Wiz Khalifa "Kush & Orange Juice" (2009)

It's finally time. Kush & Orange Juice. It's been out here, cats are listening to it. Wiz performed practically the entire tape this past weekend. The show left a bad taste in my mouth, but that isn't anything new when it comes to acts I dig on. The crowd was eating it up and the venue was packed out. Can't be mad at all of that. Still curious about what all the hype is for? Download this tape and spark something up, the picture will get clearer the hazier the room is.

If I've come to one conclusion in my time reviewing all his projects it's that while he probably can get deep, it's not in his repetroie at the moment. This also coincides with my feeling that Wiz is an artist to watch. I see a vision behind what he is doing and am incredibly excited to see where he takes it. He has a lot of potential and as he grows I think his music will too.

We aren't their yet though. He is still a 22 year old kid having fun, enjoying life and the perks of his career choice. Rollin doobies, drinking champagne, stealing your ladies and flying around the world to rock shows or record raps. Pretty good life. This is the world you will be privy to while listening to Kush & OJ. If you are in the mood to celebrate life, have a good time, and get highed up this is the perfect soundtrack.

Beatwise things are a little more mellow. A few tracks have a heavy west coast, summertime kicking it vibe even seeing Wiz channel his inner Quik on the flows. The electronic influence in his beats from the past is almost entirely absent, replaced by soulful and funky samples.

What made me a fan of this kid (aside from our avid inhilation of greenery) was his flow. I've mentioned it throughout these reviews but it's inescapable, it's his best skill and he utilzies it to the fullest. None of the lyrics here capture any depth to life, if you need some substance stay away.

He has played around with sing song type flows before, here he dedicates whole songs to it. "Up" is all about getting high and with it's drumless beat and spacey synths in effect it really does come across like you floating on cloud in audio form. I've heard many laugh when this song comes on, it's pretty silly but I can't stop playing it.

The same goes for this tape in general. I took a break from all things Wiz after the show, but I knew this needed to get up. If you have ever enjoyed Wiz or wondered what all the hype was for this is what you should get. It's good, prior to Saturday I would of said it was great. Bad shows and high expectations will do that to your favorite music. Keep one rolled while playing this.

Download Kush & Orange Juice here.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Curren$y & Wiz Khalifa "How Fly" Review

Image
Two of Hip Hop’s best kept secrets found each other, seemingly through a thick haze of weed smoke – stoners do tend to unite. While Curren$y did enjoy a brief moment of semi fame rolling with Lil' Wayne, he left for potentially greener pastures (addressed splendidly on “S.D.L”) and has been steadily on his grind with the Fly Society behind him. Wiz Khalifa on the other hand has been making a name for himself on both the blog scene and the tour circuit, although he hasn’t made it out to the North West yet. His hustle never did seem appreciated by Warner Brothers who saw a star years ago when they signed him, but sit on the shelf he did until finally gaining his freedom just over 2 weeks ago. Independent is the way to roll and these two obviously share more in common than a fetish for the greenery, fresh kicks, and designer labels. The album gives you much of what you would expect and some of what you might not have. The beats are rocking almost all the way through, some however le
Read more

An Interview With... Carlos Niño

Image
My sonic journey has taken me through many sounds, styles, artists, and scenes. Preparing for this interview was cause to reflect on when I first heard the name Carlos Niño , and I think I can pinpoint it near the beginning of the LA beat era . Since that time his name has floated in and out of my ears depending on how tuned in I was. In more recent times his name has been near the top of my most listened to and cherished artists. These connections, these diverse and non linear weavings of activity are part of what make Carlos Niño’s music so inspired to my ears. He seems to just get it. He makes uplifting, soulful, joyous, energetic music - even when it’s calm and ethereal. As I’ve traveled a new path in my life over the last nearly five years, cultivating and developing spiritual and meditative practices to enhance and enlarge my essence, music has been intrinsically connected. As a doorway into the cosmos, a guide towards something greater, a companion through the dark and light mo
Read more

Supersonic Rainbow Fiend

Image
As I was contemplating this piece, sitting with the three albums being inspected, I was struck with a lot of thoughts around my journey to Jazz. Recently I mentioned my first hearing Kind of Blue and my inability to grasp the beauty of it at the time. I was a high schooler who was consumed with rap just beginning to step away from the stars of the era and digging into an underground that was vibrant and diverse. I had more digesting to do. This is a repeated pattern throughout my sonic history. I find some music that strikes a chord and I dig in. The napster fueled download era was a dream. Then came the blog era which also rewarded this kind of deep dive. I was trapped in a purgatory of my own making as streaming took rise and was fairly tuned out from anything that wasn’t equally dark and hopeless. As I emerged from that darkness and began hearing names I hadn’t heard of before, exploring this world of modern Jazz became the new quest. Initially it seemed too vast, too much. But I
Read more