Wiz Khalifa, our neighborhood friendly stoner. Wiz has been in the game for a good minute and over time he has successfully placed himself on the list of music icons. His music isn’t for everybody but he’s cultivated a massive following that spans across the world. He’s influenced the popular culture and continues to set records and reach new heights. While he pushes boundaries, people tend to question his antics and his music. But his genius is undeniable and he’s built himself a mighty empire that touches various industries.
Wiz Khalifa was breeding a movement from the start. He had a knowledge of marketing that was rare to see from a fresh artist. He called his fans Taylor Gang, which represented his love for Chuck Taylors, and embedded a distinct image for all them right away. Cargo shorts and Chuck Taylors was a must-wear pair for fans everywhere. His style become a style for the popular culture. He transitioned his looks as well. He had cargo shorts, Chuck Taylors, 501 Levis, a blonde hair patch in his afro, all becoming trends when he began to rep it. He had the power to set waves throughout a mass following when it came to style.
As he cultivated his fanbase he kept them in tune with a mini-documentary series and being engaging on social media. His DayToday series was the insight to the life of Wiz Khalifa. He raps were filled with player lyrics with a life of a rockstar. He was enjoying the best of everything with lyrics filled with fun, exciting moments. The DayTodays captured these moments in Wiz’s life. They showed us that he was really living his raps. The videos were exciting to watch because they made you want to be there. He introduced us to all of his crew members and they had great character development throughout all the series. Taylor Gang was built with a great attachment. He understood the power of his fans and just how much they could elevate his career. He paid special attention to them and he was really organic in everything that he did. He understood that you can take a cult following and grow it into a worldwide audience if you put in the time. He also made sure that he stayed true to himself through it all. Being from Pittsburgh, he had to make a name not only for himself but for his city. He embedded the culture of his city into himself and stood as the shining light.
The number one distinct feature of Wiz Khalifa will always be his love for marijuana. For many, he was the first rapper that made marijuana so appealing. His habit of daily smoking and obsession with the quality and details of his smoking life created a lure that pulled many people. Wiz Khalifa didn’t just smoke and get high. He put thought into how he was getting high, what he was doing when high, the quality of what he was smoking, and any other details. He had a paper only rule that set a standard for the growing fanbase of stoners. He was giving smoking a purpose and showed that it had a major importance to his daily life. This influenced waves of fans and it became a unifying factor for people that continues to grow. He understood the power of being an influence. He made himself an idol that kids looked up to. He embraced being himself on another level. Along with his love for weed, he was an advocate for tattoos. His commitment to inking up his whole body rubbed off on his fans everywhere. It was his simple habits that had the most impact and he took advantage of that. His lifestyle became the lifestyle that many wanted to live. During his peak years, Wiz Khalifa references were everywhere.
His music stood out with his well-crafted team. Rostrum Records was very important in crafting the legend of Wiz Khalifa. Their staff consisting of names like E.Dan, Big Jerm, Arthur Pitt, & others were able to start their own wave. Wiz Khalfia was crafted with a sound that was just right for him. His raps and flows were filled with feel-good lyrics and the music behind carried just the right amount of bounce and groove in his music. He was able to work with a select group of producers so he only got better over time. The progression of his projects was evident and he continued to push out music consistently. His projects all came with a style and carried music you could just vibe to. From Prince Of The City 2, Flight School, Burn After Rolling, and others he was racking up a nice collection of music that was solid all-around for the most part. He was showing that he had what it takes to be consistent. He was also versatile and showed that he can play with his vocals and different sounds. As he was giving us new music, he was learning different ways to make good music. It was only a matter of time until he got that one project to really lift him off the ground.
He hit the jackpot when he released ‘Kush And Orange Juice’. This tape was huge. Premiering off Datpiff, the release caused a crash to the website and historic numbers. It was truly hard work mixed with perfect timing. It was the most impactful for Datpiff and started a wave all on its own. The music Wiz Khalifa delivered on this project was even better. It was a tape like no other. He had put together the perfect display of his stoner, carefree lifestyle that was filled with fun. It was the soundtrack for all the sessions he had encouraged his fans to engage in. He created the soundtrack for his favorite activity and did it well enough to be enjoyed by everybody. You didn’t have to be a stoner to appreciate this project. This was nothing but good music. With this project, Wiz Khalifa was able to establish himself as somebody here to stay. Now he had what he needed to hit a even more mainstream audience. And that’s what he did. He continued to brand his same image and brought Taylor Gang to the mainstream with him. He didn’t lighten up on his image and even embraced it more proudly over time. Taylor Gang was worldwide and he acknowledged them all. The hashtags were everywhere and he had popular phrases and sayings that was often mimicked by anybody.
After this, his music continue to make waves. He was able to provide us with singles that were anthems. His music was spread out and the hits may have been less frequent than others but the influence was the same. “Black & Yellow”, “We Dem Boyz”, we know that Wiz can give us a smash. He provided us with another mixtape that is referred to as a classic with Taylor Allderdice. We tend to forget how impactful Wiz can be with his music because he’s not an artist that instantly gets the radio singles. But his music has remained universal and with a growing collection of work he continues to give us great bodies of work. From collaborative projects to switching styles with Cabin Fever & Trap Wiz, through it all he continues to have shining moments. He’s proven that he can stand the test of time and he can adapt.
He had a knack to make anything seem ok. He’s that carefree positive person that everybody wants to be at the end of the day. He lived life with no regrets and promoted just being happy. His aura spread everywhere and everybody likes it. How can you be mad at Wiz? He really lives in his own bubble. He makes the music he wants to, wears what he wants, talks how he wants, and sets his own trends. He’s one of the leaders of our generation and continues to grow. He’s gaining accomplishments and doing it all with the lowkey yet important persona he’s crafted. His music often goes in various directions but through it all he has been able to cultivate an amazing, loyal fanbase. To this day, his iconic moments are still remembered. It’s often debated that Wiz Khalifa hasn’t started any trends and has mimicked others. But then we often hear the argument that it’s not who does it first but does it best. Everything is recycled and built upon in some way. For Wiz Khalifa to take his habits and turn them into worldwide trends, that is something not everybody can do. He’s established himself as someone that has to be talked about when we discuss our generation of youth and Hip-Hop. The power of his influence can’t be debated.
