Music

REVIEW: Wiz Khalifa & Yelawolf sell out Toronto

by Chayne Japal

I am still trying to pinpoint when all this started but there is a new air to hip hop. It’s like the genre as a whole is in the process of getting a blood transfusion. This sentiment was confirmed standing in line at the Sound Academy Sunday night for the Toronto leg of Wiz Khalifa’s Waken Baken Tour with special guest Yelawolf. The guys behind me were arguing about whether Soulja Boy is legit, who the hottest producer at the moment is (it came down to Kanye vs. Ski Beats) and name dropping every “obscure” MC they could think of. The guys in front were trading phone numbers because one was absolutely offended that this stranger didn’t know who Wale was. I felt refreshed to know that these ‘90s babies had hip hop to believe in, new artists from new areas making great music at a steady rate. Wiz and Yelawolf embody this new movement and, seeing that the show was sold out, it is something to take note of.

Yelawolf started out the night with a high energy performance. Most of those present were there for Wiz but as he started delivering his more popular efforts, from Juelz Santana’s “Mixing Up The Medicine” and Big Boi’s ”Ain’t No DJ”, more and more hands went up. When the DJ put on Eazy-E’s classic “Boyz N Tha Hood” he took off his hoodie and revealed a N.W.A. tank top. At this point, everyone was captivated. He closed out with his version of “BMF” (with custom lyrics: they say I’m Johnny Cash/Waylon Jennings) and his Trunk Muzik mixtape monster “Pop the Trunk” with his shirt off to display all of his badass tats. He’s a hard rapper with a sense humour, he usually uses a speedy Midwest flow but somehow he maintains his Alabama drawl. He has the look, the swagger, and seems to be heading to the right places.

With every hand in the air, DJ Bonix dropped Rick Ross’ “Super High” Remix and right after Curren$y’s first verse, Wiz Khalifa came on stage puffing a spliff during the chorus and then threw it into the crowd before spitting his verse to the crowd’s delight. At the end of the song he said “I’m so motherfucking happy to be here right now”, in a groggy tone. After introducing his hilarious hypeman, “Will”, who didn’t even have a mic but instead a really big smile and a purple backpack, Wiz did “Cabin Fever“ and the Empire Of A Sun remix “The Thrill,” which was enough to have the audience prepared for the main course. Wiz informed the crowd that “kush and orange juice is the recipe for a great day” to introduce the intelligently crafted mixtape Kush & Orange Juice that brought him a lot of attention and new fans this past summer. He went through more than half of the mixtape including his verse off the Curren$y and Big KRiT assisted “Glass House”, “Still Blazin” and the apparent fan favourite, “Never Been”. Wiz knows that this mixtape is a classic and he didn’t disappoint, but he also found room to cram in songs from his previous album Deal Or No Deal as well as mixtapes from last year and the year before.

Before his last song, Wiz had three things to share before he left:”1. Smoke weed everyday. 2. Get home safe, but smoke weed while you doing it. 3. Y’all are the best fans in the world”. He then dropped “This Plane” to a satisfied crowd. Without even fully leaving the stage he jumped right back for the encore with “The Statement”. The performance as a whole was very intimate and it’s clear that he has a really good thing going on with his fans. He captivated the audience and the time he spent smiling and giggling during and in between songs suggested that the audience had captivated him as well.. There is a misconception that hip hop fans are fickle but I believe it’s the artists that tend to be undependable. Wiz is a very smart guy that cares too much about his fans to ever let them down and that’s what will keep him around.

Wiz Khalifa is starting to enjoy success because of talent, hard work, and dedication. The amount of thought he puts into his performance, his nonchalance, even his silly stoner laugh is very well disguised and that’s what makes his music and the brand of Wiz Khalifa so brilliant and one of the leaders in a entire new class of MCs at the top of the hip-hop game.

Wiz Khalifa setlist

“Super High” Remix

“Cabin Fever”

“The Thrill”

“Waken Baken”

“Mezmorized”

“Kid Frankie”

“Never Been”

“Smoker Face” / Luniz “I Got Five On It” interlude

“In The Cut”

“Still Blazin”

“Up”

“Good Dank”

“Glass House”

“Car Service”

“Dreamer”

“Chewy”

“Ink My Whole Body”

“Black and Yellow”

“This Plane”

Encore: “The Statement”