Birthday: September 8, 1987
Birthplace: Minot, North Dakota
Zodiac Sign: Virgo
Pittsburgh-based rap artist Wiz Khalifa blew up the charts last year with his undeniably catchy hit “Black and Yellow,” but there's more to this rapper's story then the colors of his favorite team—find out more in this bio!
A Soldier’s Life
Black and Yellow made Wiz Khalifa a household name, but when he was younger figuring out his hometown team’s colors was not so easy. Cameron Jhalil Thomaz (Wiz, as we know him) was born in Minot, North Dakota to parents who were in the military. Even though they split when he was three, Wiz spent his childhood travelling everywhere from Japan to Germany because of his parents’ military jobs. Eventually he settled in Pittsburgh and went to high school there.
By Any Other Name
The name Wiz Khalifa comes from Arabic—“Khalifa” means wisdom, and he decided to shorten his name when he was fifteen, later it became his stage name. Wiz also told the press that he was called: "young Wiz 'cause I was good at everything I did, and my granddad is Muslim, so he gave me that name; he felt like that's what I was doing with my music." When he was 17 he got a tattoo of his new name.
Mixtape Madness
In 2005 Wiz released the mixtape Prince of the City: Welcome to Pistolvania, followed by another mixtape in 2006 called Show and Prove. People immediately took notice of this amazing new young rap talent, and Rolling Stone Magazine named him one of the hottest artists to watch. Wiz signed to Warner Bros. and released a song called “Say Yeah” that got attention from DJs worldwide, but after many delays releasing his first album, Wiz realised it wasn’t working out with Warner Bros. Eventually Wiz started gaining popularity releasing more mixtapes and songs with Rostrum Records and winning over festival crowds.Hip Hop and rap insiders loved his sounds and couldn’t wait to work with him and hear more!
Number One
Wiz conquered the mainstream market when he released “Black and Yellow.” The anthem went straight to number one on the billboard charts.
Wiz has released several albums:
- Show and Prove (2006)
- Deal or No Deal (2009)
- Rolling Papers (2011)
- O.N.I.F.C. (2012)
- Blacc Hollywood (2014)
Did You Know
- Wiz Kalifa’s fans are called The Taylor Gang because of his love for the classic Chuck Taylor All Star runner!
- He was married to model Amber Rose, they have a son together.
- In March 2015 he released the song "See You Again" for the Fast 7 soundtrack.
Check out where it all started with "Black and Yellow!"
Have Your Say
What do you think of Wiz Khalifa? Let us know in the comments section below!
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