Club Shay Shay - Wiz Khalifa Part 1

Summary

Podcast Summary: Club Shay Shay - Wiz Khalifa Part 1

Episode Information:

• Title: Club Shay Shay - Wiz Khalifa Part 1
• Host: Shannon Sharpe
• Release Date: December 11, 2024
• Description: NFL legend Shannon Sharpe sits down with Wiz Khalifa, one of hip hop's most influential and admired rappers, to delve into his accomplishments, challenges, and personal journey.

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1. Introduction

In the opening segment of "Club Shay Shay," Shannon Sharpe warmly welcomes Wiz Khalifa, highlighting his extensive achievements in the music industry. Sharpe emphasizes Wiz's status as a multi-platinum and diamond-selling artist, Grammy and Golden Globe nominee, and a cultural icon. The atmosphere is relaxed, setting the stage for an in-depth and candid conversation.

Notable Quote:

• Shannon Sharpe ([02:38]): "A multi platinum and diamond selling hit maker, Grammy and golden globe nominated artist..."

2. Early Life and Military Family ([04:54] - [09:22])

Wiz Khalifa, born Cameron Jibril Thomaz, shares his experiences growing up in a military family, which necessitated frequent relocations. This nomadic lifestyle exposed him to diverse cultures and environments, including North Dakota, Oklahoma, Germany, the United Kingdom, and Japan.

Key Points:

• Friendship Dynamics: Despite moving frequently, Wiz found it easy to blend in and make friends from various backgrounds. However, he acknowledges that this transient childhood led to fewer long-term friendships.
• Favorite Place: Pittsburgh remains his favorite place, where his family's roots are deeply planted, providing a sense of home amidst constant movement.
• Cultural Exposure: Living in Japan as a child introduced Wiz to different languages and cuisines, fostering adaptability and cultural appreciation.

Notable Quotes:

• Wiz Khalifa ([05:30]): "I could get friends from down south. I know how they talk. I know their slang."
• Shannon Sharpe ([08:35]): "That's where my family's at. That's home."

3. Pursuit of Music ([09:22] - [17:32])

At the age of 13, Wiz made a pivotal decision to pursue music over competitive sports. His passion for rap emerged during informal freestyle sessions with friends, leading him to seek his own path in the music industry.

Key Points:

• Parental Support: Wiz credits his parents, especially his father, for supporting his musical ambitions by providing studio equipment and encouragement. This backing was crucial in allowing him to explore and develop his talent without hindrance.
• Artist Development: He underscores the importance of a prolonged artist development phase, which involved extensive promotion, recording numerous tracks, and building industry relationships over seven years.

Notable Quotes:

• Wiz Khalifa ([16:44]): "I was like, I'm pretty good at this, and I wanna see where it takes me."
• Shannon Sharpe ([17:40]): "You had parents that believed in your dream... they always were just with me."

4. Support from Parents and Advice to Parents ([14:18] - [19:59])

Discussing his parents' divorce, Wiz reflects on how their separation ultimately benefitted the family dynamic. Both parents maintained strong, individual relationships with him, avoiding negative discourse against each other.

Key Points:

• Positive Outcome: Wiz believes the divorce allowed his parents to be better individuals and provided him with a healthier familial environment.
• Advice to Parents: He advises parents to support their children's passions, emphasizing that interest and involvement from parents can significantly influence a child's success.

Notable Quotes:

• Wiz Khalifa ([15:37]): "You just gotta give it time because you never know."
• Wiz Khalifa ([19:30]): "You show interest in whatever your child shows interest in, the further they're gonna go."

5. Early Career and Artist Development ([21:07] - [23:41])

Wiz delves into his early career, discussing the challenges and efforts involved in artist development. He highlights the grueling nature of promotion runs, including extensive travel, performing at various venues, and collaborating with numerous industry professionals.

Key Points:

• Promotion Efforts: From staying in subpar hotels to performing at countless radio stations, Wiz emphasizes the hard work behind establishing his presence in the music scene.
• Creative Process: He shares insights into the numerous unreleased tracks and collaborations that shaped his musical identity, underscoring the importance of perseverance during the artist development phase.

Notable Quotes:

• Wiz Khalifa ([22:25]): "Every one of those artists that we named has their own fans and what they look like."
• Wiz Khalifa ([23:41]): "Artist development is shitty hotels and promo."

6. Experiences with Fellow Artists ([31:24] - [42:39])

The conversation shifts to Wiz's interactions with prominent artists from his XXL freshman class, including J. Cole, Kendrick Lamar, and Nipsey Hussle. He reflects on the camaraderie and underlying tensions within the hip hop community.

Key Points:

• Nipsey Hussle: Wiz recounts memorable moments with Nipsey, highlighting their friendship and shared experiences in the industry.
• Drake-Kendrick Feud: He provides his perspective on the publicized tensions between Drake and Kendrick Lamar, viewing them as business maneuvers rather than genuine beef.

Notable Quotes:

• Wiz Khalifa ([32:28]): "Everybody watch our real come up... making legendary moments."
• Wiz Khalifa ([37:40]): "I'm tired of acting like they're cool with each other."

7. Milestones: "Black and Yellow" and "See You Again" ([43:03] - [60:04])

Wiz discusses the creation and impact of his breakout hits. "Black and Yellow" solidified his connection with his hometown of Pittsburgh, while "See You Again" became a global anthem honoring Paul Walker.

Key Points:

• "Black and Yellow": Inspired by Pittsburgh's team colors, the song became an anthem representing his roots and pride in his hometown.
• "See You Again": Commissioned for the "Furious 7" soundtrack, the song was created as a tribute to the late Paul Walker. Wiz was initially unaware of its potential impact but was pleasantly surprised by its massive success and emotional resonance.

Notable Quotes:

• Wiz Khalifa ([46:45]): "It's hometown pride... rep where you from."
• Wiz Khalifa ([55:13]): "That song put me on the map... a household name."

8. Financial Management and Investments ([60:04] - [66:31])

Wiz emphasizes the importance of smart financial decisions and investments. He discusses his ventures into businesses like Khalifa Kush and other entrepreneurial endeavors that align with his brand.

Key Points:

• Investment Philosophy: Wiz advocates for viewing money as a tool for creating more wealth, advising against frivolous spending and emphasizing the importance of investing in opportunities that offer returns.
• Business Ventures: His investments in legal cannabis businesses highlight his commitment to leveraging his passion into profitable enterprises.

Notable Quotes:

• Wiz Khalifa ([63:20]): "I always see my money as an opportunity to make me more money."
• Wiz Khalifa ([65:01]): "Get one spot, like, you know what I'm saying? And own it."

9. Personal Habits and Lifestyle ([66:31] - [70:10])

The discussion delves into Wiz's personal life, particularly his relationship with cannabis. He reflects on the cultural shift regarding weed and its integration into his lifestyle and business.

Key Points:

• Cannabis Advocacy: Wiz speaks about the transformation of cannabis from a taboo substance to a multi-billion-dollar industry, expressing pride in his contributions to this shift.
• Lifestyle Integration: Smoking weed is portrayed as a norm for Wiz, intertwining it with his creative process and personal relaxation.

Notable Quotes:

• Wiz Khalifa ([68:10]): "I did, man. I used to make money smoking weed before it was allowed."
• Wiz Khalifa ([69:24]): "He gave me the pass... being myself."

