iHipHop Admin
After months of keeping himself at the forefront of every Hip-Hop blog on the Internet, and a catalog of mixtapes to boot, one of the faces of Hip-Hop’s next generation in Wiz Khalifa [Click to watch video interview] finally releases his second studio album in Deal Or No Deal.
Taking the smart route, the youngster born Cameron Thomaz keeps the guest spots down to a minimum, by only inviting partner in rhyme Curren$y [Click for video interview], along with fellow newcomers, L.C. and Lavish.
From there, the 22-year-old Pittsburgh native begins his second go-around with solid introductory tracks like the braggadocio ‘Bout Y’all,’ and the “boy meets girl” tale of ‘Chewy.’
Curren$y makes his way onto ‘Friendly,’ which is also featured on their collaborative How Fly mixtape. [Click here to sample and download mixtape]
On ‘Goodbye,’ Khalifa goes away from his playful and innocent lyricism, and trades it in for subject matter containing stories of jealously, incarcerated friends and family, and the importance of taking care of his loved ones.
The Taylor Gang affiliate then gets back into character on the well-produced ‘Moola & The Guap’ (feat. L.C. & Lavish); where all three artists talk about the perks of having an extensive bank account.
Other songs that can be considered as deal makers are contributions like the ‘Computer Love’-esque ‘Studio Lovin,’ ‘Red Carpet (Like A Movie),’ the slow-tempo of ‘Take Away,’ and ‘This Plane’; while other pieces of music like the Autotune-riddled ‘Superstar,’ and ‘Lose Control,’ along with ‘Hit The Flo’ serve more as deal breakers.
Since it’s birth, Hip-Hop has been divided into sections, therefore, it’s never hard for anyone to find just what they’re looking for, and Wiz Khalifa shows that diversity by showing you don’t always have to be conscious, thugged out, or militant on Deal Or No Deal.
It’s no secret that Hip-Hop is the most competitive genre in all of the business with everyone trying to be number one, but with Wiz Khalifa’s Deal Or No Deal record, he was too busy making feel-good music, and it’s always nice to see that— that part of this storied culture hasn’t been forgotten.
Rating: 3.5
