
now album, O,N.1,FC. For Wi’s. it’s not just about the music. it’s
about the Wi’Khalibraxtd--onzrtM1gcshcynndpartving
and smoking wood and t,hat i’epl’esents a lifestyle, an attitude.
91Vè’e like Ru and Ken, udds CurrenSy. who remembers
thedscifgo1nghaimon Chinese loud plates with Wizwhfle
recordingtheu’ collaborative mbaape,How Fj. “Ken had the
upptrn’ut with all the fire and shit, Byu had a more eontrolled
uppercut. hut he’s thaune that.showed Ken the uppercut,’
Cui’i’en$y cautions that Wiz level ofeuccoss isn’t for
c’vet’yoie’. 1 (vs like fucldng PaftDaddy right now.”says
Spitta. People be like, You should beright there wkhyour
brot.hr’r.’l3ut. rd rather lay low and kick it. It’s super awesome
tobe PuiTliaddy but it’sagift and a curse.”
Not only does Wiz have high-profile friends. lw’s nisogota
high- profile relationship with Amber Ruse. The cuupl are
not shy about PUA, like the time Wiz licked Amber on stage.
“I Ic’s so special Amber says of her man, These bitches
shouldn’t even bearouncl him. They’re notooolenough tobe
in his presence. It’s like, ow. stay nway.
And stay away he does. “I don’t look at nogiris. Alit look at.
is my Iiiuw(e, says Wlz, “1 don’t t’t iio reason to look atother
girls. It’s weird to some peopie, but tous it’s the i’iglit thing. It’s
how much ve love each other.”
Just how much tiocs Wiz love Amber? Hr doesn’t even peep
cell phone pIctures ofgroupies. “Groupios?I don’t do that,”
hesays with disdain. “My gui said to me. ‘Fishy, these hitches
don’t even deserve to breathe your air.’ And Iwas like, You
know what’? You right.’” Call it another sort of balancing act.
Vhatdoescnrnn’tand Wiz’sftiii attention is his ua’untirg
albu in. 1-band everyone in his cal-np feel confident. ahoat
O..LbC.—everyone, apparently, except fur Atlantic Records.
“Atlantic likes O.N.1.FC,,” sa,vs Wi’s. “But Iheywant more
obvloussthglcs because liatt’s what sells it. thm’them. Mybeief
in the record is what sells it to me. it’s nut it con filet. You just
have to commumenteso everybody understands it,’
Wiz is looking tbm’ that delicate balance, When you’re work
Log with other people, you figure out how much you do fiji’
-them and how n-inch you do lbryourst’Lf’” he says. “You can’t
just 1w BJI artist Iightingforyouropinion and that’s It. The
label has to understand artists, I wtmtetl to treike Ruliirtq
1Zhprn when I madoRofliirqPajs’is, now It’s tin to for O.N.1.FC’.
Now ‘en’ goingtodo it exactly how I vant-to do ii, a) see how
that works. It can’tbe onc-sided.
“Wflooks’to Snoop l)ng%s classic “Omnnnd Jnlee,”'’a’snnghe
says wasn’t meant to be a single but that went on In become a
“The people that are buying Frank Ocean. they don’t buy
into one song that he sings” says WI’s of the Def Jam star who
also(iri)farnously wrote an open letteron Tumblr. “I I sings 20
songs. Frank Ocoanis the name. You can eithergot withit or’
you can ket.’p ttving to be a song, I’m not trying to be no song.
It’s always I he tar ow.
like Maroon ‘s ‘Payphone”—Wiz’s seeondbiggest hit todate.
But don’t expect him to switch up his style.
“When you start forcing things, you lose people,” says Wi’,.,
“I n”,’erwant In rio that because noneofroy favctriteartists
I net’ ever done I tar tome—ic.. Juicy J. You know what’s
right and you know what’s wrong. You know when you’re
forcing it and ‘hen you’re just laying it down. I’m trying
to do more laying it down than forcing it. That’s how you
hecumnt’ Iegt’nda ry.”
Speakingot’legonds. Wizisquick tobringuphow he’ll soon
be 25—the same age as 2Pav when ho died. “We’re the new
2Paes. he saysoftheartistsnii his tour: Mac. Keirdt’ick Lamar,
and Schoolboy Q.
But he must balance these loft,y ideals with cfber’gtttds, Wi’s
hastalked about wanting to make Sioo million. He recalls see—
irig pci nc’ spend Sr million on clurinpagne in the South of
France and aspires to do the same, ‘l’hat’stlie meaning behind
hisalbum’s ut le—hnving all the finest things in life, butget
ting them his way.
It all came ‘into focus during a moment onstage hack of
.iones Beach. Wi’s t reeking withalive band, his micatand
a{I(tt’nr’cl with a worn and toni American flag, I-Ic performed
a medley ofreixtapt’ cutsbutclosed his set vi’itlr hits from his
albums, The mostly white, teenage crowd responded particu—
larly vo1l to “Young. Wild & Frer i,” his collab with Snoop Dugg
and Bruno Mars
“So what. we get drunk?” he sang as the flag fluttered in
the heavy winds blowingrzcnrss Jones Betu’h, “Sir what vt’
smoke wood’?! Wuro just having funfWe don’t cart’ who Sees.”
For’ pop fans the song wascatchy; tbrharci-core fans it was
oringewor’tlw, but-Wi’s sees tht’big picture. This play doesn’t
end here, There will be other acts to follow, U
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.
BALANCE
The day afiem’ent[ing lii’ tuitional tout’ in Detroit. Wizisin LA
thi’ a photo shoot Later on, he’ll hit the studio and then a club,
‘l’oiitoi’mw, he’ll record a segment forChelscaLwalij, knock out
a few guest verses, and then do some work with his artist. Lola
Monroe. But right- now, while rolling yet another joint, Wi’s
.showsoff’a vintage lljy4goId Roles thathebought earlier that
day “just because.”
Being rich and famousdoesn’t just aflord Wi ii lifestyle
d’lirst-clnss flights and fancy wristwenr,it’salsomade him
some new ji’i<’nds, Aitlatigli he still rolls with tin’ pt’tipk’
whu’vu been around for yeats, these days he also hangs out
with the likes of’Snoop Dbgg, Juicy J,andurcen$y. He
discusses inusit’al tastes wit Ii Snoop (“Snoop loves Kendi’ick,
CurrenSy. and Man”,). rklrs iri’outnl 5th Juicy(”Juicyput faith
in me, 1w didn’t have L i’[cje with me.”). and feels 1-ic owes a
debt to CurrenSy Spitta.
“He helped me stay out of’the way of a lot ot’builsh it because
he’s see ii somnuch,” says WizofSpitta. who languished on Ni
L.i nid and Cash Money ls’for’ cultivating a buzz independont.ly and signing with Wtu’nei’, He helped rile vif h rnut’ketingand branding when ‘uvewere coming up. Where I was
confused,hehad tlw answer, When he wuscoufused, I had the
answer. CurrenSy helped inc way inure than I helped him.”
42
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L
• CHRIS KELLY• SEWN STREETER •SHAQ
NJ Z VI B
—I
Wiz KHAUFA
Wlz Recently.
Jamle: The color—who twisted It?
W1z My stylist. Her name is Raven.
Jomle: What’s this going on down
here?
Wlz: This says “Bod AS$.
Jamb: With flowers?
Wlz: Yeah.
Jamle: You know. you’re oH of those
things.
Wlz: Yeah. I try to be.
Jomle: But that’s good. though. What
did Mom and Dad soy about the baby?
W1z They love It. This is their first grand
child. I don’t even exist to them. it’s all
about Bosh.
Jamb: And nobody else exists to you:
just the baby and—
Wlz: —and my wife.
model, you know what I mean? But
she’s a regular person. So as long as the
baby’s healthy, as long as the pregnan
cy is happy, that’s pretty much all that
we were worded about.
Jamle: Was the pregnancy pretty easy?
WIE Super easy.
Jamle: What did you feel when you
saw the baby come out?
WIz: Probably just more happy, more
excited. I waited nine months for him.
I’d, in my head, kind of built up what I
thought he would look like, what I
thought he would sound like, and then
just finally when he come It was like that
relief, like, Yo, he’s here.”
Jamb: He almost looks Asian,
Wlz: He looks Asian and Spanish. I knew
he was going to look like a little popi. I
didn’t know about Asian, though.
Jamb: You don’t work out’?
Wbz: Now. I don’t work out. (laughs)
Jamle: (laughs) That’s why I hate you
meni
WIv (laughs)
Jamb: You oil get on my nerves
because you all con go lot a day and
soy, I’m just not going to eat bread
today, and you lose 10 pounds tomor
row.
Wiz: You know what? I haven’t gained a
pound since high school. I’m 146
pounds.
Jamb.: t’mma knock you out. Mama
wanna knock youl No, that’s fine.
(laughs)
W1z (laughs)
Jamie: Some men soy women are
more sexy when they’re pregnant. Did
you find her more ox’,’?
I waited nine months for him. I’d, in my head, kind
of built up what I thought he would look like,
what I thought he would sound like, and then just
finally when he came it was like that relief, like,
‘Yo, he’s here.’
Jamb: When is that going to happen.
by the way? We don’t want this ‘wifey
thing.
Wlz: This fall,
Jamle: Oh, really? It’s going to be big or
private?
Wlz: #11 be, like, family.
Jomie: Why would you walt until the
foil? She wants to get in shape?
W1z Yeah. she wants to look perfect In
her dress. She doesn’t want her dress to
fit her ofter baby” body. She wants It to
fit her regular (body). You know how
that isi You’re a woman.
Jomle: Yeah. Did she gain a lot of
weight?
WIz: Now, she only gained. lIke, 35
pounds.
Jamle: That’s great. because they’re
eating Kim Kardoshlan alive about her
weight gain.
W1z Yeah, I don’t even know. I don’t
even look Into that stuff.
Jambe: Was she scared about gaining
weight during that time?
WIz: Nawl People look at her like a
54
523
JULY 2013
Jambe: Aye, Popli
W1z (laughs) Yeah, he’s a lIttle pop!
looking thing.
Jamle: And he’s healthy?
W1z Yeah.
Jomle: But the routine, wore you help
ing her eat good stuff’? Did you all hove
weed around? You didn’t smoke?
W1z Now, I didn’t smoke weed oround
her. i mean, I always smoke, so there’s
going to be weed In my body, but no
smells, no actual smoke close to her. or
oven the baby now; like, It’s all sec
tioned off. But as far as food goes, I will
cook for her. But her appetite sucked
when she was pregnant. She couldn’t
eat meat for, like, her entire pregnancy.
There were a lot of things that were Just
triggers for her to Just get sick.
Jombe: Am looks so perfect all the time.
Does she eat whatever she wants to eat
normally’?
W1z Oh. yeah. ln-&-Out Burger. tacos.
