Cameron Jibril Thomaz (born September 8, 1987), better known by the stage name Wiz Khalifa , is an American rapper based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. His techno-influenced single, "Say Yeah", received urban radio airplay, charting on Billboard's Hot 100, Rhythmic Top 40 and Hot Rap Tracks charts.

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Biography

Early life

Khalifa was born on September 8, 1987 in Minot, North Dakota to a mother and a father serving in the military. ^{[1] [2]} 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 decade, Khalifa lived in the U.S., Germany, England, and Japan. Khalifa has been influenced by artists such as Jay-Z, Cam'ron, and the Notorious B.I.G. His stage name is derived from khalifa, an Arabic word meaning "successor", and wisdom, which was shortened to Wiz when Khalifa was fifteen. ^[3]

Career

Khalifa released his first mixtape, Prince of the City: Welcome to Pistolvania , in 2005. The mixtape recorded sales in the thousands, leading to his first full length album entitled Show and Prove in 2006. Khalifa was declared an "artist to watch" that year in Rolling Stone magazine. ^[4]

In 2007, Khalifa signed to Warner Bros. Records and released two mixtapes through Rostrum Records: Grow Season , hosted by DJ Green Lantern and released on July 4, 2007, and Prince of the City 2 , released on November 20, 2007. His debut Warner Bros. single "Say Yeah" reached number 25 on the Billboard Rhythmic Top 40 music chart and number 20 on Billboard's Hot Rap Tracks. The song samples the 1999 single "Better Off Alone" by the Dutch electronic music group Alice Deejay. Khalifa's vocals from "Say Yeah" appear near the end of Pittsburgh mash up producer Girl Talk's 2008 album, Feed the Animals , over music from Underworld's "Born Slippy", Usher's "Love in This Club", and the Cure's "In Between Days". ^[5] Khalifa appeared with The Game, David Banner and Play-n-Skillz at U92's Summer Jam at the USANA Amphitheatre in West Valley City, Utah on August 2, 2008. ^[6] Khalifa released the mixtapes Star Power in September 2008, and Flight School in April 2009 on Rostrum Records.

Khalifa parted ways with Warner Bros. Records in July 2009 after numerous delays in releasing his debut album, 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". Khalifa will continue his association with Rostrum Records and will release the single "Teach U To Fly" and has recently released the mixtape How Fly , with Curren$y, on August 9, 2009. ^[7] Khalifa appeared with Girl Talk, Modey Lemon, Donora, Grand Buffet, and Don Caballero at the Amphitheatre at Station Square in Pittsburgh on July 31, 2009, where he announced that his relationship with Warner Bros. was over. ^[8]

Discography

Albums

• 2006: Show and Prove
• 2010: First Flight

Mixtapes

• 2006: Prince of the City: Welcome to Pistolvania
• 2007: Grow Season
• 2007: Prince of the City 2
• 2008: Star Power
• 2009: Flight School
• 2009: How Fly (W/ Curren$y)
• 2009: Grow Season 2
• 2009: Cabin Fever

Singles

Year	Song	U.S. Hot 100	U.S. R&B	U.S. Rap	Rhythmic 40	Pop 100	Album
2007	"Pittsburgh Sound (All in My Blood)"	-	-	-	-	-	Show and Prove
	"Youngin' on His Grind"	-	-	-	-	-
2008	"Say Yeah"	119	112	20	25	96	Single
	"Make It Hot"	-	-	-	-	-

References

1. Richards, Dave (September 18, 2008). "He'll make it hot". ''Erie Times-News''. Retrieved on September 18, 2008.
2. Cordor, Cyril. "Wiz Khalifa". Allmusic. Retrieved on June 23, 2008.
3. Brotha Ash Productions interview
4. "Wiz Khalifa". November 28, 2006. ''Rolling Stone''. Retrieved on August 2, 2007.
5. Breihan, Tom (June 24, 2008). "Girl Talk's Pop-Music Car-Wreck". ''The Village Voice''. Retrieved on June 25, 2008.
6. Burger, David (August 1, 2008). "U92's Summer Jam: Rap producers get a chance to shine ". ''The Salt Lake Tribune''. Retrieved on August 2, 2008.
7. Mervis, Scott (July 18, 2009). "Wiz Khalifa, Warner Bros. part ways". ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette''. Retrieved on July 18, 2009.
8. Tady, Scott (August 1, 2009). "A new wave hits Pittsburgh music". ''Beaver County Times''. Retrieved on August 2, 2009.