
Kid Cudi has a challenger for the top spot in the hearts of America’s stoners in Wiz Khalifa, a 23-year-old Pittsburgh native who scorched every music chart he touched this winter when his single “Black and Yellow” dominated radio waves and became the Steelers’ fight song during their run to the Super Bowl.
Khalifa released his third album, Rolling Papers, on March 29th and the music is not what someone would expect to come out of the wiry, neck-to-waist tattooed rapper.
With the exceptions of “On My Level” which features rap legend Too Short, and the ubiquitous “Black and Yellow,” the album is a celebration of his new fame, money, and simply having a good time.
The good times usually involve marijuana, as the album’s title would indicate, so if any listeners are offended by the promotion of drug use then Rolling Papers is not for them.
It's not all about weed for Khalifa though. The album is very relatable to college-age listeners, because he tackles topics like break-ups and outside pressures with a down-to-earth approach, rather than boasting about all the money he is raking in. An example is the track “Get Your S**t,” in which he bemoans the loss of his girlfriend because she can’t handle the rigors of his new fame or the many women who are suddenly interested in him. The mature reaction in such a relationship would be to end it. Khalifa, in fact, does end it—in no uncertain terms.
Other standout tracks that deal with his elevated stature are “Rooftops” featuring Curren$y, and “Hopes and Dreams.” On “Rooftops,” the hook says it all—“A lot of s**t done changed/ New clothes new car new things/ Sayin’ boy they used to be at the bottom/ Came up that’s what they say/ Used to not be allowed in the building/ But now we on the roof top/ Used to not be allowed in the building/ But now we on the roof top.”
Khalifa is on the rooftop now for sure, because Rolling Papers is a chilled out, laid-back home run. The only misfire is “Top Floor,” which has an annoying mess of a beat, is choppily paced, and mixing that sounds like a babbling infant. Other than that, there isn’t one other track to skip. Just hit play, sit back, and maybe even spark one up.
Just kidding. Don’t. It’s illegal. Credit