She loves Italian food.
Jamle: She works out. though. right’?
W1z Yeah.
Wlz I mean, she’s always going to be
attractive to me. She definitely had that
pregnant glow. And I liked the little
chunk: I was with that. Like. her boobs
got a littie bit more full and it was just a
little bit more stuff to hold on to.
Jamle: You all ore so In love, This is like
what, two or three years now’?
Wlz: Yeah, it’s our third year.
Jambe: You’re very fortunate to find
somebody like that that you really care
about. The guys are In and out with dif
ferent women and their choices are not
always the best. How did you know
about her? That this was the person.
W1z Well, it’s a two-way street. A whole
relationship is—the point Is to get better,
and you wont somebody who’s going
to make you better. But you also gotta
be oboUt bettering yourself. I think at
the point where we met each other, we
both took each other really, really seri
ous, and never took anybody that serI
ous in our lives. it was, you know, you’ll
do anything for that person, you’ll
change anything for that person, just to
know that you tried. You’ll go out of your
way and be like. ‘This person is worth it,
you know?
Jamb: But your whole culture, the rap
culture, the lyrics and stuff...
WIz: Those ore people who never grew
up. That’s a façade. Because any suc
cessful man is not out on the streets with
oil different types of women. Because
women ore sneaky, they steal from you.
and they cost money anyway. So why
would you just be out frivolously spend
ing money on women when you could
hove one chick who has your best inter
est In mind, and, you ,kno do all of
those fun things at home?
Jamle: I ask guys. Why do you do that?
You see so many people around you—
these are terrible relationships with
unwanted babies, unwanted women,
but you’ve got to pay this money out
every month for 18 years or whateveC’
and to me that’s a lot of pain and hostli
Ily and anger that goes around in our
community.
Wiz: Yeat’t definitely.
Jamb: Most of the guys fell me it’s just
in them. They have nd discernment,
WIz: That’s a dog-o$$ excuse for being
a man. You know right and you know
whot’s wrong. Whether you want to do
what’s right of that point. that’s the
decision that you have to make. If you
ck5n’t ccire,lfyoLrdorrt reoW,’mlhathe-—
consequences that come with it, then
that’s your decision. If you know the
consequences and you’re still walking
Into the situation and you’re acting like
you don’t know what’s going to hap
pen afterward, then that’s just being
stupid.
Jamb: Yeah. because they’re seeing
their buddies go through ii time and
time again.
WIz: At the end of the day. everybody
has their own path and everybody’s
going to walk that path, and you’re
going to have bumps on that rood. But
whatever you do. that makes you you.
You can’t blame it on some unknown
thing that’s going on; you know what
you’re doing.
Jamie: Why did you name him
Sebastian?
Wlz: Amber actually come up with the
name Sebastian. We wanted just a reg
ular name.
Jambe: Thank you, Jesusl (laughs)
Wlz Something kind of out of the ordi
nary but still traditional. And a cool nlck
JULY2013 1S2S
55
Wiz KHAIJFA
name came from It. We call him Bosh.
Jamie: Well, why did you even think
that It should be normal?
W1z Because we’re so crazy.
Jamle: And you need to give him as
much normalcy as possible’?
WIE Stort off normal and then you con
develop your own croz We’re not
going to throw you Into the crazy.
Jamle: That’s amazing that you’re say
ing that!
Wlz: Yeah, I started out normal. My
name Is Cameron, and I wasn’t born
with tattoos org blond patch. I grew
Into thIs.
Jomle: How’d you go crazy? (laughs)
At what age? What made you go
crazy?
Wlz:i was always crazy. When I was 2
years old I used tO tuck my pants In my
socks. And my dad let me do it. That’s
why I am who I am. He’s like, “YOu want
to do to them, My dad never whupped
me In his life.
are you going on tour?
Wlz: We’re going out this summer.
Jomle: Really?
W1z Yeah. I never got a spanking from
my dad.
Jamb: So what are you doing now?
Are you with the baby? Are you just
doing press?
Wit Yeah, I’m with the baby, I’m record
ing. I’m doing a lot of features, I’m on
the new Rocko single. I’m on Kelly
Rowland’s new single. I did a song with
Miley Cyrus, I’m on Brltney Spears’
album, I’m recording with Tank; I’m
doing a lot of different stuff in the studio,
and also I’m putting out another album
this year.
Jamie: Were you In any way bad..
though?
Wlz: I wasn’t bad, but every kid Is pun
ishable. Like, you get punishment but It
was more like push-ups or you lose privi
leges or something like that. it was
never violence, so I wasn’t scored of my
dad hIttin’ me growing up. That kind of
went Into how I do my business.
Nobody is scored of what I’m going to
do to them In the Industry or In my busi
ness or my employees. They’re not
scared of me )umplng on the table and
hurtWi’ them, They more don’t want to
disappoint me, you know what I’m say
ing’? And I would much rather have it
like that. And my mom, I watched her
hustle and make something out of noth
Jamle: Do çu make good money
when you’re featured on those? How
does that work?
Wit A lot of artists, they do make their
money off of features. but I don’t really
charge people for features. Because if I
do a song with you, that means I f##k
with you and i see some good coming
from the project, so I don’t really hove to
Women are sneaky, they steal from you, and they cost
money anyway. So why would you just be out frivolously
spending money on women when you could have one
chick who has your best interest in mind, and, you
know, do all of those fun things at home?
to dress like that? Cool, I’m not going to
tell you not to.”
Jamle: People used to do that when
they rode their bicycle—at least that
one leg—but you just did It because you
thought that was a good look for you.
Wlz: Yeah, I thought It was cool. I had
tube socks and I wonted them to be on
the outside.
Jamla: So your father and mother, they
were really cool. Let’s talk about them a
little bit. First of all, you have a father
and mother. How important is that
father?
Wir My dad is super-important in my
life. He taught me everything about
business and being a man, but also not
to just be a man’s man but to be sensi
tive. It’s better to have people who
respect you and love you and that’s the
reason that they want to do things for
you. not because they’re scared of you
and they’re afraid of what you’re going
c.,c I i.nv ‘wi,i
in’ for my entire life, because her and
my dad got divorced when I was
younger, and she remarried but she
never really had an attachment to any
other guy where it was like, ‘This is my
family and these are your boys.” it was
always me and my brother were her
boys; she’d take us everywhere.
Jamle: Right right.
Wit She’s going to do whatever she’s
gotta do to hold us down.
Jamle: Where Is your brother’?
Wit My brother stiil iives in Pittsburgh. I
don’t realty hove too much communi
cation with him.
,Jamie: I just saw a film about Pittsburgh.
There’s a really bad area there—I’m try
ing to think of the name of it.
WIz: Everywhere. (laughs)
Jomle: Okay. (laughs)
Wit I mean, I love Pittsburgh. but you
don’t want to get caught slipping.
Jamle Yeah Its rough Okay so when
get paid up front.
Jamle: Oh, you can get paid atter
ward?
W1z You get royalties on your song
when the song sells.
Jamle: So are you thinking you’ll do a
feature with me’? I’m not playing with
you.
Wiz: I’ll do It for free.
Jamle: I know.
Wit But he (Wiz’s publicist) won’t clear
It though. (laughs)
Jamb: You won’t clear it?
Wit That’s the hard part: getting It
cleared.
Jomle: I’m going to mess him up. How
do you and Amber encourage each
other’? It’s so mean out there.
WIz: Yeah, It’s mean. We’ve got each
other’s backs; that’s the big thing.
There’s trust and love and you’ve Just
got to have each other’s back. Even my
family and stuff like That, when they see
sKiff that’s crazy, they don’t even coil
:me and be ilke, “Oh...” They know,
amle: They know, yeah. But you have
td hove a shell, because you get
tacked for everything now.
Wir. You do. You get criticized for every
Jomie: Did you hove a lot of girlfriends
ófore?
W)z Now. I didn’t. Girls really weren’t too
friuch Into me. I was a weird-looking kid,
8ut I was always just the nice guy. you
cnow’? I have a lot of female family
Gmole cousins, aunts. They’re tough.
frm scared of them. They’ll beat me up.
Ejomie: Will they’? (laughs)
Wiz: Yeah, so that’s what I was raised
pound.
,Jamie: My husband was raised by
iomen—his sisters and his aunts—and
I’m telling you, he’s the most awesome
dude. I’ve talked to you about my hus
before—just so completely under
nding. If I feel bad about something,
just hears it in my voice, he’s like,
hold up, what’s going on? I’ll be
right there.” And we need you all! We
need you to be there with us, not fight
Ing with us.
Wft Naw, not arguing or trying to tell
fruwhotto do or make you feel bad.
hou’re our ecuol.
0mb: Your dream wedding. could it
ehere or would you wont it to be
meplace else?
Wiz: Yeah, I’m cool with the United
totes. I like to Just have fun. you know
what I mean? I don’t like too much tia
tIonal stuff. I like to do traditional
hings in my own way. so we’re going to
frrve a rock star wedding. it’s going to
“,
be like you’re at the club, but
you’re gonna be at our wedding;
that’s going to be sick. This wed
ding Is tough.
Jamb: (laughs) I like to dance.
Are you going to hove a good
DJ?
Wit Yeah! Awesome DJ.
Jomle: You know how to dance?
Wit Yeah, I know how to dance! I
don’t really dance as much as I
used to. I just stand on the couch
and, like, go crazy. But, when I’m
with my wife, we be dancing. I like
to dance. The music’s gotto be
good. though. If the music sucks
then it’s ci wrap. I go to the club to
hear music. I don’t go to drink. I
mean, I con drink and have fun,
but It ain’t all about that. It’s to
hear some music, it’s to have a
good time, dance, bug out.
Jamb: Okay, It you can remove
one tattoo painlessly, which one
would you get rid of?
WIz: My hand, so I could redo It.
Jamle: What do you want to do
to it? This is a lot!
Wit Yeah, I’ve got to cover It up.
because the guy who did it, he
tried to do it in color and it didn’t
really come out how It was sup
posed to. It was like a plant that
grew a face and then it turned
into some other stuff.
Jamb: Did you draw it’?
Wit Now, he drew it. it was a real
ly good drawing, but the way he
did it didn’t come out right.
Jamle: What is 4600’?
Wit That’s my block.
Wiz KNALIFA
58
S2SIJULY2O13
Jamle: Okay irs aiwoys interesting
going over these tattoos.
Wlz: Yeah. I’ve got a lot of them.
Jamb: No, I noticed that before. it was
on the buff. I don’t need to tell about
that. My husbands listening (laughs)
Wlz Shhhl
Jamb: You’ve gotto meet him one day.
Wir I do wont to meet him. It seems like
he’d be an awesome gtw
Jamb.: When did you start smoking?
Wlz: I don’t really tell people when I
started smoking. I was pretty young.
