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.
When I'm Gone
Wiz Khalifa Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You would too if every night you seen the same thing
Money wall to wall, young famous nigga, spend it all,
When you die you can't take it with ya
Bottle of Rose if I'm drinking with ya
Cause most niggas is broke their bank is injured
And bitches gonna ride with who they think's a winner
And I'll be smiling encase they take a picture
Off a show spend it all on my niggas
When I go shopping I told 'em pick one
'Cause they was with me when nobody seen a vision
Always about my business don't play the cards
I talked to the niggas who dealed them, uh
Royal flush, now look up them niggas and baby girl you see us, yeah
I'm gonna spend it all (all)
Why wait for another day (day)
I'ma take all this money I own (own)
And blow it all away (way)
'Cause I can't take it when I'm gone, gone, gone, gone, gone
No I can't take it when I'm gone, gone, gone, gone, gone, gone
I'm gonna spend it all (all)
Why wait for another day (day)
I'ma take all this money I own (own)
And blow it all away (way)
'Cause I can't take it when I'm gone, gone, gone, gone, gone
No I can't take it when I'm gone, gone, gone, gone, gone
No I can't take it when I'm gone
All kinda of hoes in my car,
They wanna feel that maximum speed
Never had an absence of weed
Tired of being at the bar, everything Louie V,
Plus the most exclusive tree in my jar
Making my bank, spending it all
And that expensive shit you paid for, she had it on
She taking it off,
Most of these niggas just talk ain't caking at all
Back in the day money was short, I'm making it taller
You know what I mean, some say it's a problem
Blowings my greens, not saving my collards
No N.B.A. they say I'm a baller
Live for today, stunt like my father
I'm gonna spend it all (all)
Why wait for another day (day)
I'ma take all this money I own (own)
And blow it all away (way)
'Cause I can't take it when I'm gone, gone, gone, gone, gone
No I can't take it when I'm gone, gone, gone, gone, gone, gone
I'm gonna spend it all (all)
Why wait for another day (day)
I'ma take all this money I own (own)
And blow it all away (way)
'Cause I can't take it when I'm gone, gone, gone, gone, gone
No I can't take it when I'm gone, gone, gone, gone, gone
No I can't take it when I'm gone
The lyrics of Wiz Khalifa's song "When I'm Gone" reflect his perception of fame, success, and the inevitability of death. The opening lines of the song illustrate how people often judge rappers for rapping about superficial things like bitches and champagne. But Wiz Khalifa makes it clear that his experiences come from the life he lives. He explains that if people had seen what he had seen every night, they'd rap about the same things too. The rapper then goes on to talk about how he spends his money on living the high life, purchasing expensive champagne, and never worrying about the cost.
However, he understands that you can't take your wealth with you when you die, and that's why he spends his cash the way he does. He also highlights the importance of having true friends by your side because they will stick with you even when you have nothing. In this vein, he reminisces about his friends and how he would spend all the money he earns from his concerts on them. Wiz speaks with caution about fame, saying that bitches will only ride with the apparent winners, and he has to smile whenever he suspects a photo is being taken. He ends the verse saying that he's always looking out for his business interests.
In the chorus, Wiz Khalifa reiterates his belief of spending all his money while he's still alive, as he cannot take it with him when he dies. He alludes to living life to the fullest, and people should have the freedom to enjoy the spoils of their labor. The second verse of the song talks about enjoying life's finest pleasures, including fast cars, luxury clothing, and smoking the most exclusive weed. He also seems to imply that he's not worried about saving his money but instead prefers to live lavishly without too much regard for the future.
Line by Line Meaning
And they say all I rap about is bitches and champagne,
People criticize me for always rapping about women and luxury items like champagne, but if they were in my position and saw the same things every night, they would too.
You would too if every night you seen the same thing
If you were in my position and saw the same things every night, you would also rap about bitches and champagne.
Money wall to wall, young famous nigga, spend it all,
I have a lot of money and spend it lavishly because I know that when I die, I won't be able to take it with me.
When you die you can't take it with ya
When you die, you can't take your money and possessions with you.
Bottle of Rose if I'm drinking with ya
If I'm drinking with you, I'll have a bottle of Rose with me.
Cause most niggas is broke their bank is injured
Most people are broke and struggling financially.
And bitches gonna ride with who they think's a winner
Women will be attracted to whoever they think is successful and a winner.
And I'll be smiling encase they take a picture
I will smile in case someone takes a picture of me with the women who are attracted to me because of my success.
Uh, I'm smoking weed drinking liquor make a hundred
I make a lot of money from my shows, and I celebrate by smoking weed and drinking liquor.
Off a show spend it all on my niggas
I spend all of the money I make from a show on my friends.
When I go shopping I told 'em pick one
When I go shopping with my friends, I allow them to pick one item that I will pay for.
'Cause they was with me when nobody seen a vision
I do this for my friends because they were there for me when nobody believed in my vision of becoming successful.
Always about my business don't play the cards
I am always focused on my business and don't waste time playing games.
I talked to the niggas who dealed them, uh
I make deals with the people who have the power to give me opportunities and advance my career.
Royal flush, now look up them niggas and baby girl you see us, yeah
I have achieved success in my career, and now everyone can see that I am on top.
All kinda of hoes in my car,
I have various women in my car.
They wanna feel that maximum speed
These women want to experience the excitement of driving at top speed.
Never had an absence of weed
I always have weed on me and never go without it.
Tired of being at the bar, everything Louie V,
I'm tired of going to bars and instead prefer to spend my money on luxury items like Louis Vuitton.
Plus the most exclusive tree in my jar
I have the most exclusive strain of marijuana in my possession.
Making my bank, spending it all
I make a lot of money, but I also spend it all.
And that expensive shit you paid for, she had it on
The expensive clothing that you bought, my girl is wearing it now.
She taking it off,
She is taking off the expensive clothing that you bought and giving it to me.
Most of these niggas just talk ain't caking at all
Many people talk about success but aren't actually making any money.
Back in the day money was short, I'm making it taller
I used to struggle financially, but now I am making a lot of money and my bank account is growing.
You know what I mean, some say it's a problem
You understand what I'm saying, but some people say that spending all of my money is a problem.
Blowings my greens, not saving my collards
I am spending my money on weed instead of saving it.
No N.B.A. they say I'm a baller
I am not a professional basketball player, but people say that I am a baller because of my success.
Live for today, stunt like my father
I live in the moment and enjoy my success, just like my father did.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ERIC DAN, CAMERON JIBRIL THOMAZ
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@siracbse2484
It's crazy to listen to this song as a different person. Back in the days I never thougt about life and all the problems that life brings. Listening to this song today feels weird somehow. I guess we all have been through a lot of struggle. I wish you all the best may you all never cry
@wtfruo2
Feel you bro
@imawildboy6940
One love
@michaelmurray1365
Amen 🙏 best wishes man
@stevenhuey1768
Stay strong brother🙏💪🏽
@deusluxmeaest8400
I will push forward see you in paradise brothers Deus Vult
@jessicasmith412
I just close my eyes and picture my son dancing and rapping along to this song like he used to. I lost him in 2019. This song takes me back to a VERY special place and time with him that I will NEVER forget.
💔 4UD
@tonybutcher4020
Rest in peace.. when your listening so is he.. smile jessica..
@aexvortex718
Sorry for your lost😔🕊
@RobbyRockwellDX
Sorry :(