Wiz Khalifa enjoys smoking marijuana. Throughout “Khalifa,” the rapper’s sixth album, the Pittsburgh native raps about little else.
When compared to the subtle and powerful social commentary undertaken by other major rappers in recent years, the subject matter on “Khalifa” can feel frivolous and shallow. Albums like Kendrick Lamar’s “To Pimp A Butterfly” or Kanye West’s “Yeezus” are far more substantive.
But such is the brand Khalifa has created for himself: he’s become a seminal figure in the marijuana community over the last few years, even going so far as to sponsor his own “Khalifa Kush” sold legally by Colorado-based dispensary RiverRock Cannabis.
Khalifa does not pretend to be a prophet or a savvy social critic, and it seems unlikely he would ever anoint himself “the voice of this generation,” as West once did.
Instead, Khalifa declares in the album’s opening stanza, “my mom raised a fool,” and all he wishes to do is “celebrate living.” His music is not intellectual, but it never claims to be either.
Ultimately, however, Khalifa’s subject matter does not do him justice. Rapping about marijuana for 13 straight tracks doesn’t cut the mustard in today’s hip-hop world. It’s fine to stoop to the lowest common denominator on occasion, but “Khalifa” is an unending barrage of coughing and lighter sound effects, leaving the listener hazy and lethargic.
The tone of the music fails to liven up the tedious subject matter. The album is laidback, featuring multiple songs with lengthy tinkling piano outros and ample echoing synthesizer sounds. The tone and tempo are consistent to the point of monotony, and although club bangers have never been Khalifa’s forte, this album could use a few upbeat tracks to diversify the style.
Additionally, the rhythm of Khalifa’s rapping is unextraordinary. He returns again and again to the same basic line structure — a few syllables, the last of which is accented by his voice going up a note, followed by the last word being echoed a second time in the background. Khalifa repeats this form ad nauseam, and in effect the music feels repetitive while still being disjointed, with each thought not quite connecting to the next.
There are a few moments in the album in which the rapper lets himself string together a series of lines into a longer phrase, but they are few and far between. Even then, the lyrics feature little rhythmic variation, almost never slipping into eighth notes or triplets.
The album is not entirely without merit. Khalifa has a great talent for crafting a catchy hook — he was partially responsible for “See You Again,” a captivating collaboration with Charlie Puth which sat at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for 12 weeks.
His early career hits include “We Dem Boyz” and “Black and Yellow,” songs which are memorable primarily for their ringing choruses. Such talent is on display again in “Khalifa,” especially with tracks like “Celebrate.” Audiences will certainly chant along when they hear Khalifa wheeze, “I want to celebrate, celebrate living / I could’ve been dead / I could’ve been in prison.”
For all his faults, Khalifa’s sound and brand are distinctive. He does not try to be what he is not. “Khalifa” is predictable and often monotonous. For better or worse, it fits squarely into the existing public image of Wiz Khalifa.
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