THE LEADING VOICE OF PITTSBURG HIP HOP: WIZ KHALIFA

With an infectiously easy going demeanor and a charismatic delivery of music, the Pittsburg, Pennsylvania lyricist Wiz Khalifa is well on his way of becoming a heavyweight name in the industry. This hip hop star is truly an inspiration as the life of Wiz Khalifa pictures a perfect example of how to live your life on your own terms and rule the world just by having the right kind of attitude and determination.

Born as Cameron Jibril Thomaz in Minot, North Dakota and raised as a child of military officer, Wiz was forced to mature at a very young age because of his frequent travels with his father. After his parents’ divorce when he was around three years old, he had to live in various places and military bases around the world. By the time he reached his teens, he had already lived in places like Germany, the U.K. and Japan before finally settling in Pittsburgh. All this moving around meant constantly having to face new surroundings, new schools and new sets of friends. But in life, you can either learn to adapt or you perish. And that is exactly what this talented young boy did.

With his own life experiences as inspiration, Wiz began writing lyrics at the age of nine and by the time he reached twelve he was already recording and producing his own records and laying the groundwork for putting not only himself but also his beloved city of Pittsburg on the musical map. In 2006, he released ‘Prince of the City: Welcome to Pistolvania’-his first mixtape, full of Wiz Khalifa songs that exhibited a style that was uniquely Pittsburg, an interesting blend of East Coast, Southern and other hip hop influences. And with his independently released full length debut ‘Show and Prove’, soon he managed to have all the major record labels in the country come looking for him. In 2007, he finally signed with Warner Bros. records and released two mixtapes which included his debut single ‘Say Yeah’ which reached number 20 on Billboard's Hot Rap Tracks.

And he hasn’t looked back since. His subsequent album ‘Deal or no deal’ (2009) was widely successful and critically acclaimed. The Wiz Khalifa music video of the song ‘Black and yellow’ earned 24 million views on Youtube and also won him two Grammy nominations. He was named the 2010 "Rookie of The Year" by the magazine-The Source. Wiz Khalifa music videos and songs developed a huge and devoted grass root fan base and his mix tape-‘Kush & Orange Juice’ topped Google’s Hot Search Trends list, bringing him to the notice of the Atlantic label. Since he had parted ways with Warner Bros.
by then, he signed with Atlantic in the same month that ‘Kush & Orange Juice’ was released. His first album with the label -‘Rolling Papers’ topped the charts in 2011 winning him the award of Best New Artist at the BET Awards of the same year. In 2012, he has released another album ‘O.N.I.F.C’ which is currently ruling the charts.

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