Our top ten Wiz Khalifa facts

Wizzy tidbits to get you in the mood for his Dubai concert tonight

What's my name?
The 'Wiz' in Wiz Khalifa is pretty self explanatory. Being a wiz kid at school, the moniker just seemed to stick. However, the 'Khalifa' part is certainly the more culturally significant portion. Originaly named Cameron Jibril Thomaz, Wiz had Khalifa, an Arabic word meaning successor, suggested to him by his Muslim grandfather.

Happy Wiz-mas!
Wiz's hometown of Pittsburgh declared 12/12/12 (December 12, 2012) Wiz Khalifa Day in the city.

The UAE connection
In 2011 Wiz got together with British rapper Tinie Tempah and recorded Till I'm Gone. Tempah is reportedly heading to our shores in April.

High stakes
Khalifa's extra-curricular activities regarding medical marijuana are almost as notorious as his music. Just check his Twitter feed and you'll see it's an image the artist embraces. Though in 2010 Wiz's hobby cost him $300K in bail as he was arrested for possession and trafficking at East Carolina University during his Waken Baken tour.

Social media
Relationship-wise, arguably Wiz's most high-profile match was with model and activist, Amber Rose from 2011. The couple married in 2013 and have one son. They split just over a year later.

Teenage dirtbag
Wiz's infatuation with tattoos began at an early age. Getting his first at 16, being a minor his mum had to accompany him to the parlour.

Swift justice?
Wiz's crew motto is "Taylor Gang or die". At first we were elated; 'he's a Taylor Swift fan too,' we exclaimed. However after some research it turns out the rapper isn't as into the Blank Space hitmaker as we are. The maxim either comes from Khalifa's Taylor Allderdice High School or his Chuck Taylor shoes.

That's All Folks
A Khalifa tune could be an ideal replacement for Porky Pig's catchphrase at the end of Warner Brother's cartoons, given he simply walked away from the company when he fell out with the management. Striving for years to get a record deal was not enough to keep him releasing tracks with WB after Say Yeah and the differences of opinion it created within the ranks. Wiz went indie and even turned down an offer to join Rick Ross' Maybach Music Group.

Left alone
Wiz recently told US Weekly, "I take my left shoe off whenever I'm in the zone in the studio." He also said, "I'm a technology geek and have every new electronic device."

Lofty ambitions
Wiz is a surprising six feet two inches in height, towering above Kanye who stands at five feet six inches and Drake at five feet nine.


david@khaleejtimes.com