Cameron Jibril Thomaz (born September 8, 1987 in Minot, North Dakota), bett… Read Full Bio ↴Cameron Jibril Thomaz (born September 8, 1987 in Minot, North Dakota), better known by his stage name Wiz Khalifa, is an American rapper based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, signed to Rostrum Records. According to the Black and Yellow Songfacts, his stage name is derived from khalifa, an Arabic word meaning "successor", and wisdom. His nickname growing up was "Wizard" which was shortened to Wiz when Khalifa was fifteen.
In 2005 he released his first official mixtape, Prince of the City: Welcome to Pistolvania, and later in 2006 he released his first full length street album entitled Show and Prove. Since then he has released a further six mixtapes and a collaboration mixtape titled How Fly with friend Curren$y. He released his debut album, Deal or No Deal, in November of 2009, it reached #1 on the iTunes hip hop chart, and then reached the top ten on iTunes' overall album chart the week it was released. Previously signed to Warner Bros. Records, he left the label in July 2009 after numerous delays in releasing his planned debut album for the label, First Flight. Khalifa stated to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that, "I learned a lot during my time there and matured as an artist during the process. I'm happy to be moving on with all of my material and having the chance to be in control of my next moves".He is also the founder of the rap crew Taylor Gang, which includes friends Kev Tha Hustler, Ekko, Smallz Money and Gene Stovall. They derived the name from the fact they always used to wear Chuck Taylor shoes.
Khalifa was born on September 8, 1987 in Minot, North Dakota to a mother and a father serving in the military. The family moved to Pittsburgh when Khalifa was the age of two. His parents' military service caused the family to move on a regular basis.
Over the next thirteen years, he would move between Pittsburgh and South Carolina, Georgia, Oklahoma, Germany, Japan, and England as his parents were reassigned to different posts. In October of 1990 Wiz was separated from his mother,who left him in the hands of her sister while she served in Operation Desert Storm.
During his travels, Wiz was forced to mature quicker than his peers. He was constantly faced with new surroundings, new schools, and new sets of friends, and he found it difficult to become attached to anyone outside his family roots. This nomadic life gave Wiz an opportunity, though, to broaden his mind and offered him many experiences from which to draw inspiration. He began to perceive the world differently than most kids, and he would write his thoughts down every day.These thoughts would become the foundation for his future recordings.
By the age of 14, with a few songs under his belt, Wiz was already drawing comparisons with his commanding voice and witty wordplay. While he has been influenced by artists such as Jay-Z, Camron, and the Notorious B.I.G., Wiz was determined to create his own identity that would, one day, be loved and revered by fans.
Ready to take the next step, Wiz began his search for a recording studio to record new songs. He found one, ID LABS, where owner Eric Dan immediately recognized Wiz's talents. Along with Chad Glick of ID Management, they began to network Wiz to another Pittsburgh native, Benjy Grinberg of Rostrum Records. Benjy realized the raw talent that Wiz possessed, and immediately brought him into the Rostrum family in 2002.
Soon after, Wiz Khalifa began his ascent into the music scene in the Pittsburgh area. He has been hailed by the award winning Pittsburgh Post-Gazette pop music critic, Ed Masley, as having “the skills, the looks, the confidence, the drive, and the charisma for the job.” The New Pittsburgh Courier says, “The combination of a young, charismatic M.C. with a slew of stop-and-rewind rhymes together with a local independent label with major industry connections has set the stage for a hip-hop artist representing Pittsburgh to reach superstar status for the first time ever.
In 2010, with the success of Kush and Orange Juice still present, Wiz Khalifa signed with Atlantic Records. Wiz's style along with his production team, Johnny Juliano, Sledgren, and E. Dan make this a winning combination for success.
He is also well known for his debut single for Atlantic, "Black and Yellow", which peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100. His debut album for the label, Rolling Papers, was released on March 29, 2011. He followed that album with O.N.I.F.C. (abbreviated for mainstream markets from "Only Nigga In First Class") on December 4, 2012 which was backed by the singles "Work Hard, Play Hard" and "Remember You". O.N.I.F.C. debuted at number two with 131,000 in first week sales.
