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.
The Grinder
Wiz Khalifa Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That I used to look up to, I can show you how to come up
Yeah, I came up from the gutter to a condo out in Hollywood
Where the weathers good and the parties always popping up or
Somebody be dropping off some trees
I mean I got enough to go around everything for the free so you ain't gotta
Smoke with me and my homies down to go at any one town and get this paper
I swear ain't nobody do me no favors
Easy part's forgetting, but the hardest part's to try forgiving
Niggas for mistaking me, or thinking as the one to wait up on
'Cause I was young thought I was dumb
Nigga, what you made's a photographic memory
Now look at my wife, she got a pornographic figure
And my autograph is bigger to your nieces and your nephews
And those other ones not to mention your niggas
You caught 'em repping Taylor Gang with us
I see TMZ cameras, paparazzi taking pictures
I spark up a J and ask 'em if they wanna take one with us
Made man, ain't nobody make a nigga
'Bout to book a flight to Vegas, tryna take one with us
You niggas too small dawg, I'm thinking bigger
Critics comment on how I'm smoking weed and drinking liquor
On how I was nominated, but not the winner
But you should start counting on how much I made this year
Yeah nigga, I'm up in the air, nigga
And the shit that I got on cost some money to wear, nigga
Owner of the team, I ain't even a player, nigga
Four hours up, niggas ain't caring now it's getting dark for you niggas it ain't even fair, nigga
Blowing helladank, I mean so much I think it's growing out my hair
The weed is in the jar, the grinder is over there
In Wiz Khalifa's song "The Grinder," he talks about his rise in the music industry and how he has surpassed those he used to look up to. He boasts about his success and how he came from the gutter to living in a condo in Hollywood. He shares how he has enough weed to share with everyone for free and how he and his homies are down to get money in any town.
Wiz also shares his struggles with forgiving people who mistook him for being dumb when he was young. He acknowledges how he has a photographic memory and how his wife has a "pornographic figure." He boasts about his autograph being bigger than others and how his crew, Taylor Gang, is repped by everyone.
Line by Line Meaning
Uh, rolling up the grass, living better than them niggas
I'm smoking weed and living a better life than the people I used to look up to.
That I used to look up to, I can show you how to come up
I can show you how to become successful like I did, even if you used to look up to me.
Yeah, I came up from the gutter to a condo out in Hollywood
I went from being poor to living in a Hollywood condo.
Where the weathers good and the parties always popping up or
The weather is nice and there are always parties happening here.
Somebody be dropping off some trees
Someone is bringing over some weed.
I mean I got enough to go around everything for the free so you ain't gotta
I have enough weed to share for free, so you don't have to bring your own.
Smoke with me and my homies down to go at any one town and get this paper
Smoke weed with me and my friends, we're willing to go anywhere to make money.
I swear ain't nobody do me no favors
I got where I am without any help from others.
Twisting up the medicine, shitting on my competition
I'm rolling up weed and doing better than my competition.
Easy part's forgetting, but the hardest part's to try forgiving
Forgetting is easy, but forgiving is hard.
Niggas for mistaking me, or thinking as the one to wait up on
People mistook me and thought I wasn't smart when I was young.
'Cause I was young thought I was dumb
I was thought to be dumb when I was young.
Nigga, what you made's a photographic memory
I have a photographic memory and can remember what you made.
Now look at my wife, she got a pornographic figure
My wife has a great body.
And my autograph is bigger to your nieces and your nephews
My autograph is worth more to your family members than yours.
And those other ones not to mention your niggas
And your friends too, not just your family members.
You caught 'em repping Taylor Gang with us
Your friends and family are also fans of my music group, Taylor Gang.
I see TMZ cameras, paparazzi taking pictures
TMZ and paparazzi are taking pictures of me.
I spark up a J and ask 'em if they wanna take one with us
I offer the photographers some weed to smoke with me and my friends.
Made man, ain't nobody make a nigga
I made myself successful, nobody else did it for me.
'Bout to book a flight to Vegas, tryna take one with us
I'm booking a flight to Vegas and want others to come with me.
You niggas too small dawg, I'm thinking bigger
You guys are thinking too small, I'm thinking bigger.
Critics comment on how I'm smoking weed and drinking liquor
Critics make comments about my weed and alcohol use.
On how I was nominated, but not the winner
They also comment on how I was nominated for an award but didn't win.
But you should start counting on how much I made this year
But you should focus on how much money I made this year instead.
Yeah nigga, I'm up in the air, nigga
I'm flying in a plane right now.
And the shit that I got on cost some money to wear, nigga
The clothes I'm wearing were expensive.
Owner of the team, I ain't even a player, nigga
I own the team but I'm not even playing in the game.
Four hours up, niggas ain't caring now it's getting dark for you niggas it ain't even fair, nigga
After being in the air for four hours, I don't care about others anymore and it's not fair to them that I have this success.
Blowing helladank, I mean so much I think it's growing out my hair
I'm smoking a lot of weed and feel like it's growing out of my hair.
The weed is in the jar, the grinder is over there
The weed is in a jar and the grinder is located over there.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Thomaz Cameron
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
yannsa
Is no one gonna mention how amazing that beat is??
Ottokal Music
@Jafar Tigue and don Kennedys 96 cris
random guy
Amazing
Jafar Tigue
Yo boi Jake One hooked it up again. Jake One produced Cole's 3 wishes and Chance's Acid Rain beats
yannsa
@***** The entire Taylor Alderdice mixtape is filled up with amazing beats!
The Nomad
Juice's energy made the whole video 😂
Julio Venegas
Damn I miss this old wiz
Studio 71 Music
Jake one Killing it on the beats!
camthrendyle
JAKE ONE ON THE BEAT THO
Rob Ray
OMG THAT BEAT IS BANANAS!!!!!! I COULD LISTEN TO THAT WITH NO LYRICS.