10. Legacy and Future Plans ([70:10] - [71:55])

In the closing segment, Wiz reflects on his legacy, particularly the establishment of "Wiz Khalifa Day" in Pittsburgh—a tribute to his late grandfather and his personal journey. He envisions expanding this recognition to other states and locations.

Key Points:

• Wiz Khalifa Day: Initiated as a homage to his grandfather, the day celebrates his contributions to music and the cannabis industry, symbolizing his deep ties to Pittsburgh.
• Continued Growth: Wiz expresses aspirations to further his brand and legacy, ensuring that his influence extends beyond music into various entrepreneurial ventures.

Notable Quotes:

• Wiz Khalifa ([70:05]): "I think I'll embrace it more and turn it into something that the world sees."
• Wiz Khalifa ([71:02]): "I'll always be able to rap."

---

Conclusion

Shannon Sharpe's conversation with Wiz Khalifa offers an intimate glimpse into the rapper's life, from his transient childhood and unwavering passion for music to his savvy business acumen and personal philosophies. Wiz's journey underscores the significance of parental support, perseverance through artist development, and the strategic management of success. His candid reflections on industry dynamics, legacy projects, and personal habits provide valuable insights for aspiring artists and entrepreneurs alike.

Final Notable Quote:

• Wiz Khalifa ([66:59]): "I wanna keep it that way. So it's like, you gotta have good habits and shit like that and just stop looking at everybody else."

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Note: This summary excludes all advertisement segments and focuses solely on the substantive content of the conversation between Shannon Sharpe and Wiz Khalifa.

Transcript

[Shannon Sharpe]

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[Wiz Khalifa]

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[Wiz Khalifa]

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[Shannon Sharpe]

Did Drake take it too far? He's suing the man.

[Wiz Khalifa]

No, I mean that's that sound like a Drake move to me all my life Been grinding all my life Sacrifice.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Hustle paid the price Want a slice, got to roll a dice that's why.

[Wiz Khalifa]

All my life I been grinding all my life all my life Been grinding.

[Shannon Sharpe]

All my life Sacrifice hustle paid the price Won a slice got to roll.

[Wiz Khalifa]

A dice that's why all my life I've been grinding all my life.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Hello, welcome to another episode Of Club Shae Shay. I am your host, Shannon Sharp. I'm also the proprietor of club Shay Shay. The guy that's stopping by for conversation and a drink today is one of hip hop's most influential and recognizable and admired rappers in the world. He has one of the most streamed songs in the history. See you again. A multi platinum and diamond selling hit maker, Grammy and golden globe nominated artist, award winning rapper, singer, songwriter, vocalist, emcee, a multi talented actor, composer, musician, entrepreneur, executive and entertainer, a global and a pop superstar, a cultural icon, a marijuana connoisseur, and he's an aficionado of said product, A veteran of the game, a proud dad. Here he is, Wiz Khalifa. Wiz, what's up, man? What's up, bro? How you doing, man?

[Wiz Khalifa]

Good, man, thank you.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Good. Thanks for joining us, man. I know you're busy and all, so I appreciate some of your time, man.

[Wiz Khalifa]

I appreciate you for having me.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You got your. You want to tell her what? You got what you want?

[Wiz Khalifa]

So this is liquid death. This is a water company that I've been investing.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You invested in that? Okay.

[Wiz Khalifa]

A long time ago. This is McQueen. This is a liquor company that I'm invested in.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay.

[Wiz Khalifa]

So I figured we all just hang out together.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay. No problem with that. So this is water?

[Wiz Khalifa]

Yeah. Yep.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Oh, this what ash be drinking at the Jordan? Yeah, man, I thought you getting drunk.

[Wiz Khalifa]

On the set, that's why people like it. Cause it looked like. It looked like a beer, right?

[Shannon Sharpe]

Slis, you remember Slis? Used to come in.

[Wiz Khalifa]

Can't.

[Shannon Sharpe]

I don't know if they still make it, but he used to cover it. Let me.

[Wiz Khalifa]

Yeah, it look like a tall boy, right?

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah, it does.

[Wiz Khalifa]

It's a little water, you know what I'm saying? We gotta deal with Live Nation as well. So, like all of the venues that Live nation throws concerts or anything at, you're gonna get liquid death there.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Wow.

[Wiz Khalifa]

There's a lot of clubs he's selling in. Gas stations. Yeah, Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

I did not know that was water.

[Wiz Khalifa]

Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

I was wondering why people like, well, damn, y'all drinking in the middle of.

[Wiz Khalifa]

The day like that. It's crazy. Cause I give my son that and he'll go like his game. And he's crushing it on the side, dude, sitting there drinking beer.

[Shannon Sharpe]

But you also have a product that Khalifa Kush.

[Wiz Khalifa]

Yeah, I have a weed company as well. Khalifa Kush is named after me and it's grown off of my expertise. So the main strain is the Khalifa Kush, but we have other flavors too. Violet sky, baby. Turtle, Khalifa, Mintz as well, right? Yeah. Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Let's go back to where it all started. Your mom and dad, you were. And your mom. Your parents were in the military.

[Wiz Khalifa]

Uh huh.

[Shannon Sharpe]

So you moved around a lot. You moved around more than a Pentecostal minister family. So how difficult was it to make friends because you weren't in a location very long, right?

[Wiz Khalifa]

It wasn't really difficult for me to make friends. I've always been the type to kind of just, you know, blend. Blend in. Yeah. You know, I could. I got friends from down south. I know how they talk. I know they slang. I got family in New York. I could get down with them. I got family, you know, I'm from Pittsburgh, so it's like I'm out here in la. You know what I mean? I learned how to. You know what I'm saying? You learn how to just get down with the folks who are around.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Did it like, okay, you on a location for two years, you get these great friends, you're like, oh, yeah, man, that's my boy. And the next thing you know, you're up and move.

[Wiz Khalifa]

Gotta bounce. Yeah. Anybody who's in the military family, they know what that's like, man. I think the older that I got, it was like, damn. I really ain't got no friends for my childhood, but back then it was normal to me, so I just did what I had to do.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Like, when you're bouncing around, have you ever have any of those friends that you were, like, when you was like 7, 8, 10, 12, 13, 14? Do you still have any of those people that you like, was cool with back then?

[Wiz Khalifa]

I don't really got too much contact with them now, but if they come to a show or they wanna pop up, they like, yo, that's Cam from blah blah, blah. I still remember him.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay. Do you? Okay.

[Wiz Khalifa]

Hell yeah. So we could vibe out. I still fuck with my partner Tyrese. I was cool with him in like, seventh grade. Me and him, we still got contact with each other.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You were North Dakota, South Carolina, Georgia, Oklahoma, Germany, the United Kingdom, Japan, Pittsburgh. Let's take a couple of these states and see what you remember most and what you like most about them. Let's take North Dakota because you might be the first and only black person I've ever met that have lived in North Dakota. So I'm very interested to know what that was like for you growing up as a kid.

[Wiz Khalifa]

I don't remember shit about that. I don't. Yo, my dad told me it was hella cold. That's about It. Right.

[Shannon Sharpe]

What about Oklahoma?

[Wiz Khalifa]

Oklahoma was fun. I played a lot of basketball down there. I chased a lot of girls down there. That's where I first started, you know, recording my music.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay.

[Wiz Khalifa]

So that's when I learned how to, you know, get my studio etiquette and all of that.

[Shannon Sharpe]

What part of Oklahoma?

