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.
Mafia Music
Wiz Khalifa Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Victory i envision, so my mission is to win.
One look at my arm she like wizzle where your skin?
Hating niggas talk, hear they whispers in the wind, but i don't wanna do them harm so i kill them with my pen.
Niggas say i'm toro, money don't bend.
Root of all evil, guess my bank is full of sin.
Couldn't be a suit and tie, tired of barely paying rent. Told 'em fucker i'm doing numbers so take it on the chin.
Going on retreats and rolling sweets while i'm tweetin'.
Paradise for a weekend then i'm back in the trap. Never dealt with any drugs still the tats on my back.
Money on my mind, everything's strapped. You getting and playing, i'll teach a class how to act.
Somebody tell youtube i prolly need a plaque, couple hundred thousand views and not the dot on my mac.
09's mine, 08 was great. they honor kanye, and paid lil wayne. gucci did it big, but came home and got it straight, and every nigga in the biz did a song with t-pain.
No front page, but for those who did...i send them my best wishes the industry's a bitch.
That's why i'm on my shit, new luggage and a flip, shooting movies all my life no script, no script.
In Wiz Khalifa's song "Mafia Music", he raps about his desire to win and achieve victory in his music career. He mentions how people may hate on him, but he chooses not to harm them and instead uses his pen to lyrically kill them. He also discusses his bank account and how it may be full of sin due to money being the root of all evil. He expresses his distaste for working a 9-5 job and how he'd rather focus on making money through his music, demonstrated by his success of achieving thousands of views on YouTube.
The second half of the verse continues to highlight his dedication to his music career, stating that he's constantly thinking about money and everything he does is calculated and strategic. He mentions his tattoos, which may be seen as symbols of his dedication to his craft, as he's never dealt with drugs. He also talks about his desire for recognition in the music industry, and how he deserves to be awarded a plaque for reaching hundreds of thousands of views on his videos. He acknowledges other artists who were successful in 2008 and 2009, but also hints at the industry being difficult to navigate, referring to it as a "bitch". In the final line, he expresses his commitment to his music career by stating he has no script and is willing to shoot movies all his life.
Line by Line Meaning
Victory i envision, so my mission is to win.
I aim to win, and I envision myself winning.
One look at my arm she like wizzle where your skin?
My tattoos are so numerous and dark that it looks like I have no skin on my arm.
Hating niggas talk, hear they whispers in the wind, but i don't wanna do them harm so i kill them with my pen.
I hear people criticizing me behind my back, but I won't hurt them physically; I'll write songs that respond to the negative things they say.
Niggas say i'm toro, money don't bend.
Some people say I'm stubborn and won't change my ways for money.
Root of all evil, guess my bank is full of sin.
Money is often the cause of problems and bad intentions, but I have a lot of it.
Couldn't be a suit and tie, tired of barely paying rent. Told 'em fucker i'm doing numbers so take it on the chin.
I couldn't survive in a typical 9-to-5 job, and I've struggled financially in the past. But now that I'm succeeding in my music career, I don't care what the haters say about me.
The top is a ?, so it's hard to see what i'm eatin'.
It's tough to know what I'm actually getting and who I can trust since so many people are trying to take advantage of me now that I'm successful.
Going on retreats and rolling sweets while i'm tweetin'.
I like to get away from it all by going on vacations, smoking weed, and tweeting about my experiences.
Paradise for a weekend then i'm back in the trap. Never dealt with any drugs still the tats on my back.
I might have some luxuries, but I still have to deal with the harsh realities of life in my hometown. And even though I don't sell drugs myself, I still represent those who do through my tattoos.
Money on my mind, everything's strapped. You getting and playing, i'll teach a class how to act.
I'm always thinking about money, and I'm always ready for whatever comes my way. And if you want to succeed like I have, I'll show you how to do it right.
Somebody tell youtube i prolly need a plaque, couple hundred thousand views and not the dot on my mac.
I've had a lot of views on YouTube, but I haven't received any official recognition for it. I deserve some sort of award for my success.
09's mine, 08 was great. they honor kanye, and paid lil wayne. gucci did it big, but came home and got it straight, and every nigga in the biz did a song with t-pain.
2009 was a great year for me, and 2008 was pretty good too. Other successful rappers like Kanye West and Lil Wayne are getting recognized for their work. Gucci Mane had a lot of success as well, but he also went to jail. Everyone who's anyone in the industry has worked with T-Pain.
No front page, but for those who did...i send them my best wishes the industry's a bitch.
I haven't been featured on the front page of magazines, but for those who have, I wish them the best. The music industry can be ruthless and difficult to navigate.
That's why i'm on my shit, new luggage and a flip, shooting movies all my life no script, no script.
I'm constantly working hard to succeed, and I have the fancy luggage to show for it. I'm living an extravagant lifestyle and filming everything I do, without a script.
Contributed by Mason H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
alldaydrae
Still banging in 2020
KJayy
One of the best mixtapes ever
corozone10
HE WENT HARD IN THIS!!!
Blvck Chrxs
Forgot how hard wiz snapped on this
AKSebi2
who thinks the coolest music video would belong to this song
Joe
the best OOOOOOOKAY wiz does is at the end of this song
jay brown
its ok. wiz actually a good rapper.
Greg Eldridge
My girlfriend said she didnt like Wiz Khalifa.... Im single now.. TGOD
Chris Bone
Hey, Youtube. Wiz needs a plaque.
KosaVibez
@datpoint i respect your point, but then again, none of them have made songs as passionate as pac...Dear Mama is on a level of its own (for instance) i think they have to show some more emotion to get listeners to connect to them on a more "real" level