Pittsburgh City Council declared 12-12-12 (December 12, 2012) to be Wiz Khalifa Day in the city. Khalifa graduated from Pittsburgh's Taylor Allderdice High School and in January 2012, purchased a home in nearby Canonsburg, Pennsylvania.
In April 2013, Khalifa revealed that after having his son he decided to work on a new album that he was planning to release in 2013. On April 17, 2013, Wiz Khalifa and Curren$y announced that they will drop their collaboration EP Live in Concert on April 20, 2013. The EP featured seven new songs. On June 24, 2013, he announced that his fifth studio album would be titled Blacc Hollywood and would be released in 2013. On September 3, 2013, Khalifa revealed he had recorded songs with Miley Cyrus, Adele and Juicy J for Blacc Hollywood. In October 2013, Mannie Fresh confirmed that he provided production for the album. On February 11, 2014, Khalifa released Blacc Hollywood's first single titled "We Dem Boyz". The album was then supported by the singles "KK", "You and Your Friends", "Stayin Out All Night", "Promises" and "So High".
Khalifa released an EP with TY Dolla $ign on March 31, 2015, entitled "Talk About It In the Morning". That same month, Wiz released the lead single for the film "Furious 7" called "See You Again" as a tribute to Paul Walker. The single has since gone on to global success. "See You Again" spent 12 non-consecutive weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, tying for the longest-running rap number-one hit in the US.
On January 23, 2015, Khalifa was featured on a remix release of the Fall Out Boy song "Uma Thurman". On May 18, they performed the song together on the 2015 Billboard Music Awards show. In the summer of 2015, he began touring the United States with Fall Out Boy and Hoodie Allen in a tour titled "The Boys of Zummer Tour". The tour featured performances of "Uma Thurman" by Fall Out Boy and Khalifa. Later that year, on December 15, 2015, Wiz released the mixtape "Cabin Fever 3". During the Golden Globes on January 10, 2016, Wiz announced that his next album, titled Khalifa, would be released on the 22nd of that month. However, the album was released on February 5, 2016. On May 24, 2016, he released "Pull Up", a standalone single in promotion of his sixth album, Rolling Papers 2, which was released on July 13, 2018.
On April 20, 2020, Khalifa released, The Saga of Wiz Khalifa. The album included collaborations with Tyga, Logic, Mustard and Ty Dolla $ign. In May 2020, Khalifa featured on the song "Drums Drums Drums" with Travis Barker.
In 2021, Khalifa competed in season five of The Masked Singer as "Chameleon". He finished in third place.
In 2005 he released his first official mixtape, Prince of the City: Welcome to Pistolvania, and later in 2006 he released his first full length street album entitled Show and Prove. Since then he has released a further six mixtapes and a collaboration mixtape titled How Fly with friend Curren$y. He released his debut album, Deal or No Deal, in November of 2009, it reached #1 on the iTunes hip hop chart, and then reached the top ten on iTunes' overall album chart the week it was released. Previously signed to Warner Bros. Records, he left the label in July 2009 after numerous delays in releasing his planned debut album for the label, First Flight. Khalifa stated to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that, "I learned a lot during my time there and matured as an artist during the process. I'm happy to be moving on with all of my material and having the chance to be in control of my next moves".He is also the founder of the rap crew Taylor Gang, which includes friends Kev Tha Hustler, Ekko, Smallz Money and Gene Stovall. They derived the name from the fact they always used to wear Chuck Taylor shoes.
Khalifa was born on September 8, 1987 in Minot, North Dakota to a mother and a father serving in the military. The family moved to Pittsburgh when Khalifa was the age of two. His parents' military service caused the family to move on a regular basis.
Over the next thirteen years, he would move between Pittsburgh and South Carolina, Georgia, Oklahoma, Germany, Japan, and England as his parents were reassigned to different posts. In October of 1990 Wiz was separated from his mother,who left him in the hands of her sister while she served in Operation Desert Storm.