[Wiz Khalifa]

Altus. Oklahoma.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay.

[Wiz Khalifa]

My stepmother was stationed down there.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay.

[Wiz Khalifa]

And my father opened a studio down there.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay.

[Wiz Khalifa]

So that's how I was able to, like, start practicing and shit like that.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Germany, United Kingdom. What is it like for a kid being overseas?

[Wiz Khalifa]

Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You're an American. Obviously you're not. I mean, you probably learned the language, but it's different. The culture is a lot different over there than it is over there.

[Wiz Khalifa]

Yeah. Yeah. Let me think. Really? I was a baby, so I was, like, really around my parents the most. You know what I mean? And then for real. For real, my parents divorced when I was younger, so my only memories of them kind of together was overseas. Yeah. And then that's where my dad met my stepmom as well. She's still in my life till this day. So I remember that. As far as overseas as well, of.

[Shannon Sharpe]

The places that I mentioned, the North Dakota, South Carolina, Georgia, Oklahoma, Germany, United Kingdom, German. What's your favorite. What's your favorite place? Do you have any foreign members? Do you go back over there? Obviously. When you're traveling or you're touring, do you remember anything about these places?

[Wiz Khalifa]

I remember a lot about Japan and Oklahoma, but Japan, it was more. It was a different experience. Cause I was on a military base.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You're on the base.

[Wiz Khalifa]

Yeah, exactly. But just being a kid there, it was fun as hell. It was super duper fun. But my favorite place out of all of them is always gonna be Pittsburgh.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Really?

[Wiz Khalifa]

Yeah. That's where my family's at. That's home. You know what I mean? That's what I really connect with the. And every time I would leave and come back, it was always to Pittsburgh. So I would leave Pittsburgh, go somewhere, and then come back. So anywhere that I always went, I was always the kid from Pittsburgh.

[Shannon Sharpe]

That was the question that I was gonna ask you. Of all the places that you live, what was the best place? What was the funnest place? What? You have your fondest memories, and you mentioned Pittsburgh. So how much time. So how old were you when you got to Pittsburgh?

[Wiz Khalifa]

Shit, I was probably, like, two years old.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay.

[Wiz Khalifa]

Yeah. Yep. I was two the first time I was there. And then I was there for maybe like a year and a half or two. Then I moved away for two, and then it was on and off like that every two years until I was, like, 13 years old.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right.

[Wiz Khalifa]

And then after I was 13, I was pretty much there till I was an adult.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay.

[Wiz Khalifa]

Yeah, yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

In Japan, did you speak the language? Were you fluent?

[Wiz Khalifa]

They had us going to, like, this little Japanese class. Not even a Japanese school, but it was a class that we used to take that taught us, like, basic shit, like konnichiwa and, like, how to count to 10, right. But, like, that's really it.

[Shannon Sharpe]

What about the food? I hear, you know? Cause this sushi, I mean, you eat sushi?

[Wiz Khalifa]

Yeah. Hell yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Cause see that. Clearly, obviously it originated there.

[Wiz Khalifa]

Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

And so did you understand the. Did you understand the culture?

[Wiz Khalifa]

I did, but I was really young. I was a teenager. So, like, more now I would be on some player shit, right? I was like a little player back then. I was playing basketball. I wasn't. You know what I mean? So now I'm a big old player. It'll be a different experience.

[Shannon Sharpe]

So when you go to a Japanese restaurant, I mean, you could look at. The menu is like, okay, I want this. I want this. So you kind of know what Japanese cuisine is?

[Wiz Khalifa]

Yeah, for sure. I know what I like, and I know what I'm willing to try. And if I don't, then I'm just gonna ask you. And if you say some shit that I ain't really into eating, then we ain't doing nothing.

[Shannon Sharpe]

But they eat live stuff over there too, right?

[Wiz Khalifa]

They eat, like, octopus and frogs and all that shit.

[Shannon Sharpe]

But I've had frog before. Frog leg. Not the whole damn frog. Just the leg of it?

[Wiz Khalifa]

Hell, no.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Hell no. Not the whole frog. Just the leg.

[Wiz Khalifa]

Yeah. No, the legs will be sticking and the whole frog will be in their mouth. They go crazy over there. Yeah, I didn't eat that.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right. So what's a regular? So obviously you can get sushi over there. So. But what's a regular meal? Like, they eat a lot of rice.

[Wiz Khalifa]

Yeah, a lot of rice. Like, they do, like, beef bowls to do, like, beef and rice or like fish and rice? Chicken and rice. Yeah, just regular stuff like that. They eat, like. I mean, they eat pretty clean. You know what I mean? They don't have, like, a lot of. Unless it's American. But they don't have, like, fast food and things like that. Okay, so it's pretty clean, right? Yeah, yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Student in school. So what type of student were you?

[Wiz Khalifa]

I was the one who, like, was smart, very smart. Had a lot of potential, but very Social. Yeah, yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You jack it around, huh?

[Wiz Khalifa]

Yeah. Nah, for sure. As soon as I get settled in and, like, I find some homies, yeah, we're cutting up, you know? Like, for sure, 100%.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right. So you mentioned earlier, like, you a big player, but you were a little player back then. So you always kind of been in the girls, huh?

[Wiz Khalifa]

Yeah, for sure. Hell yeah. Yeah, yeah, definitely. That was always my thing, was just being smooth, right? Being cool. You know what I mean? I love females, so I used to write girls letters and shit, right? Like, I played sports with the homies, but I wasn't like a jock, like, you know what I'm saying? So I had to be, like, good with my words and shit, so. Yeah, yeah, definitely.

[Shannon Sharpe]

So being young and courting the women, trying to come up with, like, you say you're not an athlete, so you have to find a different way to approach them.

[Wiz Khalifa]

Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Did that help you become the writer in music that you are now?

[Wiz Khalifa]

I don't know. I think maybe, like, it just helped my confidence, like, while writing, right? Because, like, I had something to write about. Like, I wasn't always trying to be, like, the toughest out there. I always wanted to mix some shit in, like, for the ladies, you know what I'm saying? And I think, like, just knowing what women like and talking to a lot of girls, like, even not even just trying to date him, just talking to them on a friend level, just figuring out what girls really like, right? Like, that definitely was an advantage that, you know, I always had.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You said you wrote love letters. Do you think any of them still has those love letters?

[Wiz Khalifa]

Oh, for sure.

[Shannon Sharpe]

They gonna put em on. They gonna put em on for sale.

[Wiz Khalifa]

They better. No, they better just show people like, them shits is real. Hell yeah, they better. I used to say. Yeah. Yep, my letters was very valuable, Right.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Even back then you mentioned that you played sports with the homies, but you didn't play anything that was organized, like basketball or football or baseball.

[Wiz Khalifa]

I played a little bit for school and for the base or for the youth center and shit like that, but it was just on and off. It wasn't anything serious. I'd never been to no camps or nothing like that. It was just natural, just fun shit.

[Shannon Sharpe]

But you like sports, you just didn't play them competitively like that, right?

[Wiz Khalifa]

Yeah, I played up to a point to where everybody else got good as and I was like, you know what? I'm just.

[Shannon Sharpe]

I'mma go get over here and do something.

[Wiz Khalifa]

Yeah, I'm gonna do music. And also, I Started seeing, like, breaking their legs and shit like that in school. I was like, man, I'm trying to be in crutches and shit like that. I'm gonna go write a rap.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You mentioned that your parents got divorced at a very young age. What type of impact wiz did that have on you?