Jamb.: What does it do? This Is what I
was told: that when you smoke weed,
you lose your memory. And I said, that
can’t be true, because I see Snoop all
the time. Y’all come ouf with the lyrics
like (snaps fingers).
W1z It works dIfferently for different peo
ple. Ii’s not like one certain feeling, you
know what I’m saying? But basically
your eyes got a little bit low, you stop
coring about anything. If somebody
would be like, “That couch is on fire.’
you’ll be like. “F#%k that couch.”
(laughs)
Jamie: (laughs) ts that a good thing,
though?
WIz: Yeah. yeah. That’s like The active
Ingredient In weed, it’s f#%king—
because everything is just like; ‘F#%k it,”
JLyoi’se.hIgh..ancl you csosiia.car,,,._
Vou’lI be like, “Eh, f#%k it.” Yeah,
Jamie: Okay.
WIz: Uh, what else? It makes you laugh.
and so you’ll definItly giggle ancj think
jokes are hilarious. You’ll be hungry
High, happy and hungry. I mean, I
don’t like to soy l’s good for everybody.
it’s good for me.
Jamie: So what ore you doing? Are you
feeding Bosh? And changing the dia
pers and stuff’?
WIz: Yep.
Jamb: You’re not going, “Ewww,” are
you?
W1z Of course noti
see his diaper turn blue and I’ll change
him. I stay on that bo
Jamb: Okay, more kids?
Wiz: Yes. We’ll wait a couple more
years, though. I don’t want to put her
through that again. Let her have some
fun.
Jomie: It’s going to be Interesting how
you train the baby. You and Amber
make a lot of sense, but a lot of the
artists come out and they do all kinds
of crazy things and they don’t realize
the effect that it has on their children.
W1z Yeah. Naw. we’re family first. defi
nitely. It’s like, we’re normal people, so
again, getting the baby to a point
where he’s going to be able to function
in the world and not have no personali
ty issues Just based off his parents and
what they do and what situations that
they’re in. I would never want that for
my kids.
Jamb: That’s very hard for them, and
they’ve goffa come up from under you
in the first place. Then, If you all have a
bunch of stuff in the paper that’s all
crazy and the kids at School (tease
them about it), that’s hard. You hove to
be really. really corefi)l with that. What
kind of house did you move into? Did
you fix It up already?
Wlz: Yeah, it’s a nice house. It was fur
nisheci already, but it’s got a lot of land.
And it’s In the desert, like, the canyon,
so there’s snakes and mice, so we’ve
got to got people out there to take
core of that, chop bushes down, clean
the pool, hot tub and all that stuff.
Jamle: Oh, so it was abandoned for a
while?
WIz: Now, now, now. It was really nice.
Just regular maintenance. It’s a bIg
property.
Jamie: This was cool. Alright.O
Jamb: That makes me so mad when
they always make things out like the
man can’t handle—
Wiz: Who would do that’? You’re sup
posed to take pride In that type of stuff.
Jamle: Yeahl You’d better be glad that
the baby is doing it.
Wiz: Yeah, when he poops or pees. I’ll
be like, “Go on, get out the way, let me
get this one.” You know what I mean?
Or I’m holding him. I have him, and I’ll
‘H’
JULY2013
S2S
59
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With thaw new
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continue Ihe
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By Harriet Gibsone
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Nine of the albums
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By Mikael Wood
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How to Dress Wells
Torn Krell is at a TctaI
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With their new label
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Photographed by
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Take to the streets
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Photographed by Ben
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With his sophomore
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150 SHOPPING LIST
152 HIGH TIMES
Irvine Welsh returns
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By Mike Harvkey
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WITH HIS SOPHOMORE kNUMI WIZ KNALIFA TAKES DNA TOUGHER SOUNDiHO SKINNIER JEANS. PHOTOGRAPHED BY MICHAE[
SONMEtLING
I
V
1 REALLY WANTED TO REACH A NEW AUDIENCE
Wz Khatifa says of his debut studio album Rolling
Papers, last year’s major-label launch that ‘moved a lot
of u flits” and left him ‘happy with the music that came
from it.” But less than a year later, the Pittsburgh
mixtape-hero4umed-global.superstar says he’s ready
‘to show my new fans a different aide of me His new
LP, Only Nigga In First Class—or O.NJ.RC. in its
radio-friendly listing—paints a street-level backdrop to
the debut album’s soannghometown anthem, Black
ancLYeHow’ whicit sparked a dozen remixes.andeven
a response song from Greenbay fan LII Wayne when
the Steelers played the Packers in the 201)
Superbowl. For O.N.I.F.C., Khalifa says he deployed
the opener Work Hard, Play Hard” to drop some
‘party and bulishit” to keep pop fans hooked, then lets
later tracks, like the comparatively downbeat ‘My Ufe
open up into a vivid, personal sto.y f one skinny,
urban Wz kid’s rise to fame and sell-awareness.
Part of the tale can be told in trouser widths, ‘My
jeans have definitely gotten skinnier as time has gone
on the beanpole MC says with a laugh, reflecting on
his failed attempts to conform with hip-hop’s esrly-’OOs
style. “I’m really thin, so when I wore baggy jeans, you
could just see my knees knocking aroundl” Though
he’s since gained a sharp eye for fit and tailoring, his
playful fashion touches tend to reflect his easy,
bouncing rhymestyle: signature yetow-streaked hair,
brazen patterns, slashed denim, studded vests. He
recently won High Thnes’s coveted Stoner of the Year
award, but Khalifa (whose stage surname stems from
the Arabic word for ‘successor”) seems to draw his
carefree hip-hop hippie swagger from some deeper
source than frequent cannabis ude. “I genuinely want
to keep things positive:’ he says. “I don’t like problems
and I don’t like confrontation. Some people don’t know
any better MUt MCGILSERT
S
‘4
*1
•:* !7
Jacket by cbsl aQJiAy, t-shirt by Jsn&9.ttL, jeans by agclitjnix*-stt. shoes by ggjs, his own hat
and belt, scarf by rflinitJtefl, gold spike and friendship bracelets by sjxLpjkpQe stylist own
bandana (worn in pocket).
9ty1it fitima b.
groomi’ç 1,
eenihai at
•W#.u!ive .artis
Oiima1in--gotz.
•ot at 1L.gnd
i.e.
ioodi ad t-shLrt by
iIaeLP.rtt, ityUsts
Own bandana.
‘1
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______________________
___________
__
__
-
NEWFACES 2011
NOVELIST
Karen Russell
)
A Stephen King fave
fiction writer’s
novel is year’s
buzziest debut
r’s
tIDAl. AND
weird a place
where even
identities don’t feel sta
-
blc. novelist Karen Rus
sell says about her native southern
Florida although she could be talk
ing about Scum plandia!, bet’ beau
—
tiful, dark and funny debut novel.
Russell has been hailed as a writer
to watch by ever one from The Ncw
Yorker ishe made its “20 Under 40”
list) to Stephen King, who has called
—
Wiz Khalifa
HOT RAPPER
Hip-hop’s newest star storms
charts with “Black arid Yellow”
T
O HEAR WIZ KHAL.IFA ‘I’ELt, IT,
IT didn’t take long to come up with
the hook to his career-making hit,
i3laek and Yellow.” “It wasn’t even O see
onds,” says the Pittsburgh rapper, 23.
When I heard the dc-na-na-no dc-na
ne- rn’s, ‘black andyellow’ was the first thing
that came into my head. Since its release
last September, the song produced by
Norwegian chart rockers Stargate (whose
credits include I3eyoncd and Katy Perry)
has racked up 2.3 million sales, hit Nunu
her One on tlw Hot OO and been frecstvlecl
met by everyone front Lii Wayne to Tom
1k nks’srn. l’hanks to Khnlif’s’s honwtown
Stceters’Super fluwl run (titci r uniform col—
ws inspired the track). Wiz has performed
—
—
her work bril1iant” and even bet
ter “creepy and sinister.” Swamp
landia! is named for the run-down
theme park ff Florida’s southern
coast where the book takes place. its
a frontier, anti for a huge part of this
country’s history, there were no peo
at the A FCChanipionshipgame and gotten
spins from Oakland to New Jcrse>
Born Caineroniibril Thoniaz in Minot,
North Dakota, ‘Nb spent his childhood
traveling the globe with his Air Force par
ents. With an assist from some aggres
sive social marketing (“Twitter helped
out a whole bunch”), his 2O0 mixtape
Kush Orange .Juke became a viral hit.
His major-label debut, Rolling Papers,
out March 29th, features guest spots by
Rick Ross and Snoop Oogg. A noted herb
enthusiast who once claimed to spend
510,000 a month on weed, Vl has made
getting high an essential part of his brand.
in November, he was arrested for felofly trafficking in North Carolina, but the
count was dropped. Noss’ he’s free to enjoy
-
his success. including a relationship with
Kanyc West’s es, model Amber Rose not
to mention his ample stash. As Wit says,
i’m blessed with green!”
)OSH EEUS
ple down there,” says Russell, 29. So
there’s an outlaw eneq,y, the air of the
newcomer, people making up their
own stories.”
1UL5 HOLMES
HOT MEMOIR 1ST
Jon-Jon Goulian
Heterosexual cress-dressing
literary hipster tells all
1986, JON-JON GOULIAN
went to his prom in La Jolla, Call
forn La, wearing white tights, black
high heels, a red bow’ tie, a Viking
hat and bright-red lipstick and his
dasstiiates didn’t bat an eve. Thev
llit(i knnwi me mv
whole life, he says.
Hut t,oulian isfl’t gay
I
N
he just likes wear
ing women’s
HOT MUPPET
Walter
Star of new Muppet movie
is ready for his close-up
M
EET Wi%LTER, THE NEw
est Muppet and star of
the Jason Segel-conceived
The Mvppet.c, out next fall. “The
Muppets were my idols growing
ap,” says Walter (with an assist
12 I Romi
-w STONE
I
OtIinsIOflE.cofl
from SegeD. ‘Tm the ultimate
Muppet fan. Other kids had
pesters of Farrah Faweett,
I had a poster of Miss Piggy”
In the movie, Waiter gets the
Muppets to reunite and put on
one more show. So ‘ho was
his favorite? “Kermit is ex
actly who he seems to be:
kind, funny, thought- /
fiji, talented and gener
ous,” Walter says. “He’s
like a short, green Torn
Hanks.”
SONA’THAH iaer.,
clothes,
His life as a “sexual
ly neutered andre
gvne” is the subject
of his
V
oir,
new mem
3
.3
The Man ‘in the
0
Gray Flannel Skirt. Early in the book,
Goulian is making out with a girl in
a park when kids across the street
begin pelting them with hot dogs.
