Wiz Khalifa
photo: thecomeupshow · cc by 2.0 ↗Cameron Jibril Thomaz was born to military parents and spent a nomadic childhood before settling in Pittsburgh, where he took the name Wiz Khalifa and built a following through a steady run of mixtapes in the late 2000s. He broke through in 2010 with the Pittsburgh-pride anthem 'Black and Yellow,' pairing a laid-back, melodic flow with an unabashed weed-and-good-times persona that made him a fixture of 2010s pop-rap. His 2015 Paul Walker tribute 'See You Again' became one of the best-selling singles of the decade, carrying his reach well beyond hip hop.
Snoop Dogg has been an open mentor to Wiz, bringing him into his circle and later joining him for the collaborative album and film 'Mac & Devin Go to High School'; Wiz has name-checked Snoop as a mentor in his own lyrics. You can hear the inheritance in Wiz's unhurried, weed-celebrating lifestyle rap, which leans on Snoop's laid-back West Coast template.
listen forPut on Snoop's 'Gin and Juice,' then Wiz's 'Young, Wild & Free' — listen for the same unbothered, sun-warmed cadence that turns coasting through a hazy day into a whole philosophy, with Snoop trading verses right beside him on the later track.
Wiz has named Bone Thugs-n-Harmony among his biggest influences, and his melodic, sing-song delivery — rapping that keeps sliding toward singing — traces back to the group's harmonized, rapid-then-tender flow on classics like '1st of Tha Month.'
listen forCue Bone Thugs' 'Tha Crossroads,' an elegy for lost loved ones sung as much as rapped, then Wiz's 'See You Again' — both fold grief into a soft, melodic hook that mourns the dead over a gentle, rolling beat.
Wiz has cited The Notorious B.I.G. among his biggest influences, and it surfaces in his relaxed, conversational charisma and his taste for turning the come-up — cars, money, celebration — into effortless, quotable braggadocio.
listen forPlay Biggie's 'Juicy,' the definitive rags-to-riches victory lap, next to Wiz's 'Work Hard, Play Hard' — both ride a big, celebratory hook while an unbothered flow narrates making it out and cashing in.