[Wiz Khalifa]

I think it was probably better for me.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Really?

[Wiz Khalifa]

Yeah. Because my parents are really two strong personalities.

[Shannon Sharpe]

They argued a lot.

[Wiz Khalifa]

Huh. They just, you know, they're better apart.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah.

[Wiz Khalifa]

Yeah, they're just way better apart. And, like, I. I was able to have a really good relationship with both of them. Like, I have a great relationship with my dad and my mother. And, you know, them might have been in jail if they stayed together. So, yeah, I'm glad they broke up.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Having been a kid with divorce parents, what type of advice would you give kids that if their parents. Because sometimes, like you said, it didn't impact you, and you realize that. You know what? I thank y'all. I love both of you guys, but you guys are much better apart than you are together, right? But some kids don't take it like that. Some kids hold that against one parent or the other, right? You know, sometimes they blame the father, sometimes they blame the mother, and they carry that with them. What type of advice would you like to give kids that are going through parents or divorcing?

[Wiz Khalifa]

Man, it's cloudy. Because you really don't get to see the results until later. And a lot of the times I would say, like, you just gotta give it time because you never know. Like, you might have a father who can't really be the father that he could be while he's in a relationship. And you might have a stronger relationship with your parent while they're not together, rather than them being together, but you really don't know. And you can't see it that way, right? And you don't see it from their perspective of, like, what they are and aren't able to do, you know what I'm saying? In a relationship versus out of a relationship. So as long as the love is still there, and everybody's like, I'm a very responsible parent. My parents are responsible. But they. They went through shit too. Like, you know what I'm saying? They needed time to grow, right? So, you know, you gotta give them that grace and kind of, you know, just rock with them, bro.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Well, you know, sometimes you see parents where one parent try to turn the other, the kid, against the other parent, right? And they would say, and it's maybe not like, oh, it's Your dad or it's your mom.

[Wiz Khalifa]

Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Well, what did y'all do? Are you hungry? You know, they're saying things to try to contaminate the kid's mind, to feel some type of way about the parents, but I'm getting from you, your parents didn't do that to you.

[Wiz Khalifa]

I think naturally they had, like, little bickering situations and shit like that, but they tried their best to stay away from that shit. Like, they did their best to stay away from it, but they really didn't with each other. So it was hard not to like, you know what I mean? But nah, I remember vivid conversations of my dad being like, no, I'm not gonna talk bad about your mom. That's not what I'm gonna do.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right.

[Wiz Khalifa]

Like, you gonna make certain decisions. You gonna see things on your own.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right.

[Wiz Khalifa]

But I'm not gonna be the one to, like, sit here and tell you that shit.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah, we not gonna kick it. Yeah, that's your mom. Yeah, we a.

[Wiz Khalifa]

Exactly. Respect your moms, love your mom, blah, blah. And then vice versa. From my mom, too.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You mentioned that your dad got you a studio. So is that so. How old were you when you fell in love with music that you decided that. You know what? I think this is kind of what I wanna do.

[Wiz Khalifa]

I was like, 13, okay. And I was just, like, freestyling with the homies and shit. But I really felt like that was my thing.

[Shannon Sharpe]

That would you call it?

[Wiz Khalifa]

Yeah, yeah. I'm like, I think I'm pretty good at this, and I wanna, like, just see where it takes me type shit. And my dad was just like, yo, if you serious about it, I'm gonna get you some equipment and you learn how to use that shit, man. That's what it turned into.

[Shannon Sharpe]

How helpful was it that you had parents that believed in your dream that they didn't. Hey, boy, you going to school? You go. Go to college. You go get an education, you go get a job. And they say. And you were like, this is kind of what I want to do. This is my passion. This is what I really want to do when I become an adult. And they were like, okay, this is what you want to do. I'm going to get you some equipment. I'm going to get you some studio time. Let's see where it takes you.

[Wiz Khalifa]

Yeah, it helped out a lot, man. I think it was everything for me because it just allowed me to create freely.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right?

[Wiz Khalifa]

And I didn't have to go up against anybody's word or anybody not believing in my dream. They Always believed in me from day one.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right.

[Wiz Khalifa]

Just creating the music. They were like, okay, if you're making music, cool. Like, keep doing it. If you love it, we'll see where it takes you. There's no guarantees, but they always were just with me, like, always, like, you know, Will.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Sometimes parents try to live out their dreams through their kids.

[Wiz Khalifa]

Right.

[Shannon Sharpe]

They want their kids to go to college or this certain college, because that's kind of where they wanted to go. It didn't happen. They want them to play a sport. They want them to become a doctor. They want them to come X, Y and Z. Clearly your parents were in the military, and that's not. But to have the forethought and say, well, this is what this boy want to do.

[Wiz Khalifa]

Right? Right.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Let's just support him and see where it goes.

[Wiz Khalifa]

Yeah, absolutely.

[Shannon Sharpe]

What type of feeling did that give? Because a lot of times kids suppress what they really want to do trying to please their parents because they don't want to let their parents down.

[Wiz Khalifa]

Right? Right. I think my parents would have rather me do something a little bit safer. So there is the, you know, go to school, do this, be responsible, blah, blah, blah. But in the end, they were like, this is what he loves. Like, clearly, this mother's going to sleep doing this shit, waking up doing this shit. I had quit all my sports. I wasn't hanging out with my friends.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay.

[Wiz Khalifa]

I wasn't doing nothing.

[Shannon Sharpe]

So you was really serious about this?

[Wiz Khalifa]

Yeah, I was just in the studio all the time, so they couldn't tell me shit. It was like I was gonna do it anyway. But they trusted me a lot. Like, even just working in different studios with people being away from them a lot of times. Yeah, it helped out a lot. And then, you know, going to shows, booking shows, early days, stuff like that. My mom was right there with me, like, you know, driving me there in my dressing room, making sure that, you know, everything goes the right way. So it was a lot. And it could have went different ways. I don't know how other people's support system is, but it helped me out tremendously.

[Shannon Sharpe]

What advice would you give parents that maybe are raising a child that their ambitions are different than what the parent's ambition is for the child?

[Wiz Khalifa]

I think that whatever you. Whatever your child shows interest in, the more you show interest in it with them, the further they're gonna go, okay? And I just think that that just translates everywhere, whether it be sports or music or dance or film, whatever it is, if you show the same interest in it with them, even if you don't know shit about it, right. It's gonna help them grow. And, you know. Yeah. Hell yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You signed a record deal when you were in high school. Did your friends know? Did the school know that you were like, you were that into it, and did it change once they found out that you were.

[Wiz Khalifa]

Yeah. Nah, for me, everybody knew what I was doing. I was always Cam. Like, that's my real name, Cameron.

[Shannon Sharpe]

So I was.

[Wiz Khalifa]

Yeah, it's just Cam. Cam be rapping. Like, that's what Cam does, right? Cam gonna be a rapper. He think he gonna be a rapper.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay.

[Wiz Khalifa]

Everybody knew that. I was in a couple magazines, like, while I was in high school.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay.