“How is it possible,” he writes, in
this world of cruelty, and disease, and
nut m malian excretions, that peo
ple manage to develop normal sex
lives? You think you’ve conquered
one obstacle, and there’s another one
around the eorner”
COREE SHAFRI
Hell
17, 2011
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ming for an acuat wht’s young But hit
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tic scriheinming)y enthusiastic respoldi! he siouhi intO who oo are?
thing like tisj, faicul) But evtn before I got ta3
to ii qihsèquciirsc.nlS of free mnisnupes eqpcd
iii IALIIiA Es er nrti5t pmck it liar ihc want
uatto—slnCe I was yOuni
howis that I wanted in lie.
ly lair .i.ars kwh & Orsngrj?au? (rriylOr/CaribI to put. out the.re islint iiiuap. uhLy ‘wan; in por- cosertd. ijuit plott otmi,—l
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i\s f on cite, the major labels came calling again,
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ii miii Khalmfn i.yen;uilli signing last year with Atlan
lens e. Imimb. pIncc and apaces to add scuff I a iflr to
tic and re.lcn5Isig his Ii .tainle, ‘BIa& and Vèhluis,”
r I dc
ntiot f
n t warn mn run .iut of
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tiliuch uiiii’iii> readiCd die. mop spoi oat the FJmiI
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our in l.itci’slnrcb—nnd with his uncrcait.d prolile ha,.
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I Iomie.stl hun ;iicm cc?iSt.tmiIiLtl h> ilic send. ,recrs
clilfm.mrnt iluinp omng on at far ii. art anti the moult
tint.’ I in ,rytng to Lottie up situ nets stuD and do twa
inunau4s. These’s xip, thin.-. rip thcrCa. ivtrythimtg
I things I Iloni take rant ofT Iniui always rceonimmig mmd lure o also titi. duur4er street siJ ma P,ii*Ininiilt, itu
sorting on ni lirtinil )xn’cnil jiLt ibm music. I jui tr I just chOose not so elaborite on that Vhat I bong
to keep shu connection to nnrrimalcy I never s’imui in
is more Ilium attal positive—an oitmidc searidly feel
loiC dit, being normal Pcnple cominecu wumIiiic juat
nsa coo) -trouflil uht way type utguy I never t.euenu to
1
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uution that
,‘ou’ve used
the world saw imr Wu
ki 1,51 115 I don i kniee mlii wets anvtlimnl. mue,.Iccar
ily diWcreni. I just worked really, realk hard to stay itt
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up your own sound Pt..cpIi. don t lnve ctqlecraoops.
e Befcre ,n albumit cant.
the sului mIt iniscipe proj
mmgsiieconcqnsandptn
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selsi.re pecpk niitualIt
I gum uS bir,w mc, t5
w when iti espect (ruin Inc and
my pert. iinlitv. 1 :r knsi thu I rnnkr irced mcI
bite a laugh and have (un anI jump aromuiid aiI mimake
tip wrimylciiiil suuf. I’euplc can gem ill mh,it about you
now. eslieueaa. la.idiii mime ilay. they tint got tim allutimim,
sd yidcos ‘tiiel diets yu ought set.snme.ldtrnd the
eenca loc.ge if,taim uss.rL..Iuck) but thai was ii. n the
intm.nuci thd lea inc bring people urns nut’ siminid-.- intl
for free so that wh’eus tt’utte tune. it, suppon s
lut I m
4
doing and v for it. uh wanted iü fllu)’re nc being
reremal tø huppisit ii,,j* e’m, us i,ppcxi hu.l’ht main
thing i keeping t all in yotw hands. Pm as involved
aj
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29
INDIVIDUALS
29 DJKh&d
32tJI8
33 Adán Scott
34 SncdIoU
34
ioaow
EDITOR’S [EllEN
comex
Founder Marc E&5
Editor-In-Chief Noah Callahan-Bevet
Managing Editor Orlando Lime
SrDeputyEdI()onnrolwak Es utlvEditorPete, Run
Deputy Editor Bileelan Fwdek
Senior Editorial Strategist Joe La Puma
Senicr Editom lLlazy (1K Chol Jack ErwIn. Tothit&rsKondo. Justin Monroe
UlEditorBryCrebrme
Staff Writers Meu Brnont Ormine Scott
Assistant Editor E,naut 8lc
Assistant to th. Managing Editor Shun,orr Ilctz
Editodal AssIatanta)nsanul AhmtdSoo Yowrg n
NenEd1torX&McCubo
Meskel Editor Mttho Hentsra
Fcsitlen Assistant Frtdtck Marf
Ad Director Brtnt RuSts
Senior Designer Pttrlclc Jurkbonrj
Ge note kn Cltthi Ryam Hulh
PhetoOhectotGiveGtriiy
Aslatar.tPiotiEnuBode
Contributing Photo Researcher Ca’ita, Berry
Production DhcctOrVrrlan Codej Codooo
Production Coordinator 8rynl Gonotez
Social Media Consultant Lonrrj Caller
ContrIbuting Editor Krmye West
Contributing Writota Sian Oe,lsonBabsk 8rye .loeJ Ctro. Leendon Ifdie,.
Tcolto
Jrwt K
IAnthoOaijtModcto C>jei* GIOAdOiJ Peters
Rkh
CcyStolao. Ahwiirrh RaW Worne...byYoacchrisvuteavoge
Conhilbuling Pho rpiGIp*SclkNbn KmcL8ad6,Idgecs.
CIelo8ucl Jjtllt Joy
IKLmb Etc McNatt. 1otl MeUsBmdre Nss
F Scott Sciiftr
Contributing ltiuet,slces kd’fOor8ararnrFrsiei.8rliunsme,,,
ra4srakeip
Wui
Interns Rywr Enwsrct Chase rreornan.Tanyo Ohalwrwn. Mdrei3aarnl, Vctoda
Ma.4wc.inaoMwtk NShaWM&c Mchisl Mase Juice, Fe,esa, Cameron Pliaro.
-
Thyis, Qri. tirevR OkyratSanhoysijo Jrcoo Scsi. I(aWr Warnar
Puffuff. Pass, pass.
Those billows olsrnoko on (he cover? Obviously. (IseyI’e front tue nine—
iImLs Ight, ninc—candilesatop Complex’s birthday brownie. “hisuictti
Q it
1
was just off’-ctiinoraio the tight ol’Diinuy. which is why you totally couIcin(
see it. Pi iiky swear.
was Jsnying’? Oh. yeah. bruh, iL’s-crazy. Nine years. NiNE
YEARS, MAN. Chinkabout i h;it. ft’s 9
insane!P.resi
n
ts
d havecoino audgonc.
holier, children beenrnanduita.-tho roeoiiomy
boomc,cl anti ciutubleci and thou sort ofreens-ercil. lt.’s llkb...wow, nian. Just
And tiini’sjtus(, liku, the jest- Of the worki. Think about Cornp1e. We
wcre;ui upstart, then we weicaconiencler, iuul now’ were Iike...IIkc the alpha
and omega ofA,,,akss Minority R.oport hand
culture.
CIiIt,ittiolff). We’ve got team nuembors thiot read us iii junior high school!
lningirue if tliii future selves could, like, Delou’entt t,l,i.th’ wt’ back to thou’
post Noises anc( tell hem tlmot shit. Yoooooo hflaybo thC3 do. bitt. I just, like.
doru! Icumow’ it vet. Duinit. I hope I law doesn’t coiliti,sv on iisull’aiiel shut
Vealt unite). (‘C heavy. ‘.(IlO)h c But It’s awr’sunw, tort. Like, I Iwo,. We’ ruu’ri.
ruliteost a deemli’ uflee’ ss’i’ brought ‘t;is anti iti nit) hrinitr foan ‘t’licSuprarros
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b’ooi FhI tTh;, WitS ott TV. 1,11’ you atci II. t hum ut tI in ant ice tine anti tuuuii the
volume up on loot Ii. they totally sync. It’s trippy.) Anyway, so now Viz luu to
No. I record wit Ii ‘i3lack and Vehlow” and Danny’s got. his GWt blockbusi oc
with bicr !iigjIiicss. uict we’rc’ celebrating our birthday. Chlutruncflk Wlini.’s
Ihint thing they vail it when (he stars. like, line up cant) stufi? Oh, righL.
Corn wi,oitgii
igheough Kismet.
Now’ where did that’); i’own Ic go? I’iss starving.
wow.
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CEO & Publisher Rich AnZonIëiIo
ADVERTISING Magilne& DIghta
New Yoilc 97 2623100
Vice President of Sales Moirshe 1,rIbbons
tlaiIeeiaI SalesOirecterEdger liena(relo1
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NOAH CALLMANBFER
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Advertising Sales AsvIt.nts KeSeurw.ba Hnrdo,eon Biliterry Lirmey.
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and:
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it
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a new label lii Atlantic.
and u new fiuibas In the Pittsburgh
SteeleL. who inàde his No. i hii ‘Black
L aiidYellow,” the team’s anthem during
ilie NF[ipiayoftkFoi: Da.nn last year
meant;a secondseason as Kenny
P’ns on the hugey popular HBO
.;
how &wsthaimd& Down. .
:;ik..:..Despite the recent rnilestonea. ihough
3
itsonly now t hat both are introducing
themselves Lo the publicist hse for
e first ti,me. 1)ziriny’s rstStit&irig
L)lC in abig4iudgL movie conies
courtesy of Your MPJiiW.S. ci. fitting!y
Mcl3ride-esque tuki(he cô-w rote IL
• after all) on the sords-and-sorcciy
IiLntnSy movies ui the .19805. Nean
whileWizisgoingilH.inwith his ,.
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followings ale vell and good, but.no
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the inai:isti’eam embraces two theii
who came out of nowhei a and buziG
..nioi on their o n.iérnis.,.1n the
,rneantinw, ‘we’ll hewaiting to exhale.
I..
So who sthe bigger hero on college campuses?
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When was the last time you were on a college
campus?
D: AcLciaIly IL tbWcliiysngO—tnyy0ungor
sisdet Sm cø1le
Was it pandemonium?
T: Yeal, ft was nuts. Then the uprising in
ig3rpt strirteci. I’IZi iioL.gonna SuV ft WUS
connocted. butsornetirnesyou Iin 10 shut oft’
.
II
YOU COULD BE PUMPING GAS AND SOMEBODY
WANTS AN AUTOGRAPH, ANOYOU GO1TA TURN IT
ON. AND IF YOU DON’T, YOU’RE AN ASSHOLE-NIZ
JJ
Ar,r/Máy 2011
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I GEl OFFERED A LOT OF SHOTS. IT’S A GOOD THING
WHEN YOU DON’T HAVE MONEY’ FOR AICDHOL,
SOMEBODY’S DOWN TO HOOK YOU UP. BAI*JY
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weed,.
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FIRST THING [DO
IN THE MORNING.
