Pittsburgh has long been searching for its first major Hip Hop star. Some have flirted with success, while others have floundered in the masses. At the age of 19, Wiz Khalifa has developed into the prodigy that Pittsburgh has been looking for, and he plans to represent his city to the fullest.
Born Cameron Thomaz in North Dakota in 1987 to a mother and father serving in the military, Wiz moved to Pittsburgh at the age of 2. Over the next thirteen years, he would move between Pittsburgh and South Carolina, Georgia, Oklahoma, Germany, Japan, and England as his parents were reassigned to different posts.
In October of 1990, Wiz was separated from his mother, who left him in the hands of her sister while she served in Operation Desert Storm. During his travels, Wiz was forced to mature quicker than his peers. He was constantly faced with new surroundings, schools, and friends, making it difficult to become attached to anyone outside family. Nomadic life, though, gave Wiz an opportunity to broaden his mind and offered many experiences from which to draw inspiration. He began to perceive the world differently than most kids and this motivated him to write his thoughts down every day. These thoughts would become the foundation for his future recordings.
By the age of 14, with a few songs under his belt, Wiz was drawing comparisons with his commanding voice and witty wordplay. While artists such as Jay-Z, Snoop, Cam’ron, and the Notorious B.I.G. have influenced him, Wiz was determined to create his own identity that would, one day, be loved and revered by fans.
Ready to take the next step, Wiz began his search for a new recording studio in Pittsburgh. He found ID LABS, where owner Eric Dan immediately recognized Wiz’s talents. Along with Chad Glick of ID Labs Management, they began to network Wiz to another Pittsburgh native, Benjy Grinberg of Rostrum Records. Benjy realized the raw talent that Wiz possessed, and immediately brought him into the Rostrum family. Rostrum released Show and Prove, as well as 3 other mixtapes, and began their ascent into the National music scene. Not long after, Wiz was inking his first major label contract with Warner Bros. Records.
This year, XXLmag.com ran a feature on Wiz stating that “his buzz has officially started to outgrow the streets.” After rave reviews from his first debut single “Youngin On His Grind,” Wiz premiered his follow up “Say Yeah” on AllHipHop.com.
People usually struggle their whole lives trying to figure out how they can make their mark on this world, but Wiz has known his calling for years and is crafting his future with pen and pad.