[Wiz Khalifa]

And I sold my CDs in high school. Like, I would walk around selling my CDs and shit. And there are people who still have those. Like, the CDs that they work something now, though. Yeah. Hey, yeah. Hell yeah. They just be taking pictures of it and putting it on Instagram. I'm like, damn, nigga. Like, that's some classic shit right there. So, yeah, everybody knew I was doing what I. And, nah, it didn't really change much because where I'm from, like, nobody has seen nothing like that. So it wasn't like I was just.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah, I don't really know a whole lot of rappers out of Pittsburgh.

[Wiz Khalifa]

Yeah, it wasn't like I was like, Hollywood, right? Like, nobody was really checking for me. I was just, like, doing my thing. So it was really humble beginnings, for sure.

[Shannon Sharpe]

How did you get discovered?

[Wiz Khalifa]

I got discovered by being in the studio in Pittsburgh. Just my talent recording. Edan, who's like, my mentor. And there's another. There's a couple other guys around, Huggy and Chad. They introduced me to Benji. Benji had been in the industry at that point, but he's from Pittsburgh, and he took a chance. He signed me to his independent label, and we basically just worked my records from the time I was 16 till about 23. And in between that time, I had a record deal at Warner Brothers. And then that record deal went away, and then I came back around the second time, and that's when I more or less reinvented myself and kind of found my personality, found my thing.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right.

[Wiz Khalifa]

And then that's what you see now.

[Shannon Sharpe]

I read you were an artist in development for seven years.

[Wiz Khalifa]

Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Do you believe that's what's missing from today's artist?

[Wiz Khalifa]

Is it what's missing? No, it's not what's missing.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay. What do you think is missing?

[Wiz Khalifa]

Um, I don't think anything's Missing. I think they're just different. Yeah, they're different. And everybody's doing what is good enough for them or what is gonna keep them in the game for whatever. But those 10 years of artist development is the reason that I'm where I'm at in my career.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Oh, so you believe that's why you've had the longevity?

[Wiz Khalifa]

Yeah, 100%, yeah. Hell yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

So what is a development? What is an artist development? So what do you do? What are you doing during that time?

[Wiz Khalifa]

A lot of promo runs. Okay. Staying in a lot of shitty hotels, not getting paid. A lot of drops. They give you a book this thickness drops that you got to. Yo, what's up? Shout out to DJ Power 102 on the weekend cruise with Da Da Da. Yeah, you gotta do that this many times. That's part of it.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Every radio station from California to New York and everything in between.

[Wiz Khalifa]

Dallas, Texas, San Antonio, Miami, Fort Lauderdale, all of that. So, yeah, you do that. A lot of working with different artists, writers, producers. I've never been in any writing camps, but it was a lot of songs that I recorded that nobody's ever gonna hear. Cause they were just like me, just testing me out, just getting me ready, working with people. Or they might have liked the record for somebody else and gave it to this artist. So there's a lot of that. Yeah, I would say that's mainly what artist development is, is shitty hotels and promo.

[Shannon Sharpe]

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[Wiz Khalifa]

I found my voice through the Internet. Like YouTube, Twitter.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Really?

[Wiz Khalifa]

Yeah. When Twitter first came out, I was really big on that. And still, you know, I still do use social media, but social media allowed me to just get my personality out there and then whatever my agenda with my music was, that wasn't being understood, like, in the record labels. You could understand it, like, through social media, like, oh, that's why people like him, right? Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

In the 2010 XXL freshman class, you, J. Cole, Big Sean, Nipsey, O.J. the Juice Man, Freddie Gibbs, J. Rock, Fashion Donnis. Boy, that's a hell of a class. Yeah, that's a hell of a class.

[Wiz Khalifa]

Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

I mean, when you go back and look, you think, damn, well, I'm in here with the heavyweights. But you were named 2000 rookie of the year by the Soros magazine TV.

[Wiz Khalifa]

That's the hottest.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah, I mean, you're not in college. Like, when you come out, I'm coming out, I'm doing my thing. Whoever else come out, hey, bless your heart, but I'm doing me.

[Wiz Khalifa]

Yeah. Yeah, definitely. I was that guy. Yeah. Yep. Heck, yeah. And I was smiling the whole time. I was cool with everybody, but I was definitely the standout of my group.

[Shannon Sharpe]

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[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah, because think about it. You beat Nikki and J. Cole.

[Wiz Khalifa]

Oh, for real?

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yes.

[Wiz Khalifa]

Oh that was cool.

[Shannon Sharpe]

When you look back and I mentioned these names, I don't know if you had ever heard of them prior to this or did you ever have in contact with them, but when you look at these names, did you think like you coming out you like. I know you always hoped and prayed that this moment would be here, but did you think the other members of that class like you guys, all you guys were gonna be household names?

[Wiz Khalifa]

Oh yeah. Yeah, definitely. I think it just all happened like in its own time cause like we were all competing for the same shit at the time. Yes. So it's like, like you said Nikki like, you know what I'm saying? Like Nikki now and Wiz now. You don't say them together. You know what I'm saying? But we come from the same. You know what I mean?

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yes, yes.

[Wiz Khalifa]

So that's why she's at where she's at in her career. Cause she learned the same things that I learned back then. And we all have our time. Even Kendrick.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Kendrick, Was he in the 2011 class? And I was about to ask you that.

[Wiz Khalifa]

I was saying he's under us.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yes.

[Wiz Khalifa]

And he was on tours, you know, where he was opening up. But you see Kendrick now, it's like he's doing. Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

He ain't open it up for nobody else anymore. Hell no.

[Wiz Khalifa]

Not even.

[Shannon Sharpe]

He ain't open up no more.

[Wiz Khalifa]

So it's like. Yeah, we come from a really, really, you know, solid class. Like, we did our thing.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah. Y'all put that thing back to back. Because the 2011 class, it was Kendrick, Meek, Mac Miller, Big Crit, lil twist.

[Wiz Khalifa]

Yep.

[Shannon Sharpe]

YG, Lil B, Diggy Simmons. 2016, you got Savage, Lil Uzi Vert, Lil Yachty, Kodak Black, Denzel Curry, G Herbo, David East, Lil Dicky Anderson, Pac. Yeah, bro, that was a stretch from about 2010 to 2016.

[Wiz Khalifa]

Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

For sure that y'all had that thing on lock.

[Wiz Khalifa]

Yep, 100%.

[Shannon Sharpe]

But when it's so, man, it's like, how do you. How do Wiz. How do you be different when you got so many heavyweights and you got so many guys and women that's letting songs off? How do you stand out? How does Wiz make sure his voice is also heard when you got so many dynamic guys and gals out there?

[Wiz Khalifa]

I think there's enough space for all of us.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay.

[Wiz Khalifa]

I think every one of those artists that we named has their own fans and what they look like.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah.

[Wiz Khalifa]

You can identify each of those people and be like, you're a so and so fan. So there's enough space for all of.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Us to.8 billion people in the world. We give it up. Okay. There are 40 of us. Yeah. You take a couple hundred million and we still good to go.

[Wiz Khalifa]

Hell yeah. Yep. For sure.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Nipsey Hussle was a part of your XXL freshman class.

[Wiz Khalifa]

Uh huh.

[Shannon Sharpe]

I read that it was true that you made Nipsey start smoking blunts and start smoking with paper.

[Wiz Khalifa]

Yeah, he did. Stop smoking blunts for a minute, man. Yeah, yeah, we had. All of that stuff is on camera, too. Like, there's so many, like, really good moments back then that we Documented, and it's on the Internet and on YouTube and stuff like that. So you get to see, like, our real come up. Like, it was really, really fun coming up in that time and just chilling, but still, like, making legendary moments and shit like that. Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Do you remember your last conversation with Nipsey?