IS SMOKE. THATS
NOT EVEN TO SOUND
COOL OR ANYIHING, :1
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BE HIGHFIRST
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Whatare the downsidespbecomjng a more
vbtepersanandbelsccessfuI?
thahaLu’rêdemg. fhtsel
nOt viwLuys hi thr..
mood to havbto meet iiicIe You Jwit.
w;urnaindbcd’ ittIO.w1dthn
‘ou end up with scum, dude thai Iook tik
010 whoa ‘1ng to take pu.Luro ofyou
tnt
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Do you ever resent having to turn it on?
I) 11wtn0 it on h boinespcc.tfW
tp popk.tincflIn nlt, on, iOt I wont
hr, Into a thuiintulpi ttn.thIng
W Thares not ueath a downside ltjusI
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cuold be pwnplng yuLe gs and sofnebOcly
rtrnth up on you and wanI a pietori óz an
tutogt*lph And you ,nlghLnoted like
doing ft. d!jt point, iyou know you.
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t, vçv roan
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nashole
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Daniiy you Just got marrledjast year How Is It
balanclngalong termrelatlonshlpwIthnewfound fame’ speclahiy now that you re.pbl to
do a lot o the ptojects you veelwaywantsd to
do Thetstheklndofthin9thatt&Cesyouaway
from home for long periods of tIme
0 Yuujut gM akOThL nskol whonyuu
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tight
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tag thc.whok.
What s your morning routine lIke’
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(list thhg I do is smoke 110115 iiOL ivofl in
sc;uiIci toOI CII iuthlti Ijusi huv4 to bu high
fcr’,t thing in the not nmg So, r;’ake up I
inOko I gd on th1xLtLmçL h huck uuii dint
ruzuort flflCl shiL
nsaboutyou?
tunvthing.l3foretharecre
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tiuLtlutklfl tOk
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snitch.
D: McI. if I do geu cu4hL (y him, I will
cli:fii uIWIy nit ii I I: in I h:ii yt ii hi uu’w
t’Ioru I wu.s.
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1) Yc$dlkmcl’øl a1ltk bitt)i tødoiuwItJi
Coke debts aside, you guys both seem very
laid-back—when was the last time you got
really upset?
I) Liki usagren up?
Wi I )t cIIk%II beeiius& we dlch i tItwo
thi arcnl thiiit I imtci In my houldo I
.
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FAI)EI1 72
Feb/Mar 2011
Spring Style
Uois(eii k/l)eparLaiieiils
W, Jffishfa thor lr Lot A,rre?o 04 by Post Mornk,
J.,u:, 20:,
22
FADE IN
24
NWSPRNT
32
LOOK
40
STYLE
OREENPAGES
Artists, authors, gadgets and gadflys
Li Were The earth
The most crucial looks
I Vinyl Archeology
114 Reheaters
116 Oranks
118 Events
GEN!F
122 Stockists
48
James Pants
12 Appendix
50
Lox Luger
52
Niki and the Dove
54
Josh T. Pearson
56
Demdiko Stare
58
Porcelain Raft
128 FADEOUT
SpaceJams
Sonia Delaunay
Fi.WEB 22
Feb/Mat’ 2011
Spriiw Style
Con Lril)IItOl’s
Photographing an artist poised for global success Is
always intense,
and for relatively new FADER contrfbutor Ross Mantle
, shooting Wiz
Khaiifa was no ditferent. During the course of the story,
ho found himself in
a bamboo thicket with Khalifa, as well as ri the center of
a music \ideo
shoot, documenting the flrst days of Khaiifa’s relationship
with Amber Rose.
didn’t have any expectations going into it. but he was
so laid back. id heard
his music, and I knew he smoked a lot of weed. The cover
went sinool hi,
he cI,cliit argue. I had him get in a hunch oibamboo. I le’d
lust gotten all
dressed up, was doing his hair, had some prduv nice clothes
on. hut he
walked into this cove of bamboo. He didnt question
it. thought he’d be like,
What the luck are you doing hrowing inc a in a bunch trees
of
like that? Ar
one point, he had just finished a joint, tossed It ofl He was
staring ollat the
beach up in Malibu. I saw him snap back, and he said, Oh
man, I forgot we
were Shooting photos here7 I guess he was thinking
about a nauslc video fle
wanted to shoot. There were constantly people around. During
the video
shoot, I’d say there were at least three or four people in the
room with him
at all times. I didn’t realize who Amber Rose was, but I figured
out pretty
quickly that they were together In some way. One of her friends
asked who
I was, so 1 wasn’t really sure how to approach It. I figured
he’d just tell me to
stop shooting if It was too much or anything. He didn’t.
He’s prenydown
to earth. I don’t know if he’s going to get a head about him
later on. but he
has a bit of a young ego. I think to be in the position he’s
in you have to have
something like that to begin with.
FAlWl 22
Feb/Mar 24)11
Spring Style
lditor’s 1,411cr
1k
Ji,n’, Hhikr cm’crpfl am iy
-
Guji Mont,,. Wl fiiaIIfo €O,rrphoe by Ross Marnte,
our years and seven weeks ago, I was brought forth
upon a plate of scrambled
eggs and baoon by then PA DER senior editor Erie Duoke
r to discuss my
first freelance masterpiece for the magazine. It was
a 1&Oword blurb on
Anal Plnk Human Ear Music label. and Ducker
suggested I puH it back In a
couple pIaces. In alif imese, It probably didnt neód that
many Solentologr—
references, Great advice from a great editor. That
was issue #42, and I Gent it to my family
as if ft were a Nobel certificate. I’d been a fan ofFADERsino
e the very beginning, and it felt
like an honor to contribute, even Wit had only been
that one time. Fortunately for me, it was
not. Thirty Issues and oountless unforgettable experie
nces lates lam filing my last piece
for the magazine. lam packing upmy Young
Jeezy snow globe and my Panda Bear fitted
baseball hat and leaving the future to the Fishbo
wl (our editorial office). I still feel the same
pride in this issue as that first one. ifnot more, but look
I
forward to just beings fan again.
it’s nice to leave on our annual Spring Style issue, the
first we’ve actually finished in
2011, liko christening a ship and then heading to the
bar to watch it sail out to see. To the
current staffgodspood and stiff drinks, you guys are
the best. To you, the roader thank
you for hanging with us during tumultuous times for the
printed word and recorded music
Hopefully, you havo enjoyed roading these pages
as much as we have enjoyed making
them. Things can Only got more interesting.
Finally, to Eric Ducker and everyone elsa whos
passed through these offices over the
last four years—Will, Niok. Lindsey, Phil, Dot, Aliya,
Chioma, Stats, Cole, Julienne. Chris.
Dave, FelIpe, Erin, Treats. Rosemary, Kaela, l<im and
Marllna—thank you and sorry for the
• 4
II
-.
massive headaches. Rob ,jon. Andy and Mthon
y lowe you guys forevar And most of all,
to Alex Wagner, former edftor In chief, thank you for
giving me ajobin the first place, and
for reminding us all that even when it seemed like the
ultimate drama putting it together.
FADER is still just a magazine that ocnes out (now six
times a year) and is sold in Barnes &
Noble for $6.99. How much fora blog post?
REE
21
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ADER
February/March 201 1
‘HITE
THF
SI SH
I
THE STONED COLD BUSINESS
OF BEING WIZ KHALIFA
STORY SAM HOCKLEY• SMITH
PHOTOGRAPHY ROSS MANTLE
•
If there was ever a question about Wiz Khalifa’s
affinity for marijuana, the series of mixtapes he
released while in major label limbo should put that
to rest. Grow Season, Flight School, How Fly (with fellow
weed connoisseur Curren$y), Burn After Rolling and Kush
&Orange Juice are just a few, but listening to them in order
chronicles Khaiifa’s ascent from talented kid without much
of a signature style to first class ganja enthusiast with an
inexplicably unbeatable work ethic and ridiculous knack for
hooks. On Kush & OJ, his most recent tape, Khalifa finally
sounds completely at home, his Pittsburgh aggression
toned into a voice that rests somewhere between the last
few minutes before drifting off to sleep and a caffeine
jag that sticks around just long enough for him to get a
verse
to tape. It’s a rare mixtape with a distinct
sound from beginning to end. A delayed, romantic
and weirdly sad vision of partying wit is girls, of par
tying with your bros. of what it means to never be
anywhere but In your own head, even when you’re
surrounded outside o it. “I didn’t want ft tobe sad,
but it’s real mellow,” he says. “lt’ just emotional.”
Khalifa is sprawled on his bed in the Won Hol
lywood where he’s been staying until he can move
into his new apartment. His long legs dangle all the
way to the very edge as he powerstisrough a litany of
interviews on his publicist’s speaker phone, rolling
joints amid a pile of Starburst wrappers and weed
crumbs that have fallen between his mattress and
bed frame. in the corner there’s a room service cart
with sante congealed onion rings from rhe night
before. n every other spare area there are boxes ol
clothes unwrapped T-shirts. pies cd fltrcds and
the car eted halls, says his hellos, does more drops,
does an intervIew, and then he’s hack In the car, an
other joInt ready to go.
At AOL’s eerily empty oIhcc fora video interview,
he’s greeted by a gaggle of employees. They make
him stand on couches, crowd him with cameras and
lights. The photographer calmly repeats his count
to three over and over like a mantra, before moving
Khaljfa onto the next backdrop. Later he will fllrt
with a radio host, and then follow up by compi
l’
menring her socks on ‘l’witter. Through all this, he is
never nione. “My business takes two people at least,”
Khailfa says. “1 always have Will or someone else
with me. i’m high all the tinse, too, so] need some
body there that I can rely on that’s sharp, on point
and going to conduct business like they’re me:
‘i’hc more people he keci,s around, the less chances
there are for his façade to crack. it’s onl after a gru
snaphacks. srarch jeans, ‘i’hough 1)tOi)Hbly nOt
cling MTV interview that there’s an sign that he’s
budget necessttv. Kisalilu shares the room with his
irruated. Sitting in a chair in a confei t’nce SOOtH
at
equally isnicy tour nian.iger and close mend Wilt
the W bright tights. cameras anti unom mtcs hang
Dzombak. He’s hunched over his laptop rryii,g tojet
in over him like an / IR Gjger monster, he’s asked
a handle on an advertised performance that Khalifa
repeatedly about his life at /7. Ne can’t remember
never agreed to, let alone even knew about. He is also
the movies he liked that year, 2004, and he didn’t
rultinga ?oinc. ftsmetTe a cofcgeorm room.
have an cspcctaTfy exciting prom. Ife was basfcalTy
During his travels across I A’s sprawi for press
just really, really into Carn’ron. He never entirely
appointments, the only real downtime Khalifa gets
loses it, but this is one moment when his perpetually
all day is in the backseat of the tinted-window SUV
haif-ildded eyes betray exhaustion, “When I’m high
Arriving at a radio station, Khallfa takes several
lean interact with anybody.” he says. “You can tell
minutes to get our of the car, his legs finally uncurl
when I’m sober. the answers start to suck, It’s not so
ing out the door like a giant spider emerging from
had when It’s spread out, but when I got a day with
a cloud of smoke. He liddies with his hair, pulling
a bunch of shit stacked on top of each other, it can
at little knots of it and then covering it with a hat,
get pretly repetitive.” Then he catches himself. “But
it’s these calm moments when he collects himself,
I try to keep in mind that they don’t know what the
and then he’s in the door. His face lights up in a full
last person interviewed nsa about, so I have to treat
grin, lie’s out of hi own head. He breezes through
it like a fresh one,”
“I still get
a lot of shit because
I go to clubs with
hoodies and shorts.
