Newly released album “Blacc Hollywood” is just as clear as Wiz Khalifa’s head might be after a full night partaking in his favorite activity. His last album O.N.I.F.C. (One Night in First Class), released in 2012, is far better than the latest from the rapper. It may have something to do with his marriage to Amber Rose in 2013 and the birth of his son, Sebastian, this past February. Since turning into a family man, critics say that Wiz has become soft. The album was released on Aug. 19, the day after his one-year wedding anniversary. Much like the rest of Wiz’s albums, this one is about weed, women and wages.
His musical style has changed since mainstream rap, and he definitely left those roots behind on this record. This is the fifth solo album for the 26-year-old rapper. It left many fans that have had to wait the last couple years for the release disappointed. Wiz released his 28 grams mix tape earlier this year in May, which also happened to be full of lazy intros and auto tune, much like his newest record.
The album starts out with some spoken word from Chevy Woods and leads into the song “Hope.” This seemed hopeful for fans until the lyrics, “Yeah, yeah, yeah, hope you got thousands in your pocket cause she ain’t lookin’ for love.” The second song on the album “We Dem Boyz,” is a stand out track. The single happens to be on the Billboard Hot 100, but it is number 57 and moving down. The lyrics are just the name of the song repetitively and then some rap verses that wiggled their way in between. “We Dem Boys” may be a song playing repeatedly on the radio, but it is a song that no one wants to hear. “So High” is also another stand out track, but only because of how high he must have been when writing the song, with half of the lyrics being “I get so high” and “Uh huh.” On a lighter note, track eight, “Stayin Out All Night,” sounds a lot like the old Pittsburgh rapper beginning his rap career.
One of the better parts of “Blacc Hollywood” was a song at the very end of the record called “You and Your Friends.” This track is probably the highlight of the whole album. If any more songs from the album end up on the top hits lists, I would guess that it would be this single. It sounds very similar to other party songs, but I suppose that would be the point. Wiz had some featuring help from Snoop Dogg and Ty$ with the song, which is why it was decent. With lyrics like, “Came here with all of my dogs, but I’m tryna leave with you and your friends,” it’s bound to have people dancing.
On a scale of one to 10, I’m giving “Blacc Hollywood” a solid four. The only reason it’s not rated a three is because of the track “You and Your Friends,” which shows some potential. The rest of the album was very subpar. If anything, Taylor Gang expects a lot more from Young Khalifa in the future, especially when looking at some of the previous mix tapes and albums from his past. While some fans want the old style music from the rapper, others just want him to grow away from this experimental phase. Either way, it looks like there aren’t many hits for Wiz and this time we are not referring to his frequent marijuana usage.