[Wiz Khalifa]

I do. I got him drunk as hell. I think he threw up in the pool. Yeah. So it was cool.

[Shannon Sharpe]

So, I mean, so let me ask you this. Obviously, you know, you smoking right now. Is that, like. Is that, like, to calm your nerves you smoke? Cause Snoop said. Snoop said you and him, y'all, the two can't nobody deal with you. And Snoop say. Snoop say he think he can get.

[Wiz Khalifa]

Yeah. I mean, on certain days.

[Shannon Sharpe]

So let me ask you a question. What does that do for you?

[Wiz Khalifa]

Uh, weed. What does it do for me? Hmm?

[Shannon Sharpe]

Uh, you just like it? Does it relax you? Does it puts you in a better mood? Does it put you in a better space?

[Wiz Khalifa]

I just love smoking weed.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Have you always.

[Wiz Khalifa]

No, I didn't always love it. Like, when I wasn't old enough to, like, understand or function off of it, but when I got to the point where I could, you know, function and smoke weed, right? Oh, hell, yeah. Like, everybody can't function off weed.

[Shannon Sharpe]

I was about to ask you.

[Wiz Khalifa]

Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Cause just like everybody can't, sometimes you have, like, what they call a functioning alcoholic or a functioning somebody that does something. But you were like, this is normal for you.

[Wiz Khalifa]

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, it's normal.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Since you started smoking weed, have you ever gone a day in which you didn't smoke?

[Wiz Khalifa]

I have.

[Shannon Sharpe]

What's that date like?

[Wiz Khalifa]

It's fun. Cause I'm usually in, like, Dubai or.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay, okay, okay.

[Wiz Khalifa]

Saudi Arabia.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right. Cause you can't take it to can happen.

[Wiz Khalifa]

But, like, if I'm here, I have no point not to smoke. There's no point in not smoking, right? I can go hours without doing hours. Yeah, yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

So when you wake up, you wake up in the morning, you roll up like, thank you, God. Let me see another.

[Wiz Khalifa]

Where I light at?

[Shannon Sharpe]

Are you for real? You sad?

[Wiz Khalifa]

Hell, yeah. I light up first thing in the morning. Hell, yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

J. Cole was a member of your XXL class. Do you like the criticism? He's received some criticism because obviously he, you know, he fired off one Kendrick K. Dot, came back, fired off Cole says, I'm out.

[Wiz Khalifa]

Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

And he caught a lot of criticism, Said, hey, bro, no, you can't do that. That man sent for you. You got to go for him, too, right? You okay with him bowing I said, nah, nah, I'm good. I got better things to do with my time.

[Wiz Khalifa]

Um, I think. Shit. How do I really feel about that? I think there's like two versions of it, like in hip hop, like according to the rules of hip hop, like, no, hell no, you ain't supposed to do that. But in real life, you can take some shit back that you said. You know what I'm saying? Like, oh, I said that? Like, ah, I probably shouldn't have said that. You know what I'm saying? It takes a bigger man to be like, I actually don't want no problems. You know what I mean?

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right.

[Wiz Khalifa]

So in real life, I with it, right? Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

But in hip hop, you like, nah, you got that, man.

[Wiz Khalifa]

Well, I'll let other people do the hip hop thing.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Have you ever gotten. Have you ever gotten to a battle? I don't say this in no beat, they battle rap. Cause this go back the first battle. The first battle rap I remember is LL and Cool Modi.

[Wiz Khalifa]

Right, right.

[Shannon Sharpe]

And it's been coming up ever since then.

[Wiz Khalifa]

Yeah, yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

And so. But I don't think long as you. Long as we keep it on wax, yeah, we good.

[Wiz Khalifa]

I used to have the battle coming up, like just in the city.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Wiz Khalifa]

You know. Cause it's really competitive. And then you get dudes from one side and they're like, oh, this. And they gotta say some shit. And then you retaliate, you say some shit back or whatever. Or like there was like an era where we would physically like get in front of each other and battle too. So I've been in battles like that. And I had a lot of diss me because I'm cool as shit, you know what I mean? And they just wanna take cheap shots. But nothing passed when I got in the industry. Because everybody with me, even if you don't like what I stand for or whatever, whatever. I'm still. I'm still the weed guy. I'm still cool, I'm still laid back, I'm still a ladies man. So you don't look cool by dissing me or coming at me. You know what I'm saying? You could have whatever problem personally, but nobody's ever really stuck their neck out and said, yo, I don't with Wiz Khalifa. Cause that sounds stupid.

[Shannon Sharpe]

But the biggest thing in a while, I don't know if we've ever seen. Cause it dominated the headlines for the summer. They were talking about it. Not just hip hop and soul magazine and not just soul and urban radio station. This thing had Taken a personality of its own. Right? And that's Kendrick and Drake. And you're the first guy that I've actually. You're the first person I've actually had that's in the industry. So when you heard it, what went through your mind?

[Wiz Khalifa]

Bout time. I'm tired of acting like they cool with each other, man.

[Shannon Sharpe]

And when you know they not, huh?

[Wiz Khalifa]

Yeah, man. Like, that's cool to me. Like, just speak how you really feel, bro. You know what I'm saying? Like, about time, you know?

[Shannon Sharpe]

Did Drake take it too far? He's suing the man.

[Wiz Khalifa]

No, I mean, that sound like a Drake move to me. Damn.

[Shannon Sharpe]

But see, what I'm confused by is that so many people came for Drake, and especially some of the guys that I thought Drake was cool with because he had done music with him. He had been on their albums, he had been on his.

[Wiz Khalifa]

Well, he's a musician and a businessman in my eyes. So it's like, if he. He's not in the public eye winning, you know, musically, he's gonna get a win wherever he can.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right.

[Wiz Khalifa]

I mean, it's a smart thing to do. Like, in my opinion, like, I think they're playing it exactly how they're supposed to.

[Shannon Sharpe]

So you think this was orchestrated? You don't think this is. They got real beef or this?

[Wiz Khalifa]

No, I don't think them with each other at all.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Wow.

[Wiz Khalifa]

I don't think none of them like each other.

[Shannon Sharpe]

They tolerate each other, but they don't get down with each other. Huh.

[Wiz Khalifa]

It's just how the industry is. And like, all of that's coming to an end now, and it's all like, kind of like spilling out and you're getting to see it. But this is also like wrestling as well. So the same people who are arguing can be like, cool instantly. So it's like, don't get too caught up on, like, you know what I mean, the animosity part, but not them. But in general, people will be hugging later.

[Shannon Sharpe]

I think the thing was confusing for me is that I didn't think it would become to a situation where it evolved into a lawsuit. I thought we were talking about stuff. And I get. Look, I understand from Drake because, like, bro, you called me a pedophile. Now you got people looking at me sideways now. You know, you might be effing up my money with businesses because nobody wants to be associated with things like that. Yeah, but are you surprised that he took it to a lawsuit?

[Wiz Khalifa]

Am I? No. Really? No.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Come on. I wish. We ain't never. I Can see if he stole his beat or his track or something. Or he copyright, but sampled one of his tracks. But not this.

