Wiz Khalifa | Roseland Ballroom
It might seem like Pittsburgh rapper Wiz Khalifa came out of nowhere last year when his Steelers anthem “Black and Yellow” became one of the year’s biggest hip-hop singles. But the man born Cameron Jibril Thomaz has been grinding since 2005, and touted as rap’s Next Big Thing for nearly as long—Rolling Stone named him an “Artist to Watch” in 2006. Much like his fellow young upstart Drake, Wiz’s appeal lies in his ability to construct a more nuanced persona than the streetwise baller that mainstream hip-hop has reduced to caricature over the past decade. Not that Wiz doesn’t stunt with the best of them—when he brags, “I’m throwing money up, so much I’m losing count” on “Hopes and Dreams” (from new album "Rolling Papers"), it’s in a voice tinged with mixed emotions over a slow, melancholy beat. SEE FULL GALLERY
