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.

Let Em Know
Wiz Khalifa Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Let em know
I was made for this
And gotta let the people know (where you from?)
Pittsburgh wiz khalifa bouta bring it home
Is he shakin' fools (yes!)
Is he makin' moves (yes!)
Whatchu gonna do (what)
It's that 4 1 2

Let em know
I was made for this
And gotta let the people know (where you from?)
Pittsburgh Wiz Khalifa 'bouta bring it home
Is he shakin' fools (yes!)
Is he makin' moves (yes!)
Whatchu gonna do (what)
It's that 4 1 2

It's Wiz Khalifa and I gotta let the people
How a nigga feel grindin' for the bigger doe
Put the city on my back
Princin' that's official yo
Had to let these niggas know
Youngin' with a sicker flow
(whoa) and you knew the name
You can call me who to blame
Forward I do to the game
Fuck it I just do my thing
And I been focused on this rapper
Since the mover came
I make that money come back
Just like a boomerang
You dudes are losers (chings)
Blowers puts a loser change
A black guy such as myself
Come and scoop yo game
The game is up for grabs
And I'm a be the next to winner
Youngin' I'm a boss man
All you dudes are
Just beginners
And no soul when the flow is cold
I spit December
You fools closed with no souls
You such pretenders
I come through ya
The young dudes to tough ya tenda
Rostrum records spit a 4 1 2 representer

Let em know
I was made for this
And gotta let the people know (where you from?)
Pittsburgh wiz khalifa bouta bring it home
Is he shakin fools (yes!)
Is he makin moves (yes!)
Whatchu gonna do (what)
It's that 4 1 2
Let em know
I was made for this
And gotta let the people know (where you from?)
Pittsburgh wiz khalifa bouta bring it home
Is he shakin' fools (yes!)
Is he makin' moves (yes!)
Whatchu gonna do (what)
It's that 4 1 2

I was made for this
Hustled on the paid for this
Now the youngin' next
Receiving checks and gettin' paid for this
And where I'm from
A lotta niggas on some slavah shit
You know the chains and whips
They get the game and flip
And some niggas get the change and dip
Others get trapped up in the game
And their brain gets split
Even nat whore get knocked
And they man turn bitch
Take the stand and the man turn snitch
This is the land where you gotta keep the grass low
Fuckin' snakes love to hate
Never let em stop the doe
Gotta learn to love to hate
Make the moves
I've been on the grind since the early teens
Spittin' crack and servin' fiends
Nothin' but raw 16
And it's too late to start some shit up in here
What you crazy the whole steel city's in here
I got the streets on smash and the with me in here
You whacked up watch how quickly you pear! (what)

Let 'em know
I was made for this
And gotta let the people know (where you from?)
Pittsburgh wiz khalifa bouta bring it home
Is he shakin' fools (yes!)
Is he makin' moves (yes!)
Whatchu gonna do (what)
It's that 4 1 2
Let 'em know
I was made for this
And gotta let the people know (where you from?)
Pittsburgh wiz khalifa bouta bring it home
Is he shakin' fools (yes!)
Is he makin' moves (yes!)

Whatchu gonna do (what)
It's that 4 1 2

Overall Meaning

In the song "Let Em Know" by Wiz Khalifa, the rapper showcases his pride for his hometown of Pittsburgh and his drive to succeed in the music industry. Wiz Khalifa confidently declares that he was "made for this" and that he wants to let people know where he's from. He talks about putting Pittsburgh "on his back" and representing the 4-1-2 area code. He also talks about his journey as a rapper, starting from humble beginnings and now receiving paychecks for his craft.

The second verse discusses the struggles some people face in Pittsburgh and the dangers of being involved in the streets. Wiz Khalifa's lyrics touch upon the themes of loyalty, trust, and hard work. He shows the importance of surrounded oneself with the right crowd and keeping negativity at bay. Throughout the song, Wiz Khalifa delivers his lines with a confident flow, showcasing his expertise as a rapper.

Line by Line Meaning

Let em know
I need to inform the people

I was made for this
I was destined for greatness

And gotta let the people know (where you from?)
I have to represent my hometown of Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh wiz khalifa bouta bring it home
I'm about to make Pittsburgh proud

Is he shakin' fools (yes!)
Am I making big moves? Yes, I am

Is he makin' moves (yes!)
Am I achieving success? Definitely

Whatchu gonna do (what)
What will you do to stop me?

It's that 4 1 2
It's the area code for Pittsburgh

It's Wiz Khalifa and I gotta let the people
I am Wiz Khalifa and I have to keep my fans informed

How a nigga feel grindin' for the bigger doe
I am proud of my hard work to earn more money

Put the city on my back
I am taking responsibility for representing Pittsburgh

Princin' that's official yo
I am officially the prince of Pittsburgh

Had to let these niggas know
I had to show everyone what I'm capable of

Youngin' with a sicker flow (whoa) and you knew the name
I am a young artist with an amazing flow, and my name is well-known

You can call me who to blame
I am to blame for my success

Forward I do to the game
I'm pushing the boundaries of the music industry

Fuck it I just do my thing
I don't care about criticism, I just do what I do

And I been focused on this rapper
I have been focused on my rap career

Since the mover came
Since I began making moves in the industry

I make that money come back
My earnings always come back to me

Just like a boomerang
Like a boomerang, my money comes back to me

You dudes are losers (chings)
Other rappers are losers compared to me

Blowers puts a loser change
Other rappers' jewelry isn't worth much

A black guy such as myself
As a black man, I am proud of what I have accomplished

Come and scoop yo game
I am coming to take control of the game

The game is up for grabs
The music industry is waiting for the next big thing, and I am it

And I'm a be the next to winner
I am going to be the next successful rapper

Youngin' I'm a boss man
I am young, but I am also a boss

All you dudes are Just beginners
Other rappers are just getting started

And no soul when the flow is cold
I lack emotion when I'm in the zone

I spit December
My raps are cold like winter

You fools closed with no souls
Other rappers have no passion for their music

You such pretenders
You are all fakes

I come through ya
I will surpass you all

The young dudes to tough ya tenda
I am ready to take on anyone, no matter their age

Rostrum records spit a 4 1 2 representer
On Rostrum Records, I represent Pittsburgh with the area code 412

Hustled on the paid for this
I worked hard to earn my success

Now the youngin' next
Now it's my turn to shine

Receiving checks and gettin' paid for this
I am now earning a lot of money for my success

Gotta learn to love to hate
Other rappers will hate on my success, and I need to learn to not let it bother me

Make the moves
I am constantly working on making progress

I've been on the grind since the early teens
I have been working hard since I was a teenager

Spittin' crack and servin' fiends
I am delivering great music to my fans

Nothin' but raw 16
I am delivering pure, raw talent

And it's too late to start some shit up in here
It's too late for other rappers to compete with me

What you crazy the whole steel city's in here
The entire city of Pittsburgh is supporting me

I got the streets on smash and the with me in here
I am dominating the streets with my music and my fans are supporting me

You whacked up watch how quickly you pear! (what)
Other rappers who try to challenge me will quickly fail

Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: KEVIN HAROLD MC KENZIE, SHAWN MC KENZIE, DONALD MCPHERSON, PAUL MITCHELL, LUTHER SIMMONS, ENRIQUE SYLVESTER

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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