Wiz Khalifa: wake up, baken, it search

The skin of the pinup: Wiz Khalifa shows where he stashes his rolling papers, perhaps.

With the strong odour of cannabis radiating from his lanky presence and Kanye West ex model Amber Rose, on his heavily tattooed arms, Cameron Jibril Thomaz looks - and odour - every inch of the star of hip-hop. "Wake up baken." He smiles entering the lobby of his hotel in Austin, Texas. For "wake up" and "cooking" is apparently preferred alternative of the Wiz Khalifa in a bowl of Coco Pops first thing. The young man of 23 years like weeds. He likes. "I like weeds", he confirms, laughing Cheech & Chong escaping from his lips. "It's just my thing." It is a part of the process of my life, and it is definitely part of my process of studio. When I listen to beats, I Gotta quit, and I gotta be high. ?

Khalifa (ce name means "successor" in Arabic) may love the grass, but under the Snoop Dogg-style talk is a young man incredibly canny. After a short contract with Warner in 2007 which resulted in a single minor hit (Say Yeah), he returned to his hometown of Pittsburgh and indie label forum where he released the singles, album and 10 mixtapes for free music for the next four years. Such was the popularity of a cassette, video Kush and JO, it became a # 1 on Twitter-oriented subject. Wiz has grown from a fallen to in the application; last year, he turned down a slit of support with Drake to undertake its own dates U.S. overall with his colleague up-and-comer Yelawolf. Of wake Baken 50-city tour saw the pair play to more than 90,000 people. in February of this year, he sold two dates in London in 20 minutes. "I am become more independent after the situation with Warner," he says now. "I have the experience and I got the know-how to be able to run my business and do the right way and be really proud and happy with it." When I was working my more harshly and I wasn't making love, it is when I really built up my biggest buzz in my career. "I am not frustrated, I was motivated".

Wiz Khalifa

Atlantic Records signed Wiz last summer, perhaps with the suspicion that he could earn a lot of money. They put him directly in the studio with power production Stargate, known for their work with Rihanna, Beyonce and - lolz - S Club 7. The result was black & yellow, an ode to local American football team of the Pittsburgh Steelers Wiz, which has become so ubiquitous, that son of this same Tom Hanks made a remix. A ridiculously propelling three minutes and 47 seconds to harass the percussion and persistent hook, he said "black and yellow" 38 times. We counted. "I think that it is just years of hard work to build this ball and then clubbing them with it," he said of the non-1 and UK No. 5 has sold copies of 4 m and had views of 65 m on YouTube views. "My formula of writing is really natural;" people do not really know why they like the song, but I've programmed to like the song, "he says, well pleased with himself.

With his latest album, Rolling Papers, selling 200,000 copies in the US its first week, there was a suggestion that the approach of the Wiz success is slightly cynical. If this is the case, he could not give a toss. "If Atlantic want to put me in the studio with the No. 1 pop guys, I am not gonna be like, 'I know everything and you say nothing,'", he said. "Black & yellow is always difficult." "I wanted to combine records big with its edgy, raw and I really feel like we've perfected that".

Wiz attributes a large part of his business acumen to his dad. With both parents in the army, Khalifa has spent much of his youth in the United Kingdom, Germany and the Japan. When his parents separated and left forces, he split his time between them. "We have excellent relations, they always have me the choice. they never fought over me, "says. "My father was a great influence on me, because he has always had his own business." He really taught me business sense and how to be a targeted individual, but also how to have fun and to do everything the world around you have fun. ?

It certainly seems to have many alouettes. During his stay in Austin he lopes on the town of sipping, literally, gin (but not juice) with Lil B and Yelawolf. It also is pals with many of the rappers he appeared once up to, including Snoop ("" we have been quite high, oh yeahhhhhh! "")He laughs). As well as smoking grass, Khalifa also loves a tattoo. Loves them. "I love tattoos," he said, pointing to his neck, back, head and torso. It has a total of property, "it is impossible to count", but there are tattoos on all parts of his body, bar his legs, he was about to. "Just try, you know, diversify, man.". I want to be an icon. "An icon you gotta get tattoos in some places," he smiles again. "Nah, an icon that you just do not be afraid." And I do not fear. Some I do, I do because I want to do and because it is completely, 100% me. ?

And with that - model on the arms, gin in hand and money on his mind - he is disabled in an another puff of smoke.