Wiz Khalifa - “Kush and OJ” (2010)
“Kush and Orange Juice” was released in 2010, a far more polished mixtape than the 7 others that came before it. Having this as his blowup mixtape solidified Khalifa’s position in the underground, while he worked his way up to mainstream. Whether you know him from the mixtape days or from his hits, his style and smoking tendencies remain the same.
While that ethereal “Waken Baken” plays in the background, Wiz takes a puff, washes it down with some OJ, and hops on the mic. His buddies Spitter, Germ, Chevy and Cardo are there with him, chilling in the studio where the visibility level is equivalent to that of a foggy morning. Wiz straight up slides on “Mesmorized”, in cadence with those cowbell taps that lead the way.
Wiz rolls on with that 2010 swag on “The Statement”, making sure to call his shot:
“Know we belong on the top but we ain’t trippin, cuz we’ll get there in a minute”
Part of what gets him into the “Spotlight” is the vocal ability Wiz demonstrates on this song. I don’t care if he’s just really high or channeling his inner John Legend, but with a little autotune, Wiz really can hit that shit. Killa Kyleon joins him as the feature on this song, delivering some solid bars with that deep, Rick Ross type of flow.
A brief skit takes us into the “Easy Hour” with Mr. Easy Rider himself, followed by “The Kid Frankie”. One of two skits on the album, these bits do their job well. There you are in the kitchen, breakfast cooking in the pan to your left, K and OJ on your right, with Wiz over the airwaves. Fast forward a couple songs, the eggs are almost done, and Wiz really starts to demonstrate his versatility.
The nice thing about having weed as the prominent image of this album is that Wiz can try out a bunch of sounds that are often associated with the plant, like some old school samples, a reggae beat, and even a party song to play when the time is right. Thus, placing the “stoner rap” label on this album does not work, shown by the 3 songs I am skipping ahead to preview.
“Visions” contains that instantly recognizable “Huit Octobre 1961” sample which MF Doom first made famous, then another sample appears on “Still Blazing” from Alborosie. On a different note, “Pedal to the Medal” would be a good tune for a night out with Wiz - blunts rolled, bottle service on the way, and Johnny Juliano singing like T-Pain on the hook.
Then, Wiz chooses to slow it down a bit on “Up”. Dare I compare the mixtape rapper to Frank Ocean, but I can’t help it here. Wiz goes full R&B mode to match the track’s spacey production, along with a background gospel singer and echoing vocals reminiscent of “Blonde”. The stellar production continues on “Slim Skit” and “Good Dank”. These two are the closest thing to if smoke had a sound. Like you just opened the door to the studio and *woooshhh* a cloud of that good stuff greets you at the front door.
After the smoke sesh, Wiz and his homies move to the backseat of a pimped-out Chevy to start hustling. “Never Been” is the warm up to the banging track “In The Cut”. With weed to bake and money to make, the fellas keep on cruising until they meet some shorties down the block. The flashy car and loud aroma lures the ladies in while “Glass House” plays in the background. A sneaky pick for best track on this album, might I add, as Big K.R.I.T. and Curren$y do their thing.
At last, Wiz rolls up his last joint of the day and freestyles over “Supply”. In summary: No one is higher, flyer or shinier than Wiz. Remember that. Taylor Gang the World.
