It's crazy to think about 28 year old Wiz Khalifa being a veteran in rap; but with almost 20 different projects put out (hard to distinguish the difference between albums and mix tapes, though most would say he has 4 albums), there's no debating that Wiz Khalifa is a veteran in this here rap thing. He's experimented with his sound since 2006, being once known as the Prince Of The City, "Trap Wiz" on his 2014 mix tape 28 Grams, and asking How Fly is he really with frequent collaborator Curren$y, but this time it seemed Wiz wanted to combine all of his different styles and personas into one while staying true to the backpacking Wiz that became so huge in the late 2000s. So did Wiz give his fans what they wanted with Khalifa?
It's not hard to tell that the big single from this project was the hyped up Travi$ Scott feature "Bake Sale", and the fun and wavy vibe that this jam gives off is easy to find throughout Khalifa. "Cowboy" is an interesting twist on the typical Wiz song given it's decent storytelling vibe, but is also able to keep the party vibe going, while "Celebrate" brings Wiz back to his comfort zone with some clean shit talkin' over a smooth beat and a nice Rico Love feature.
Old Wiz was making a few worthy appearances on Khalifa as well, this is most evident from the almost inspirational banger "Elevated." The hook on "Elevated" creates the signature Wiz vibe with some spiritual background vocals that Wiz mastered back in his mix tape days, and he gives the same classic Wiz vibe with "City View" featuring singer Courtney Noelle. Seeing a Courtney Noelle feature for Wiz fans is certainly a nostalgia trip, reminiscent of "Bank Roll" off of Wiz's Star Power mix tape.
(*I do not own these songs, or the rights to them*)
The features on Khalifa are none too showy; Wiz stuck to the Taylor Gang and that is no surprise. Every feature fits where it belongs, and each person plays their part perfectly. Courtney Noelle's singing made "City View", while Rico Love, J.R. Donato, Chevy Woods and Juicy J all added a vibe that only they could to each of their features. You can feel Wiz and Chevy Woods' chemistry for making bangers on "No Permission", Wiz's son Sebastian adds an almost tear jerking ending to "Zoney", and Juicy J stays doing Juicy J things on "iSay" (a weird beat to hear Juicy over, but an awesome song, nonetheless).
Wiz came out to show and prove with Khalifa, it seems. The title is fitting, because this album is Wiz to the core. The feel good vibes live throughout almost every song on Khalifa, and it seems Wiz brought meaning back to not only what he was saying, but the overall sound in his music. Wiz is never going to be the most lyrical, but when it comes to creating a certain vibe in his songs, whether it be to turn up to, to chill to, or to even hear some real shit, Wiz creates the vibe with his genius way of song making. Khalifa is a veteran's way of staying true, and staying fun at the same time.
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