Man, shut up.
I can rap better than
everybody in here
and my album’s
going to sell more”
a
Khalifa’seatr:mce into nonstop pronto came after
his big break with 13lacl anti Yellow.” an anthem to
l’ittsburglt that’s not so much about the Steclers as
it is about Wix Khahihi. When he raps Sji,lç’li UkL’
I mu mippocd ro do! That trowu tmmtd&’rucorh thmctmm
Amid Joy CQI look unap’
proam’ltai,le/Supercican but i super irwan. I here is
no hometown reference, hut the mood is so ecstiLic,
Khahifa so happy to finally be able to rap about being
a midlevel bailer, that its ubiquity feels like a major
music industry coup from a perpetual underdog.
The moment when lie’s realized he’s filially macic
It. and he wants to make sure everyone listening
knows it too. But “Black and Yellow” isn’t popular
just because of Khalifa, although his endless chorus
of Bleak aiicl j’ellüit’, black and yellow, black andyci
lou’ is so brilliantly catchy that a cursory VouTuhe
search tro’s you can Mad Lib your way to novelty
success by plugging just about anything you want
to sa to the melody. Ii was produced by Stargate.
tIme heavyweight Norvegiaui duo behind numerous
m’ltJii(tS can’t ,tet ctr.’c to ton’
P01) hits for art ists like Rihanna and Ne-Vo, though
not many rappers. On “Black and Yellow they sur
round Khahlfa’s voice with chimes, keys and a squig.
gly. playful basshine, So he molds himself to fit the
mnstru mental, rather than just charging through
everything with a singular style. Khalifa Is canny
enough o choose instrumentals with hit potent hal
and meld his style accordingly. Though lie’s a rap
per, It’s what makes “Black and Yellow” a pop song
and Kliahlfa a pop star. His greatest achIevement is
that he contInues to be ilkeable. even In the face of
major success. There Is no possible way he’ll be able
to please everyone, but lie’s zoned In on the secret to
longevity: being unconditionally himself, and hav
ing an acute awareness of what that means.
In high school, Khalifa wore ChuckTaylors, not
because of a predilection for rock & roll cool, but
because they were cheap shoes. His footwear pref
erence remains unchanged by the llnichight and Is
now mimicked by his growing legion of fans whove
adopted the name The Taylor (ang. Anyone can be
be like Wi’,, Khalifa, because Wiz Khalifa is already
like everyone. l’hough many also wear Chucks and
use a shoelace for a belt, none of that is actually
neeessar for induction. “tvervhody warns to be a
part 01 somethina,” Khalifo sav%. ‘It s so eas to
a part of. l’hnl ‘s my attitude anyway. I would never
personally lt-V to in in. I always want to be myself.
You don’t even gotta wear the shoes. It’s just how
you live. 1)on’t live beyond your means. lfsomeone
loves my music and they love me, all they gotta do
is grow their htur ottwear some Chucks and some
clothes that fit, and some chick will be like, You
look like Wizt’ It’s achievable. I remember when I
was growIng tip, seeing people I looked up to, I felt
like I couldn’t be them, I still get a lot of shit because
I go to clubs with hoodies and shorts. Man, shut up.
lean rap better than ever9body in here and my ab
bum’s going to sell more. Its about being yourself.
that’s what people respect in the cnd, And that is
as aggressive as Khalifa gets. He’s painfully aware of
his impact on the younger generation, even though
he’ll inakevoitr kidstink like weed foreternity if’ 1w
cts remotely close to them. “I feel somewhat of a
responsibility. You know what’s right and you kuow
what’s wrong.” hesas. “Even ihotit,h lsniok.weetl
“When I’m high I can interact with anybody.”
and cuss and rap about gettingbitches—that’s me.
never tell anybody to do that. ‘l’here are certain ways
you can say things, or certain things you can make
seem cool, and I’m not into that, I don’t tell people
to drink underage, I drank when I was underage. but
I don’t say. ‘Yo, fttcking sneak in the club and drink
something right now,’ I don’t want people todorhat.
You can listen to me while you do that, but i’m not
going to be the one to tell you to do that,” He’s like
a formerly rebellious parent telling his children to
use their best judgment while l’ully acknowledging
he never did himself. He’s been cast into public
prominence, and every move he makes from now
on wilt either propel him further, or push him back.
True love, marriage ofconvenlence. a side effect
of celebrity or all three. Khalifa has recently been
dating Amber Rose. best known as Kanye West’s ex
girlfrIend. There are paparazzl vldeosofthem walk
ing down the Street together. The fact that there are
paparazzi around him at all Is something Khalifa
pretends to be unexcited by, but back in his hotel
room, when he watches a video of himself leaving
a club, he turns his laptop screen toward Dzombak
so he can get a better vIew.
If the Amber Rose thing brings up a lot of ques
tions, it should. Es Khaiifa on the same track as
Kanye West? Will fame erode away the everyman
vibe he has so carefully cultivated? What will hap
pen when he really starts making serious money?
i.ook at Kanye West—-once a quintessentially relat
able rapper, he’s now one of the biggest, most a
i ractively egomaniacal stars in the world.
“People
are going to grow wIth me. Wherever I end up,
I
think they’ll understand it.” Khalifa says. “I can’t
say I’m not going to want to dress more expensive,
“I love music but I can’t say I love
the music business. I like doing business
and profiting off the fucking dream.
I could be working at any place, I could be
selling cars instead of buying them.”
but whatever I do. people will have the choice to
follow it. I’m trying to become a household name
and be a worldwide sensation and make a lot of
money while I’m doing It and make other people
a lot of money as well. 1 love music but I can’t say I
love the music busIness. I like doing busIness and
profiting off of the fucking dream. I could be work
ing at any place. I could be selling cars instead of
buying them.” So maybe nothing will change, or
maybe we’ll all somehow get rich oil Wfz Kinihifa.
Or maybe like Kanye, he’ll be able to make tis feel
like we’re growing with him. ‘l’lic beauty of Khaliia
is that when lie says he’s not really concerned about
any of that, you can’t do anything but believe him,
because he’s never shown us otherwise.
Back in the car, the I ioliywood Hills loom close
in the windshield as eveningsrreetiights flicker on.
The radio is faint In the background and the
DJ
says somet hingabout a “pop artist.” Khalifa drops
one of his signature stoner cackles before launch
ing into a chant o1 “I’m a pot artist, I’m a pot star.”
Nobody else laughs, but he doesn’t care. He keeps
doing It, and the more he does It, the funnie
r it
gets until, pretty soon, everyone laughs right along
with him.
GREENPAGE•APPENDIX
COMPILED ra DUNCAN COOPER, SAM I4OCKLEV’SMITI’l, NAOMI ZEJOHNER
James Blake
LII Wayne, “A Mliii (Hannonimix Rcmix)” (Internet 2010) it wasn’t
imntediateiy obvious Harmonimix was James Blake, but the first synth
drop at 30 seconds shouid’ve given it away. On this remix, his ping-ponging
melancholy keys fully showcase LII Wayne’s voice, but they refranie it too,
capturing his cadence morel han his actual words. it’s rare for a UK bass
producer to sample an American rapper, especially in full verse form, hut
LII Wayne shows up within two seconds and stays until the last note. In fact.
throughout the song’s final two minutes, three distinct Waynes grace the rack.
ofien all at once: There’s normal Wayne, screwed Wayne. and a i,ttched-ul,
Wayne, who sounds like a choked-up Elmo. DC
James Blake, “The Wilhelm Scream (Live on BBCI)” (internet 2011)
in this performance, lots ofstnall pieces come into play; the digl-clnnnmer’s
nervous eyes, the guitarist’s sleepy head rolls, every time .kunes Blake
swnllov,’s. and, most ofall, his sideways grin right afler the last note. lveryone
looks young. At 4:08. white dust floats o!l’theclrum mallet, Occasionally the
sounti gets weird. Al 1:40, the word “falling”gets over-processeci intocrisp
zapping. hit the pervading mood—despite he dangling ntic cords and eIrn
pianos hiding in ihecorner, and despite he shadowy ;irn1ct’ossers lurking the
b:ick wail—is Iow-voiccl bedroom intimacy. u&:
NikkI Giovanni, “Great Pax Whltey/Peace Be Still” Truth Is On Its Wu
(Right On Records 1971) James Blake mentioned that gospel tenor .lames
Cleveland’s 1962 rendition of “Peace l3eStilr’changed his life. I wonder
if he kitows the soul-demolishing version ofthe same hymn that Nikki
Giovanni recorded with the Harlem Community Choir? A male soloist lays
its foundation and a chorus ups the ante. They build together untIl you’re
completely immersed in their supercharged swell, then everyone rccedes
to make way for Giovanni’s syrupy voice, She talks about slavery and death
and the endurance olgrced and asks. Aia’r rlteygo! noshanic? can Iger a
a’intcss. tt’itness, tvfmess, as another woman’s voice rises to respond with deep,
unguarded support. N’t
Wiz Khalifa
Wiz Khallfa, “In the Cut” Mush & Orcuige Juice (Taylor Gang/Rostrum
Rccord5 2010) The summer the Garden State trailer came out, all I can
rementher i Frau Prou’s “l.et Go” blasting out of every high school girl’s car In
a one zillion mile radius of wherever I happened to bestanding. Crazy visions
floating through my head of Zach l3ralf on a plane that’s going down, but hc
can’t bring hImself to care because he’s so numbed by pills and the pain
being an adult that he doesn’t feel anything at all. Here. Wiz KtiaIlfa raps about
smoking weed and lucking girls and having a joint in his pocket at all tlm’”
becauseyou iievcr know over a loop of warped strings and mutlied Ibiza pulse
which is a lot more believable than Braft’ finding true loveberween a pairof
headphones in like liwec seconds in a doctor’s office. S us
-
4
Rick Ross f.Currcnsy and Wiz Khallfa, “Super High (Saliva Remix)”
(internet 2010) is it possible that Rick Ross is jealous oI’Wlz Khallfa? Ross
arguably makes his world more complicated every day. He started off larger
than life, and now he’s basically rappingabout living in Miami mansions made
ofcrvstal while (Iolphinsspit Ciroc directly into his mouth orvhatever. It’s
awesome, hut he a So has o cot itend wit It a legion o[luuers who are like, 110W
DARE YOU RAP AltOU’l’ UN’i’kUl’ ‘I’l IINGS. ignoring the foct that tti,it’c kind
of rap’s whole deal. Wi’j., on the other hand. can rap about writing a rap alter
smoking weed a id leave it at that, also kttown as “being completely honest
about how he spends his time.” 150th ways are entertaining, but one leads to
us to check if Ross Is actually In the Guinnes.c Book of ti-’orkl Rerofds for crying
too nights, and the other leads to chilling in a bed, eating Starbursts and
gert’inghlgh. sits
Currensy and Wlz Khallfa, “The Planes” How Fly (Rostrum Records
2009) When lie’s at his best, Viz is able to capture the titost serene notne
of stoner lethargy. They’re not sad moments exactly just melancholy and
distant, the result of perpetual high times leading to perpetual introspection.
