Wiz Khalifa
Say Yeah [single]
“US
rap artistes are two a penny —
or so we thought here at MotorBar
until we heard the best of the rest:
Wiz Khalifa with his debut UK single,
Say Yeah, preceding a promised
album later in the year...”
CHARGING THROUGH THE SPEAKERS, Wiz Khalifa fires impossibly-clear words at
you in rapid succession as he raps out his craft — ably displayed on his
debut UK single, Say Yeah.
Wiz has firmly established himself as one of hip-hop's brightest emerging talents
with his debut album Show And Prove. Not only that, he is flexing his
musical muscle with the release of Say Yeah — taken from his upcoming
second album and debut for Warner Bros Records to be released later this year.
With
its compelling beat and Wiz Khalifa's taunting voice, Say Yeah is more
than just another rap song. It is the very essence of rap/hip-hop; a tribute
to rappers everywhere and a spirit-lifting jaunt into the world of song.
Say Yeah is constructed around a sample from Alice DeeJay's 1999 smash
hit Better Off Alone. The song highlights Wiz's fluid lyric flow and
it is this that has made him a star in the States. Having already sold 100,000
download singles, Say Yeah has been played over 600,000 times on Wiz
Khalifa's MySpace page and has won strong support from both Mistajam and Semtex
on 1Xtra.
Wiz was born Cameron Thomaz in 1987 in North Dakota. His parents were serving
in the military and moved with him to Pittsburgh when he was two. The following
year he was left in the care of his aunt while his mother served in Operation
Desert Storm. By the time he was fifteen he had moved between Pittsburgh and
South Carolina, Georgia and Oklahoma, before moving overseas to Germany, Japan
and England as his parents were reassigned to various posts.
Initial influences were artistes such as Jay-Z, Snoop, Cam'ron and the Notorious
BIG, but Khalifa soon discovered his own unique style to become the hottest
rising star on the East Coast. Show And Prove sold well while two Prince
Of The City mix tapes also built on the interest in his work.
Rap is supposed to be fun — not taken too seriously. And it certainly sounds
as if Wiz is "having a laugh" in the nicest possible way.
• Wiz Khalifa's debut UK single Say Yeah
was released on 11 August (2008) on Warner Bros Records.
Check out wizkhalifa.com and
myspace.com/wizkhalifa.
"Pittsburgh's fastest and finest rhyme slayer" — Rolling Stone
"Outfitted with slick enunciative flow, Khalifa is an East Coast star in the
waiting" — Vibe
"His swaggering flow is still commanding" — Pitchfork
"With it's compelling beat and Wiz Khalifa's taunting voice, Say Yeah
is more than just another rap song. It is the very essence of rap/hip-hop; a
tribute to rappers everywhere and a spirit-lifting jaunt into the world of song"
— MotorBar
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