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A free and responsible press serving the UMass community since 1890

Massachusetts Daily Collegian

A free and responsible press serving the UMass community since 1890

Massachusetts Daily Collegian

‘Khalifa’ reflects artist’s unimpressive changing style

Daily Collegian File Photo)
(Daily Collegian File Photo)

Wiz Khalifa’s sixth studio album “Khalifa” proves his flow is still there. Back in 2008, Khalifa was known as the lyrical genius behind “Black and Yellow,” the anthem at many middle schools.

Khalifa’s sound hasn’t evolved much since the days of, “Yeah, uh huh, you know what it is/Repping my town when you see me you know everythin.’” Now that Khalifa is a father and makes it clear his relationship with weed is very dear to him, his sweet rhymes are a little more personal. Most of the tracks are about Khalifa’s favorite indulgence – “Roll Up” from the 2011 album “Rolling Papers” says it all.

To highlight a few songs from his new album, “BTS” features the traditional 808s and 909s you’ll hear in most rap songs, but one of the biggest features I was not expecting from this track was the piano ballad, which is also present in “Elevated.”

Throughout the rest of the album, Khalifa includes artists Travis Scott, Ty Dolla $ign and Juicy J on his tracks. These featured artists often add more to the tracks than Khalifa himself. Mostly, the guest artist contributes the bulk of the chorus.

I had very high hopes for “Lit,” featuring Ty Dolla $ign, but the entire song is about how much they love smoking weed. Another example of Khalifa’s indulgence is the sound of him lighting up a joint in the song – which occurs consistently throughout the album.

“Zoney” is the only song on the album that really speaks emotionally to the listener. His son, Sebastian, makes a cameo appearance. Among all of the lyrics about smoking and buying weed, it is truly a breath of fresh air to hear a song like this.

The tracks “iSay” and “No Permission” are somewhat impressive, because they feature a light saxophone over drum beats and Juicy J. Compared to the rest of the album, they are among the more bearable ones.

Transitioning from “Blacc Hollywood,” a very trap-influenced album, to “Khalifa,” a stoner’s paradise, Khalifa seems unable to pinpoint his style. While I appreciate his stylistic choices, it’s unlikely “Khalifa” will earn the artist any new fans.

Chloe Trepanier can be reached at [email protected] and followed on Twitter @ChloeTrepahnyay.

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    ChrisMar 8, 2016 at 5:43 pm

    Couldn’t really tell if this was an album review or an I don’t like Wiz piece. He has matured throughout his career and it is evident in this album which has more good songs than bad. One must appreciate his “stoner anthems” and take them for what they are as well as decipher the more complex songs throughout the album. Weak piece.

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