“KK” provides the soundtrack for misfits and stoners it’s weed rap at its apex. Over a beat courtesy of Jim Jonsin, Khalifa practically begs atop some achingly soothing strings. “Promises” is a glorified rap ballad that borders on sentimental. His playful tone, quick raps and penchant for repetition are highlighted on the lead single. On “We Dem Boyz,” he flexes his heavily auto-tuned vocals over the bouncy production to a stunning effect. Khalifa reminds us why he’s in his very own stratosphere. Wiz Khalifa’s signature braggadocio takes center stage after a haunting guitar riff melts everything within its range. “Hope” kicks off Blacc Hollywood triumphantly. Khalifa loves a good time, but even the life of the party has to call it a night.Ĭheck out a track-by-track review of Wiz Khalifa’s Blacc Hollywood below. It’s as though his adventures in domesticity have deepened his scope. There are telling confessions behind all the bravado and hedonism. On “No Gain,” he spits over the smacking drums: “At times I feel like I’m all by myself and I know you do, too… I just woke up, I don’t get sleep, boy, my schedule’s a mess.” In these relatively vulnerable moments, you get the sense that there’s more to Khalifa than what’s on the surface. Wiz Khalifa’s Taylor Gang Records Signs Distro Deal with INgroovesīut what happens when the high wears off and everyone goes home? “House in the Hills” and “Still Down” not only find Khalifa at his lyrical best, but also give a deeper glimpse into a man who sometimes has been as hard to see through as the cloud of smoke that follows him. But even when he’s rapping, he’s more concerned with melody than metaphor, intent on creating a hazy, hot-box atmosphere rather than flooring the listener with dexterous triple-entendres. As hinted by singles “We Dem Boyz,” “Stayin’ Out All Night” and “Promises” - his most blatant venture into pop territory yet - there’s a more concentrated effort on Khalifa’s singing. His stretched, auto-tuned vocals ride over moody production with a charming indifference on “Raw,” a midtempo trap number for the club, and “The Sleaze,” a synth-driven track extolling girls, greenery and nightlife. The rhymes rarely falter, but it’s his flow that has long been the draw, and on Blacc Hollywood, it’s more viscous than ever. His effortless experimentation, long a strength, is honed: The music sounds like something he stumbled upon, casually, luckily and without intense deliberation. Chalk it up, maybe, to his marriage to model Amber Rose or the birth of their first child, Sebastian Taylor Thomaz, in 2013, but Khalifa is growing up.