[Wiz Khalifa]

No, I'm not surprised.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Damn. Here's the thing, because what you're telling me as I'm listening to you, if I hear it correctly, is kind of like what Cat. When Cat came on and said what he said, he opened what comedians already knew to be true, that a lot of us don't get along with each other. But Katt brought it to the forefront, you're saying, yeah, there are a lot of people that don't get along with each other, and they been faking. They appear like they. Buddy. Buddy. But what K Dot and Drake did they, like. I want everybody to see.

[Wiz Khalifa]

Right.

[Shannon Sharpe]

We really don't f. With each other.

[Wiz Khalifa]

Yeah, exactly. Yep.

[Shannon Sharpe]

They gonna be cool again.

[Wiz Khalifa]

I can't speak on that personally because I don't. You know, I don't know. Just from a fan perspective. So I don't know. I don't know.

[Shannon Sharpe]

There was a lot of. What happened? Okay. K Dot had the summer of summers.

[Wiz Khalifa]

Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

He got named. He's gonna do the super bowl in New Orleans. Obviously, Lil Wayne's from New Orleans. You got, you know, cash money. You got no limit, so you got juvie, you got 504. You got master P, you got Birdman, you got all that. And what was your take when you heard that K Dot was gonna be headlining the super bowl halftime?

[Wiz Khalifa]

Uh, I thought it was dope. Um, I didn't put two and two together about the whole New Orleans thing until, like, I actually heard Wayne comment on it.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Mm.

[Wiz Khalifa]

And, like, it was crazy, because Wayne really don't comment on nothing.

[Shannon Sharpe]

No, he doesn't.

[Wiz Khalifa]

Yeah. So when he did, I was like, damn. He really, like, took that personal. Not in a bad way, but, like, that affected him. And I'm like, dang. Like, maybe they should have, like, tried to incorporate a Wayne or something like that. You know what I mean? Or. I don't know. It just made me look at it a little bit differently. But I can never take, like, somebody else's moment from them either. You know what I mean? It's just one of them situations where you just. To me, I just look at everything. I'm like, dang, that's crazy.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah. I think Lil Wayne is looking like, damn. I mean, how much consideration you gave us? Because when I look at it, Wiz, I think what happened is that the super bowl, when it was in LA and you had Dre and you had Snoop, so now everybody assume if the Super Bowl. Come to your hometown and you got a hot group from there.

[Wiz Khalifa]

That makes sense.

[Shannon Sharpe]

But when it was in Atlanta, they had Maroon 5. Maroon 5 ain't from Atlanta.

[Wiz Khalifa]

Yeah, for sure.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You know what we got down in the eighth? It wasn't none of them up there.

[Wiz Khalifa]

Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

We didn't even get Gladys Knight.

[Wiz Khalifa]

I don't think they could have had.

[Shannon Sharpe]

TI you got TI Luda, G. The future. I mean, we. Baby face.

[Wiz Khalifa]

Yeah. No, for real.

[Shannon Sharpe]

I mean, Usher ended up getting his come up last year in Vegas, but. So I think that's the thing. I think the thing is that. And we know what Wayne is.

[Wiz Khalifa]

Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Wayne is Wayne. So there will be no Wheezy. There'll be no baby. No baby. There'll be no slander going on. Cause we know what this man is. But I think K. Dot took it as some type of way. Because he said, ain't nobody really congratulate me but NASA. And I think Wayne took it as a shot. He said, look, let the sleeping dog lie. Let the Giants stay where he is. Cause I don't want no problems. Don't nobody really want no problems.

[Wiz Khalifa]

Yeah. Yeah. Not with Weezy. Yeah. That was crazy. Because it's like, you know, I'm always the type of person where it's like, you should be able to speak your mind. So, K. Dot, I feel like ain't nobody step up. You know, he could say that, right? And Wayne could say what? You know, that he's pissed about, like, not being.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah. Two things can be true.

[Wiz Khalifa]

Yeah, exactly.

[Shannon Sharpe]

K. He didn't get the love and support that he thought he would get from the community. And Weezy could feel that he was slighted because he's from New Orleans. He's a mainstay, and he should have been getting an opportunity. Now, that's not to say that Kendrick won't invite him up and do something. That's not to say that that won't happen. But I think Wayne is probably thinking, like, bro, I'm big enough to headline this thing.

[Wiz Khalifa]

Oh, hell, yeah. He's definitely thinking that. And he's thinking that he knows the right people, that them people didn't look out for him. So he's not even looking at Kendrick. Crazy. It's like, what's up with the people who put this together? Why aren't y'all, you know, looking out for me? You know what I'm saying?

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right.

[Wiz Khalifa]

It could be like that.

[Shannon Sharpe]

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[Shannon Sharpe]

Do you remember the Super Bowl? I think it was in Dallas, Green Bay and Pittsburgh.

[Wiz Khalifa]

I do. That was in the 90s.

[Shannon Sharpe]

No, that was 2000. I think that was 2011. It was 2010 season 2011, when the packers ended up beating the Steelers in the super bowl. And you had.

[Wiz Khalifa]

What the hell?

[Shannon Sharpe]

You had.

[Wiz Khalifa]

Oh, you talking about for black and yellow.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Cause Wade recorded green in y'all.

[Wiz Khalifa]

I erased that from my memory, dawg. I was like, yeah, that was the nineties.

[Shannon Sharpe]

That never happened.

[Wiz Khalifa]

I erased that.

[Shannon Sharpe]

If the Steelers get back to the super bowl, you cool to do another black and yellow?

[Wiz Khalifa]

They could just use that one. Just run that one back up.

[Shannon Sharpe]

They don't want you to update that thing with the new.

[Wiz Khalifa]

That song went number one when they was scoring all them touchdowns. I think we went undefeated that season.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah, y'all. I don't know. No, I think y'all lost for, like, three or four games.

[Wiz Khalifa]

Oh, yeah, yeah. But y'all was like, the last couple games, we didn't lose for, like, 10 games or something like that, Yo. And black and yellow went number one. We went to the Super Bowl. That was crazy. Yeah, but if we go again. Nah, because, like, the way that shit is today, like, How TikTok and all of that stuff is. They just bring the old song.

[Shannon Sharpe]

They gonna bring it back.

[Wiz Khalifa]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Bring that old one back.

[Shannon Sharpe]

What did that song do for Wiz? Is that the song that put you on the map?

[Wiz Khalifa]

Yeah, that song put me on the map. That song made me a household name. That was my first number one. Yeah. So that one, like, proved that I could, like, you know, perform on a mainstream level and sell singles. Cause not only, you know, had I had mixtape success and had I, you know, done really well for myself, like, independently and on touring, but now I got a freaking number one record. So it's like, oh, this dude is on fire right now.

[Shannon Sharpe]

What made you make that? What made you do that song? Because if I'm not mistaken, I think I heard you say the song was about a.

[Wiz Khalifa]

It's about a car, and it's about my jewelry.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay.

[Wiz Khalifa]

And it was about being from Pittsburgh. Cause, like, even you see right here, my logo is black and yellow.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah.

[Wiz Khalifa]

So it's like hometown pride.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right?

[Wiz Khalifa]

And that was my main thing. I was like, if I'm gonna get a single, I could rap about whatever the hell I want to. I was like, but I want my first single to be about, like, where I'm from. I just thought it was the right thing to do. It was like some hip hop shit to do. Like, you know what I mean? Like, that's like classic hip hop shit. It's like just rep, where you from?

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right?

[Wiz Khalifa]

So that was my first single, and that's what I did.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Steelers this year.

