Khalifa's latest mixtape 'Taylor Allderdice' features guest stars, causes Internet blackout
Several areas of the Internet experienced a blackout on the eve of Tuesday, March 13. But this time it wasn't another anti-SOPA campaign initiated by the free-speaking meme creators and viral video viewers of the world. This time, it was just Wiz.
After numerous pushbacks and delays, the 24-year-old rapper released his latest mixtape "Taylor Allderdice" shortly after 9 p.m., causing an Internet ruckus as thousands of fans pounced on the Web download like Wiz Khalifa to a lit flame. A number of websites, including the tape's main provider, DatPiff, crashed within minutes due to the influx of Khalifa fans clicking the "download" button a few too many times. But after collective disappointment following the release of Wiz's "Rolling Papers" album, can you really blame them?
Touted as the promotional predecessor to Wiz's upcoming "O.N.I.F.C." album, "Allderdice" is not only a block away from the mainstream stylings of "Rolling Papers," it's in an entirely different neighborhood. If "Papers" was the explosion of Khalifa's hip-hop/pop inner child, then the new mixtape is its laid-back, trippy older sister. Named after the high school Wiz attended in his hometown of Pittsburgh, the tape runs more like the "Kush & Orange Juice" and "Flight School" days of old, relying less on semisweet beats and sing-along lyrics and more on savory and sexy.
"Allderdice" features a more stripped-down Wiz sound. Heavy bass, stacked-up synths and poppy lyrics have been all tossed to the curb like Wiz's empty bottles of Dom Pérignon, replaced with a cloud of haze and slow grinding instrumentals. "Never Been (Part II)" kicks off with a few characteristic Wiz lines and even features guest spots from rap's big belly Rick Ross and Wiz's fiancée Amber Rose. "$100,000 it may sound like it's a lot, really it's not to me / Now grab some of this weed," Wiz spins out over the follow-up to original "Never Been" off the "Kush & Orange Juice" album.
Other tracks, like "Mia Wallace," delve into Wiz's more blues-y, jazzy side with the rapper laying down lyrics over a rhythmic piano that would be right at home in the waiting room of your doctor's office. Although your local doc probably wouldn't be ticking off a list of local, uh, buds during your appointment. "Number 16" is another deliciously jazzy track, heavily incorporating harmonious piano with low drum beats and one other instrument — Wiz's voice. Almost every track features Wiz's characteristic giggle and spoken-word overlay, giving an in-depth glimpse into the mind of one of our generation's most respected hip-hop stars.
The mixtape also hosts several other guests stars, including Three 6 Mafia star and Taylor Gang member Juicy J. Cuts like the violin-driven "Blindfolds" mix up breezy instrumentals with Wiz's hard-hitting vocal style, taking jabs at the haters who looked down on the rapper after the mainstream success of "Rolling Papers" as he sings, "I'm just ridin' around on my side of town / Got my windows up and my speakers loud / And we smokin', so I'm gonna need a pound / Bet the haters wish they could see me now."
"The Code," produced by Kanye West favorite Lex Luger, operates in a hailstorm of hip-hop, looping in Juicy J, Lola Monroe and former Wiz collaborator Chevy Woods. Perhaps one of the tape's heavier cuts, the track plays out with a thick bass, fast-flowing lyricism and, of course, reps Taylor Gang over everything. "California" could have been a quick add-on to "Kush & Orange Juice" without any confusion, emphasizing a light synth coupled with the same instrumentals featured on the 2010 classic. Here Wiz focuses more on the pitfalls and positives of the rap game, hooking a repetitive "top down" chorus with a lush flow: "Once in a while call my little sister and tell her I love her / 'Cause she can get crazy in this industry / All of your friends become your enemies / That's why I stay down with the ones that's been with me."
Tracks like "Brainstorm" show that the hip-hop hit man takes it all in stride with a few jokes and, believe it or not, he's happy with the new Wiz: "Amazed how I get so much paper / I'm more amazed how you could be such a hater."
"Taylor Allderdice" gives us hope for the future of Wiz. We're all still hoping "Rolling Papers" was still a momentary lapse in Khalifa judgment and that the rapper's new album, which drops later this year, will be the real winner in the end. The mixtape brings Wiz fans back to the old-school days, when it was more about Mary Jane than Amber Rose and when the most important thing was getting that paper. Wiz certainly delivers, and the new cuts are worth adding to your Khalifa collection.