Frequent collaborator and fellow weed enthusiast Currensy is about this as
well, and nowhere is the duo more focused than on this track. Mostappealing,
though, is the way they play oft’each other, CurrenSy trading in hIs spaced out
flow for a more hyperactive world tumble, while Wi’e, is playful, barely paying
attention hut audibly having a great time, Arid then they’re gone and the
beat rides out for a solid minute-plus. God only knows what they weredoing
(smoking weed). sits
‘
0 MARS WIZ KHALIFAB.O.B
[
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March 2011
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BEN QETRICK
ci 51.FT’SIDtD’N a December night in Pittsburgh is tike being trapped in a
ieattockorwearinga Speedo. Its also the time of year football dominates
,......Jcivlc tile—a statue of Steeters’ Hatt of Fame running back Franco Harris
guardsah airport escalator, cabbies ask visitors if they’re in town for the big
JgamE(doys,before the New York Jets are due to kjck oil), and NFLgearis worn as
a state issued dress code This evening s Wlz Rhatifa concert gives natives
i celebrate the team colors.
i room at Stage AEI a)midsize music hall bud ØtOd In the
r
lila iss
Idoks like Hypebást .com
ins and Taylor Gang
c,er, as if props.
o ope fthWülb!uk
r apd the corporate
teakersi Waiches Adidas tiadksuitsil.
The afr is heavy with fragrant smoke as if the mob is showing solidarityifor
L7 Rhalifa s Nevember arrest on three weed related charges in North Carolina His
F mother is in the mix too wearing a Steelersjersey with his name on the back
i nd taliilg pulLs oil a blunt I dreamed of his success En the music industry she
s’ay. 9 imso proud of him, I could:bdrst,” Iii a cClebratO mament’
Khalifa whose real name is Canron Thomaz is wearing a 10 Deep varsity
fr
jacket, slim fit Jeans and Ciuck Taylor grips Bushy hair puffs out from beneath
a Washington Redskins snap back hat He thin in the same way BIg Pun
Ywaséhuñky; The gu
9 is a 64 string bEan crosshOtched with tattoOs, Tonight
‘‘
-
j
:‘
CR114 PATRICE O’BRIEN
isa homecoming of sorts, as it marks tfI 23•year-olds first performance in
Pittsburgh since his single Black and Yetlow became an unexpecLed national
hit. After slugging bab some gin from a red plastic cup, Rhalifa heads down a
stairwell anding al,lhi-brink of (he stagd. An announcer yells his name, arid the
unseen crowd bellO*s..
After six yeaui Jf foiling in gradualy lessening obscurity WJ; Rhajifa is
now perilously close’to becoming a rap sJar Black and Yellow an dber catchy
anlem me by Norwejiap
producers Siptgate sits at No 6 on the 8iUboar
4
charts at press time and’ifes sold 1 5 miwonitinits on iTunes 5ifltC its September
release Has recently recqrded with Diddy fherrell Jamfe Foxx and Snoop
•ap4 ljtqits jalk of potential tracks with both-Rihanna and Chris Brdvn. In 2009.
HhjJifa opned for U God of Wu Tang Clan at a College Music Journal show In
20t1 hes sharing the bill with LI Wayne at the Bamboozle festival Marveling a
a recenlErlp to Miami where he hung out with Rick Ross 0) Khaled and Wale
khalifa oJnds like a fan at rap fanlasy camp A lot of dilferenl people op bigger
levels is now calling n phone or I can go to their house and tthltl with them hi
says How much of this is because of Black and Yellow ‘He l{tnb for a second
All of l, he says. Bul,Lhat’s i)ot C’ntirdy, true.
-.
sRLI FOryfl coufd be won wagering thaI Rhalifa is the only rapper bern In
Minol, North Dakota kidwhospliWlime betweenhis mother shouse In Piltsbul’gh
and the ilutary, bpses where his fathar and stepmother were stationed he
sáent stretches bV adölesãencein OklahOma, Germany, the United Kingdth, and
AND HIPPIES,
WE FLOCK. WE’RE PEACEFUL AS
HELL. YOU DON’T HEAR ABOUT m
CONCERTS GETTING SHOT UP OR.
PEOPLE GETTING BEAT UP BECAUSE
THEY WAS TOO HIGH AND TURNED
INTO A WEED mONSTER.
production that woutdWt have been out at place on BET’s Rap Ci:’
circa 1 997—shows him without tattoos orihisface. neck orhands. ‘i
was an underground rapper only because hewsn’L welt kriowii yet.•
•
says Grinberg. ol Khalifa. Wi wasn’t making ‘backpck.’ records or
‘
purposefully trying to appeal to a niche hip-hop crowd. He has been
•
making realty good. accessible music from tha lime I met him at 17
years old lve really never met a more soil-aware artist than Wiz
(anyo West ‘a recent forays Into ilppunsm notwithstanding.
catering to a 90s boom-hap audience has usually been a recipt
for obsolescence in modern hip-hop. And whiLe cagey career-wise,
•
Khalita’s transition from underground 4C to rapper.du-jour was
seamless. Hi second singLe in 2007, Sayveah,”jeckedAliCeDeeays,
‘Better OH Atone. a Euro-Trerce track best suited for, foaii partie’s
•
where Snooki Loses her tube top. It was a lunge for pop.chart success
that betty-fLopped badLy. According to Khalifa, executives wàkIng the
project at Warner Bras, even suggested the track’s blend of hip-hop
• and dance music could be marketEd as the Pittsbüqh”asthetk.
Some of those songs aren’t my favorites, but I was happy when I
• made them,,’ he says. “I don’t feet like I compromisd anything. it all
buitl up to where rm at now.
•
Xhalifa’s recent music isn’t as over the top as Say Veah, but
• it’s insistently contemporary. There are DownSauth club joints; soft,
poppy
uto-T!!d hooks. !leg singing
aa!th
re.
choruses on his second albun, 2009’s Deal orNo Deal. The LP, which
dropped by&fle’peakod.__
at 148 on (he BiLLboard 200. The poLent 2010 mixtape Kush & Orange
Juice and an appearanceOn the remix to.Rck Ross’ Suprligh
boLsiêrE hIs (an base gnough to earn anether deal, this time with
:1ltlC R&Oid ThEn’Canie Btack and ‘lehow.
,When asked about his çtewest fans Ithe most dedicated are
neqed Taytors ) KhaLlfa terls a quick story about meeting a girl
i1 Miami who had oLy heard his single. He says he played her his
older mixtape and she liked it even more than the hit record; It’s a
vague anecdote, and a self -serving one. This is riot unusual.Nlen’
interviewed by Local newspapers early in his career. Xhatila declined
to specify which Pittsburgh neighborhood he was h’omn. Today, he
wont reveal details about a forthcoming t3lack and yettow remix (a 0-14jx’
that hit the. Internet shortly alter, featuring Snoop Dogg, Juicy 3 and T-Painl,
In response to inquiries about his headline-making arrest or rejecting potential
• coltiborators. he glances firI over at Grlnberg before giving evasive and
diplomatic answers. This is a cautious, calculating team.
KhalIfas music and image have been similarly curated. II his rapping
style was once East Coast in its aesthetic, it’s become less So. He raps slower
now, with a bit more muddled inflection in Ms thin voice, and stLcks to generic.
crowd-pleasing subjEcts such as marijuana, money, girls, and more marijuana,
Khatifa doesn’t dispute the tact that his content is redundant—he just caLl.s ii
consistency. “Deyin’ the Dude talks about tucking, smoking weed and not having
no money half the time. he sajs. Snoop talks about gnngbanglng, s
weed and pimping on hoes. Wi: is just doing whpt he does welt: N’
w
John StocIIon is gonna shoot threes. he says, pushing Into, the wor
s
metaphors. rAnd they gonna say. ‘Yo, man, you should definitely try I
dunking on niggas?’’He gazes from under heEvy-lidded eyes and
weeded-out rationalization; I’qa shoot threes.
StiLt, the differences between PittsburghSoufld and Ichatlia’s reci
are profound. “I think in’those days 1 was more based on an undergroui
much more similar to what we were doing. says Nlcótay. a Dutch pra’d.
..
\
I
I
:
____
__
Japan. While he credits those far-flung experiences far giving him a more
expansive worLdview— had wild shit. squid and (ticking dolphin and shark,
he says. .1 trIed tucking fish eggs and threw up—the trart5leflt nature Of his
childhood gave his hometown a special allure. While away f rain home, Khalite
adopted ihe moniker Pittsburgh and much of his music references the city’
Despite being a part-time resident for most of his life. Wiz ranks :et9wn’s
first pip-hop artist with national nEtoriety since Death Row Records’ Sam rteed,
a rapper best known for his 199h single t) Better Recognize—wtItCh Is to say,
not very well known at all.
Alter experimentIng with his father’s recording equipment in Oklahoma,
Khatifa bEgan recórdlng,ln earnest at Pittsburgh’s ID Labs when he returned
after 2002 He impressed the local studio rats enough to earn an Introduction
to Benjy Grlnberg a Pittsburgh native who d worked as LA Reid s assistant at
Arista Records for three years In 2005 Crinberg signed Khatita to Ms Indie label
Rostrum Records.’.
KhalIla’i early music was typified by the singLe Plttsbuigh Sound (AU in
My Btood)* lromhi.s 2b07 album, Show and Prove’. Over a chopped soul sample.
he untangled multisyltabIc rhymes with a detivery reminiscent of a junior
varsity .iuelz Santana, 1:m known to chase the bucks, trying to get my paper
up. he raps. “lit the studio: writing rhymes tilt the paper crunch,” The video—a
‘
•
VIBe’ March2011
I
March2011
119
Phonte of Utile Brother and included KhaLifas What It Used To Be”
‘36 LP HerL But I do respect his decision to become a commercial
Other than typical titerndt rousing, who can fault a career
en Xhatlfa from an undâiound also-ran to sellingout entire tours
with Ricky Rozay? Re,oi’d labels have always mgldd talent into
modifies. tI’s just more noticeable when your old clips are on
fJj(
wasp’s nest of yellow towels when Xhalifa, flanked by several
craw, hits the stage. Smoke weed every day,’ he croons.
g’scadence from
Ore’s ‘The Next Episode.’ The masses
ihe recites a particularly
-the reference track, he I
rubs his pelvis Dewey.,..t row coo. irs
ence respond so
a when a track
r
‘
.