During his travels, Wiz was forced to mature quicker than his peers. He was constantly faced with new surroundings, new schools, and new sets of friends, and he found it difficult to become attached to anyone outside his family roots. This nomadic life gave Wiz an opportunity, though, to broaden his mind and offered him many experiences from which to draw inspiration. He began to perceive the world differently than most kids, and he would write his thoughts down every day.These thoughts would become the foundation for his future recordings.
By the age of 14, with a few songs under his belt, Wiz was already drawing comparisons with his commanding voice and witty wordplay. While he has been influenced by artists such as Jay-Z, Camron, and the Notorious B.I.G., Wiz was determined to create his own identity that would, one day, be loved and revered by fans.
Ready to take the next step, Wiz began his search for a recording studio to record new songs. He found one, ID LABS, where owner Eric Dan immediately recognized Wiz's talents. Along with Chad Glick of ID Management, they began to network Wiz to another Pittsburgh native, Benjy Grinberg of Rostrum Records. Benjy realized the raw talent that Wiz possessed, and immediately brought him into the Rostrum family in 2002.
Soon after, Wiz Khalifa began his ascent into the music scene in the Pittsburgh area. He has been hailed by the award winning Pittsburgh Post-Gazette pop music critic, Ed Masley, as having “the skills, the looks, the confidence, the drive, and the charisma for the job.” The New Pittsburgh Courier says, “The combination of a young, charismatic M.C. with a slew of stop-and-rewind rhymes together with a local independent label with major industry connections has set the stage for a hip-hop artist representing Pittsburgh to reach superstar status for the first time ever.
In 2010, with the success of Kush and Orange Juice still present, Wiz Khalifa signed with Atlantic Records. Wiz's style along with his production team, Johnny Juliano, Sledgren, and E. Dan make this a winning combination for success.
He is also well known for his debut single for Atlantic, "Black and Yellow", which peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100. His debut album for the label, Rolling Papers, was released on March 29, 2011. He followed that album with O.N.I.F.C. (abbreviated for mainstream markets from "Only Nigga In First Class") on December 4, 2012 which was backed by the singles "Work Hard, Play Hard" and "Remember You". O.N.I.F.C. debuted at number two with 131,000 in first week sales.
Pittsburgh City Council declared 12-12-12 (December 12, 2012) to be Wiz Khalifa Day in the city. Khalifa graduated from Pittsburgh's Taylor Allderdice High School and in January 2012, purchased a home in nearby Canonsburg, Pennsylvania.
In April 2013, Khalifa revealed that after having his son he decided to work on a new album that he was planning to release in 2013. On April 17, 2013, Wiz Khalifa and Curren$y announced that they will drop their collaboration EP Live in Concert on April 20, 2013. The EP featured seven new songs. On June 24, 2013, he announced that his fifth studio album would be titled Blacc Hollywood and would be released in 2013. On September 3, 2013, Khalifa revealed he had recorded songs with Miley Cyrus, Adele and Juicy J for Blacc Hollywood. In October 2013, Mannie Fresh confirmed that he provided production for the album. On February 11, 2014, Khalifa released Blacc Hollywood's first single titled "We Dem Boyz". The album was then supported by the singles "KK", "You and Your Friends", "Stayin Out All Night", "Promises" and "So High".
Khalifa released an EP with TY Dolla $ign on March 31, 2015, entitled "Talk About It In the Morning". That same month, Wiz released the lead single for the film "Furious 7" called "See You Again" as a tribute to Paul Walker. The single has since gone on to global success. "See You Again" spent 12 non-consecutive weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, tying for the longest-running rap number-one hit in the US.
