Many artists have milestone singles that mark their career, but
Wiz Khalifa's are milestones like a mutha, beginning with the raw and ready "Black and Yellow," continuing on through the monied club juggernaut "We Dem Boyz," and then holding firm with the serene and sane "See You Again," his 2015 tribute to actor and friend Paul Walker. His 2016 album
Khalifa continues to float upon the dreamiest of pop and alternative rap as the MC doles out life advice like "You can be your own boss, but they don't tell you that" (the aptly titled "Elevated"), but it's worth noting that "See You Again" isn't on this album's track list, so the stony "medibles" anthem "Bake Sale" is the de facto representative single. Accordingly,
Khalifa the album is a collection of tracks that drift and drop wisdom, some of it cockeyed advice like "I'm watchin' Scarface, livin' all the good scenes" ("Zoney"), which ignores that Tony Montana's "Say hello to my little friend!" attitude didn't pan out as planned. That's fine, since
Khalifa's often only playin', as the R&B-infused bedroom number "Call Waiting" would be less glorious without the tender "You keep me waiting by the phone/You keep me hard, fo sho," while the opening "BTS" proudly declares both "My mom raised a fool" and "That don't mean we can't get rich!" The loopy and cool "Celebrate" proves that
Khalifa is the mainstream's
Kool Keith with "My chain sh*t on your car/My Rolex f'd your bitch" over an alluring hook, while
Juicy J -- as producer and executive producer -- crafts a set of beats that
Curren$y,
Drake, and even
Sia would all adore. Also standing out is "Most of Us," where
ID Labs gives up a beat that sends the MC back to his "Black and Yellow" days, but it's also a thrill because it's different, as
Khalifa the album is extremely laid-back and loose. ~ David Jeffries