‘
( lIIIljfIIIIII1I -:IIiIIV”
vfasCo
affection for weed asignificant—and easily relatabLe—part of
theIr image, and
Wiz Khalifa has fo(towedfsuit 1
”The weed culture isiikc fuckin graffiti he says
explaining its crogs.cóttiiral e’ppeat.”You gotta be a part of t,pet culture
to reatly
connect with it. Polhdd’s ‘and h1ies, we flock... We’re p’eacefüt as hell.
Yoti
don’t bear aGout my Dnce,s,gtling,stiol up or people getting beat up
because
theY was too high and turned inlóa weed monster’ Wiz says he’s beeri
smoking
daily since attendingAiterdIce kigh School. a diverc place where
white kids
had superior weed end iiayed’iucking hockey-sack and shit.’ Wiit,.stops
urban Cities meagert’sprin)cled between rural towns like Omaha, NebrasIi in
and
Tuscon, Arizona. Khalitas recent 5,5-date Waken Baken tour seemed
geared
more toward bong-ripping college kids than the sLreets.
Unlike artists such’ä5 Cthirnon—who once bristLed on the Roots’ ‘Act
Too
(Love of My I I” tha!.hi fans were ‘coffee shopchlcks and white
dtdes—
• KhaLlfa Is exceedingly comfortable with
his
followers. He has whiteguys In his crew
and is Labetmales on Rostrum with Mac
•Mi(ier, a white rapper from Pillsburgh
: In fact, khalifa Is bothered when rappers
stereotype activities or behavior as
inherently tied to.race, ‘DUdes we’e like.
t’m a Black white boy,” tie says. ‘People
ere talking abOut party ng like a rock star.
Not saying hdse dudes. but that whole
frame, There wore people talking
Obotil guitars nd jumpiig into crowds
.that dont even listen to rock musk, But
there’s certain kids that gOt looked at like
ihoy’re weird and beat up and their tile is
traumatized when that shit wasn’t coot,’
Now, after six years Spent cultivalin9
this unique tistcnership, Khatila is being
,troduced lo the uroan crowd as a pew
artist. In December. hO had a çameo
appearane d
York rapper
.
—-
,.Thecrowd
Caucasian,
wet bêal
of Leori;
with more skuifles and
“I (hlflk some peop!d
Oè WiLKI.aflla shows were
d. says Gregg Gitlis. a Caucasian
rand Di from Piusburgh own s
,whe performed at the I’
aU.ta show.:
has th
.‘
‘
“
2!oujshow
_..
appearedon I ‘s lO &.Park
and was filmed
‘Flockaveti TV webcast And on 4/20,
ha’s dropping ‘the hazy s(rai9tttto-DVb
lilm’illgh School wIth senior etoflir costar
Snoop. Khatifa Is tying up loose ends.
:Wst
other
always • n over
before crossing into
n Dke, a half •Jewish
ivhcfl nswilh the dulcet notes
ihiingate, cut his teeth on urban
galde Tray Songz. Ch.alifa may
-t Black hip-hop artist inak(n•,
tmpting to rcverse-ngineer
KIIALIF4
I
I
to Lastfm.copi, on onLine
•
pIa’ttIsts, indicates that Wiz
Ions
i, J. Cole and Wale. They’re
; of a
iscious, not partkularty threate Ing—that
Kweli. Del arid MF Doom as the faces
.. diverse demographic is particularfy attuned
and are the I rid of fans who push trending topics on Twitter.
& Oiange Juice and Khal;Ia’s arrest were. ‘It’s not about music
y or Wiz.’ says Meka Obi. a’brand strategist and columnist
s lifestyle. Tattoos, weed, depression; the smallest rebettion to
iiir parents.
thar sloner,thiñg. Despite Its illegality, the omnipresence and goofy
tesness of marijuana have g1èñ the drug a beloved niche in American
re: Acts like Cypress Hilt. Rèdman and Snoop 0
ogg have made their
.
•
-
_:
WADLD
through
the
underground circuit, there were low
Indications Ihat he was destined for
stardom: His voice was unremarkabco,
his rapping abilities were pedestrian, his
i music was rarely compeltnb. But he’s
proven, In a parallel rnentocracy, that
matleabitity, elbow grease and a knack
for niche marketing can be as valuable as
y rubbery bSrltone or notebook stuffed
‘
-‘
i intricate rlyme. Now. with ‘Bck
and Yellow’ bcomng a bonafide phenomenon (among the legions of remakes is
Game’s Laker-Lauding Purp and YetLow and “White hid Purple,’ by Tom Hanks’
son Chett’4azeI and rap collaborators lining up Like hogs at trough Khalifa
is
poised to become a more street version of Gym CLass Heroes’ Travja’i4cCo
y, ai
overage rapper who took a roundabout route to mainstream audiences.
“Wlz has
a great scnle of himself—of who he Is, where he’s from and where he’s
goin-rwe’w
says Tar Herrnansen of Stargate. YoU can’t (each somebody that. It’s gotta
Come
from the artist He’s confident but wilIng to Listen. That’s how you 9’el’better:
Ironically. Kbatife’s Pittsburgh anthem has given him the means to move
westward, He’s eyeing a second hOme i Los Angeles. where he’s been
makEn
plans to smoke weed tegaltyll fly a tot, so my steeping patterns be I ucied up.’
he
says, exptaining the heatthconditions that allowed him to get a medIcal narijuana
cardj. And i shift in direction, as,Kbalifa knows. can change everything,V
e
a
-
btortaioaiet
January 7, 2011
ilto
Watch
in 2011
Heãdsup!
These
promising starsare
poised forniajor
f‘breakoutsthisyeai
7. Wiz Kbaflfa
The fun-loving
Pittsburgh rapper, 23,
spent the past year
building his fan base
via independent mixtapes and constant
touring before signing
with Atlantic Records. His single
“Black and Yellow,” an incredibly
catchy ode to his hometown sports
teams’ official colors, is already a
chart smash He plans to keep his
momentum going with an as-yetuntitled 2011 album featuring
Snoop Dogg, whose easygoing flow
is often compared to Khalifa’s,
among the guest vocalists “Having
[Snoop’s support] is important to
me,” Khahfa says proudly “He’s
always been a huge influenáe.”
IIiEWALLSTREETJOUiNAL
February 4, 2011
Super Bowl Fans
Sing Same Song
For the Super Bowl’s Opposing Fans,
It’s Same Songs, Different Verses
*
*
*
Pittsburgh ‘lime ‘Black and Yellow’ Remixed
Into Green Bay’s ‘Green and Yellow’
By Reasis Wum.*,.
Fans of sports teams across
the country have seized on the
Every football team that appeal of “Black and Yellow’ and
makes it to the Super Bowl has a recorded more than 10 remixes
fight song. This year, for the and copycat versions of the
first time ever, fans of the Picts- song—of course, with the words
burgh Steelers and the Green and colors changed to fit their
Bay Packers will be
own teams.
singing the same tune,
That Includes three
(“
if not from the same
versions about Green
song sheet.
Bay called “Green and
It all started with a
Yellow.”
Pittsburgh song called
Now, on the eve of
“Black and Yellow,”
the biggest event in
which is sweeping the
American sports, both
top-40 airwaves across
teams are psyching up
the country with It tintheir fans for Sunday’s
kling, music-box synth
game using the Steeland slow, bass-heavy
ers’ fight song.
beat. The song was
“I don’t think there’s
WIz Khalifa
written by Cameron Ji’
ever been a song like
bril Thomaz, better known as this,” said Mikey Dougherty, host
Wiz Khalifa, a skinny, tattoo-coy- of a popular morning show on
ered, 23-year-old rapper from KISS-9&L, Pittsburgh’s main pop
the Pennsylvania citY. The song radio station, which is airing the
is currently the No. 3 pop song song in heavy rotation. “Every
in the country, according to Bill- city is adopting their own ye,
board magazine’s Hot 100 chart.
PleaseturntopageAl2
—
—-“--
Continued fromPage One
and a cameo by Steelers
sion, and it’s almost like a chal backer LaMarr Woodley. line
lenge to do the best one.”
But the song itself isn’t ex
Rap songs celebrating differ plicitly about football: the
words
ent American cities, from the “Pittsburgh” and
“Steelers”
hokey (Will Smith’s “Welcome to don’t occur in the lyrics.
Miami”) to the maudlin (Jay-Z pin’ my town, when you see“Repme,
and Alicia Keys’ hugely popular you know everything,”
Mr.
New York City tribute from Thomas sings in the
chorus,
2009, “Empire State of Mind”> fore rhyming about women be
and
are nothing new, of course.
his expensive car—a black-andNeither are Super Bowl songs. yellow Dodge Challenger
SRT8.
The Chicago Bears were nomi But then comes the
nated for a Gramniy for their catchy refrain: “Blackinfectious,
and yel
1985 hIt, “The Super Bowl Shuf low, black and yellow,
black
fle,” which famously included yellow, black and yellow.” and
such Bears greats as Walter PayNit-pickers have pointed out
ton and Mike Singletary gyrating that the Steelers’ colors
their hips and rapping. Last year tually black and gold, notare ac
black
in support of his hometown Min and yellow, but
that hasn’t
nesota Vikings, Prince recorded stopped the team’s
organization
a strangely dirge-like, English from capitalizing on
the song’s
pub-style fight song called “Pur popularity as a way of pumping
pie and Gold.
up Its fans. Just before kickoff
“Black and Yellow” is differ the Steelers win over the in
ent in a number of ways. The York Jets that sent them New
song, released In September, is Super Bowl, Wiz Khalifa to the
took to
the first taste of national ac a stage behind the
Stealers’ end
claim for Mr. Thomaz, who is zone in Pittsburgh’s
Heinz
signed to Atlantic Records but wearing a fur coat and Field,
who hasn’t yet released an al to perform the song glasses,
bum, and he Is the first rapper sands of fans waved as thou
towels and
from Pittsburgh to ever have a sang along.
national fan base.
“I definitely wrote it with
The song has been down Pittsburgh pride in general.
In
loaded from iTunes nearly two everything I do I want
to
million times, according to Mr. sent my city,” Mr. Thomazrepre
Thomas’s recording label, and “It $ust surprises mc that said.
316 million people have watched are even that interested inpeople
it.”
the music video on YouTube.
One of the Green Bay
which features hordes of Steel sions. “Green and Yellow,” ver
comes
ers fans waving their trademark from an expatriated
Packers fan
yellow-and-black Terrible Towels and performer named
Sam