On January 23, 2015, Khalifa was featured on a remix release of the Fall Out Boy song "Uma Thurman". On May 18, they performed the song together on the 2015 Billboard Music Awards show. In the summer of 2015, he began touring the United States with Fall Out Boy and Hoodie Allen in a tour titled "The Boys of Zummer Tour". The tour featured performances of "Uma Thurman" by Fall Out Boy and Khalifa. Later that year, on December 15, 2015, Wiz released the mixtape "Cabin Fever 3". During the Golden Globes on January 10, 2016, Wiz announced that his next album, titled Khalifa, would be released on the 22nd of that month. However, the album was released on February 5, 2016. On May 24, 2016, he released "Pull Up", a standalone single in promotion of his sixth album, Rolling Papers 2, which was released on July 13, 2018.
On April 20, 2020, Khalifa released, The Saga of Wiz Khalifa. The album included collaborations with Tyga, Logic, Mustard and Ty Dolla $ign. In May 2020, Khalifa featured on the song "Drums Drums Drums" with Travis Barker.
In 2021, Khalifa competed in season five of The Masked Singer as "Chameleon". He finished in third place.
Change Up
Wiz Khalifa Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴
Uh, huh, uh, yeah, ya know it's the boy Wiz
Sometimes I gotta sit back and think, ya know
The audacity I have for these nggas man
Ya know but you know I just gotta
Focus on the positive, ya know
Cuz' the negative ain't gonna do nothin'
But you know what I'm sayin' bring me down
And I've worked too hard to get where I'm at
I can guarantee you one thing
I ain't going nowhere
I'ma be right here baby, 412
Uh, huh, and this the Prince, yeah, yeah
Homie we came up
Niggas hatin' cuz not havin'
Paper just ain't us
Take it from me, shit for free
Nobody gave us
Tired of strugglin' so we hustle to
Get the change up, yeah, yeah
Hustle to get the change up, yeah, yeah
Uh, look homie I'm from the ill-gritty
City where they kill plenty
Lost some niggas along the way
Some of em' still wit' me
So why don't ya'll come through
While the boys show you
How we livin' in the 412
Where young niggas got no
Intentions of workin' jobs
Cookin' that raw is they
Definition of workin' hard chop it, bag it
Hit the block and work it hard
Tired of strugglin', so we started hustlin'
Gotta bring that money in
Didn't wanna run the streets
But lookin' at an empty plate'll
Make a nigga wanna eat
And get up on his feet
Hustlin' and scramblin'
A will let the cold world make a man of him
And fam listen
Pay attention to who you 'round
Another man can never pull you up
But he can pull you down
This somethin' every real nigga can feel here
They hate me for the fact that I'm still here
(and I ain't going nowhere)
Yo, some say I mention drugs in
Every one of my songs
Not knowin' you ain't gotta be doin'
Wrong to get your hustle on
Long as you're goin' hard, I was taught
Growin' up in Pittsburgh
Shit it means, gettin' cake by any means
Niggas on that rap shit
Niggas on that crack shit
Most niggas will clap quick
End up on your back split
Some niggas will 9 to 5
And never make a pack flip
Tryin' to get that cheese
Some niggas end up on that rat shit
'Round here that's how you get
Sent into a back-flip
Nothin' else to be said
My niggas try and see bread
Tired of them stomach pains
Niggas try and keep fed
Fillin' up your pipe veins
Green for the weed head
City full of pipe-dreams
Believe me i been sold those
Heavy chronic habit
We gon' need the whole zone
I stay higher than the Ozone Layer
I'm from the Burgh, nigga don't go there
I never backed or run away
Slacked for one day
Had somethin' on my chest
And held back what i wanna say
That's how i wasn't raised, manned up quicker
The young boy grew up into a stand up nigga
Fuck you pay me, I demand them figures
I'm gettin' mine shorty, we young
Niggas on the rise
On the grind Shorty had enough of the lies
Jealous niggas I despise, look in my eyes
Sometimes I gotta sit back and think, ya know
The audacity I have for these nggas man
Ya know but you know I just gotta
Focus on the positive, ya know
Cuz' the negative ain't gonna do nothin'
But you know what I'm sayin' bring me down
And I've worked too hard to get where I'm at
I ain't going nowhere
I'ma be right here baby, 412
Uh, huh, and this the Prince, yeah, yeah
Homie we came up
Niggas hatin' cuz not havin'
Paper just ain't us
Take it from me, shit for free
Nobody gave us
Tired of strugglin' so we hustle to
Get the change up, yeah, yeah
Hustle to get the change up, yeah, yeah
Uh, look homie I'm from the ill-gritty
City where they kill plenty
Lost some niggas along the way
Some of em' still wit' me
So why don't ya'll come through
While the boys show you
How we livin' in the 412
Where young niggas got no
Intentions of workin' jobs
Cookin' that raw is they
Definition of workin' hard chop it, bag it
Hit the block and work it hard
Tired of strugglin', so we started hustlin'
Gotta bring that money in
Didn't wanna run the streets
But lookin' at an empty plate'll
Make a nigga wanna eat
And get up on his feet
Hustlin' and scramblin'
A will let the cold world make a man of him
And fam listen
Pay attention to who you 'round
Another man can never pull you up
But he can pull you down
This somethin' every real nigga can feel here
They hate me for the fact that I'm still here
(and I ain't going nowhere)
Yo, some say I mention drugs in
Every one of my songs
Not knowin' you ain't gotta be doin'
Wrong to get your hustle on
Long as you're goin' hard, I was taught
Growin' up in Pittsburgh
Shit it means, gettin' cake by any means
Niggas on that rap shit
Niggas on that crack shit
Most niggas will clap quick
End up on your back split
Some niggas will 9 to 5
And never make a pack flip
Tryin' to get that cheese
Some niggas end up on that rat shit
'Round here that's how you get
Sent into a back-flip
Nothin' else to be said
My niggas try and see bread
Tired of them stomach pains
Niggas try and keep fed
Fillin' up your pipe veins
Green for the weed head
City full of pipe-dreams
Believe me i been sold those
Heavy chronic habit
We gon' need the whole zone
I stay higher than the Ozone Layer
I'm from the Burgh, nigga don't go there
I never backed or run away
Slacked for one day
Had somethin' on my chest
And held back what i wanna say
That's how i wasn't raised, manned up quicker
The young boy grew up into a stand up nigga
Fuck you pay me, I demand them figures
I'm gettin' mine shorty, we young
Niggas on the rise
On the grind Shorty had enough of the lies
Jealous niggas I despise, look in my eyes
The lyrics to Wiz Khalifa's song "Change Up" reflect on the artist's journey and growth, as well as his determination to stay true to himself despite facing negativity and challenges along the way. In the song, Wiz acknowledges that he has come a long way and has worked hard to get where he is. He emphasizes the need to focus on the positive and not let the negativity bring him down. Wiz also highlights the struggles he and his friends from Pittsburgh have faced, from losing loved ones to the hustle and grind of trying to make a better life for themselves. The song expresses the desire for change and the hustle to attain it, referencing the need to make money and leave behind the struggle.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Zeke
one of the realest rap songs I’ve ever heard. 10 years later I still come back to this song constantly. wiz is still prince of the city! the nostalgia old rap gives me of me downloading the newest mixtape off datpiff onto my ipod shuffle, and feelin like a g bumpin the newest fire at school. if your crew were hip they were doin the same thing
7Life Media
Going into 2017, I still bump this.
splish splash
2022
Lambs Bread
2020
Bugatti Era
Wiz's greatest mixtape.. imma go ahead and say it kuz I know some of you want to say it.
SirJason
Bugatti Era this was the first project i heard from wiz i watch him grow into what he is today
young city
OLD WIZ USED TO INSPIRE US BUT SINCE HE MADE IT OUT HE DONT SPEAK ON THESE TYPE OF TOPICS NO MORE !
Mateo Norbut
He chose to stop talking about violence. I have big respect for that. Hes still the same in some ways tho.
Chad Brown
You dont gotta keep doin that. He made it out
Final Redemption
☆Hard Facts Wiz Khalifa will never be the same.☆ He was more driven and outspoken back then.