[Wiz Khalifa]

Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Russ goes there.

[Wiz Khalifa]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Hey, hey. They doing good.

[Wiz Khalifa]

They flicking that joint.

[Shannon Sharpe]

They going to the super bowl this year.

[Wiz Khalifa]

Hell, yeah. He's crazy out there, bro. Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

And you gonna be in attendance.

[Wiz Khalifa]

Fucking right. Hell yeah. I'm be waving a towel like this.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Mike Tomlin had never had a losing season. And hold on. Did Cowboys take your song and made we them boys?

[Wiz Khalifa]

They did, but they didn't take it. They just started scoring touchdowns and saying, we them boys. So I'm like, all right, cool. Now I got two anthems, but they not. What? Them boys?

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah, they not.

[Wiz Khalifa]

They are.

[Shannon Sharpe]

No, they not.

[Wiz Khalifa]

I mean, like, kind of.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You see their record.

[Wiz Khalifa]

All right.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Hey, we had said that we all out.

[Wiz Khalifa]

I need to score much more touchdowns. Every time they score, the song gets played.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Did you see AB Antonio Brown said he would come back and play for the Steelers for free. They broached that subject to Mike Tomblin. Mike Tomlin didn't say anything. He turned to walk off the Stage?

[Wiz Khalifa]

Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You ever met A.B.

[Wiz Khalifa]

Not in person.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Would you want him to come back and play for the Steelers?

[Wiz Khalifa]

He's an amazing athlete.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah. I don't know. After, what, a couple years away from the game, I don't know if he can come back and pick up where he is.

[Wiz Khalifa]

He might be one of those special. Just, like, never. You know what I mean?

[Shannon Sharpe]

Always in shape, always ready to go.

[Wiz Khalifa]

Yeah. Like, drinks Pepsi before they go do athletic shit.

[Shannon Sharpe]

That's right. Where's Khalifa Day? 12. 12?

[Wiz Khalifa]

Yeah. Yep.

[Shannon Sharpe]

What's the day? Day of the. Oh, a couple of days after.

[Wiz Khalifa]

Yeah, it's coming up.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah. So this video's gonna drop a couple of days before. What does that. What does that mean for you?

[Wiz Khalifa]

Um, it's pretty dope to me because my granddad got me that day. He's not here with us no more. He passed away last year.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay.

[Wiz Khalifa]

But he went to the city and told them that they should have a Wiz Khalifa day, and they worked it out. So, you know, that's really significant to me. And then it's really just about, like, getting stoned and chilling at this point.

[Shannon Sharpe]

I mean. I mean, to have a city to back you and give you your own debt.

[Wiz Khalifa]

Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

That has to. I mean, as a kid growing up in Pittsburgh, did you think something like this was possible?

[Wiz Khalifa]

Nah. And even, like, now, I don't be tripping on Wiz Khalifa day. I probably should make more of a big deal about it.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah, you.

[Wiz Khalifa]

I will eventually. But, like, now I just leave it up to people. But, like, you know, as time goes on, I think I'll embrace it more and turn it into something that, like, the world sees. So it's still in its beginning stages.

[Shannon Sharpe]

So 12 12. Are you trying try to get 12 12? Not just for Pittsburgh, but they're gonna be other states. They're gonna be other places.

[Wiz Khalifa]

Yeah, it got to be. Yeah, it has to be.

[Shannon Sharpe]

So you wanted to be, like, 420?

[Wiz Khalifa]

Yeah. Yeah, exactly.

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[Shannon Sharpe]

Check.

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[Shannon Sharpe]

See you again. Did you think it would be what it became? I just checked. It has 6.4 billion views on your YouTube page. Yeah, YouTube paid good. I know that thing. Them checks will be looking good, huh?

[Wiz Khalifa]

They are.

[Shannon Sharpe]

When you were doing this song, did you have any idea that this song would be this?

[Wiz Khalifa]

Hell no. Not even close. I had no idea. None whatsoever. Vietnam? No clue.

[Shannon Sharpe]

So they ask you to do this song.

[Wiz Khalifa]

Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

And you go into obviously you know, Paul Walker has passed Right. You know, this. There's gonna be significance to this song.

[Wiz Khalifa]

Mm.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You do understand that. But to.

[Wiz Khalifa]

It was right when he passed.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yes.

[Wiz Khalifa]

So he was, like, filming for the movie, and they were like. Like, something happened. We need to do, like, a whole little redirection, and you're gonna be a part of that. So they're like, this is the last scene of the movie. They're like, he's in the movie, but we're, like, generating his face on a couple scenes.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yes.

[Wiz Khalifa]

And this is gonna be one of them where it's gonna be him riding off into the sunset, but it's gonna represent his departure from, like, God damn. So I'm like. You know what I mean? But they were like. They told me that they had so many other writers on the song too. It was like, I don't know. I can't even name all of them. Cause I don't think it's legal.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right.

[Wiz Khalifa]

But there were so many other writers on the song and artists that they wanted to be on the song. But by the time the movie had come out, it was like a week before the movie had come out. They were like, we need to finish the song, and we're gonna shoot the video, and we just want you and Charlie Puth on. They was like, everybody else, we don't want. So you need to write another verse. So I just quickly, like, came in there. I watched the scene for the second. Cause I already did the first verse just based off of what they told me it was gonna be like. And for the second verse, they were like, okay, watch the scene and then write it based off of that.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right.

[Wiz Khalifa]

So I watched the scene. I just wrote my verse real quick, recorded it. We shot the video the next week, and then it comes out with the movie and shit. And it's just supposed to be a soundtrack song, but, like, soon as it got on the radio, I think. I don't know how long it took to go number one, but it went number one. And it stayed number one for, like.

[Shannon Sharpe]

13 weeks, 12 consecutive. It peaked at number one on the Billboard's Hot 100 for 12 consecutive weeks. Received Diamond 14 times platinum certification. Earned three Grammy nominations. The most streamed track today on Spotify, reaching number one in 95 country worldwide.

[Wiz Khalifa]

Yeah. Yeah. So, yeah, I never knew that. I never knew it was gonna do all of that at all.

[Shannon Sharpe]

So you're only. So you never met Paul Walker?

[Wiz Khalifa]

No, I didn't.

[Shannon Sharpe]

So your only time ever seeing Paul Walker was that video when they showing you clips of the movie and so they're asking you. Cause you already. You said you had already wrote one verse, and they asked you to come back to write another verse. As they're showing you of him driving off, right?

[Wiz Khalifa]

Like, yeah, just departing. And like, yeah, like you said, I hadn't met him before. And the way that I wrote the first verse was just based off of a conversation that we had where they were like, this is the vibe of it, and this is where we want you to go. So I had to, like, think about personal experiences as well as, you know, what was going on at the time, just to make it all make sense, like, you know what I'm saying? Like. Cause I didn't want it to feel too, like, forced or anything like that. Like, I wanted it to be real. I wanted it to be. And that's what surprised me, too. Cause it was so damn real.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yes.

[Wiz Khalifa]

I'm like, this shit is real. As. These are like, real ass bars. Like, you know what I'm saying?

[Shannon Sharpe]

Now they're telling you, did you feel pressure? Because they're explaining to you, this is a movie. This is an iconic movie with. I think at the time, maybe it was like, on 5th or 6th when he passed away. So you understand what's at stake here. You understand who Paul Walker is and his character, and he's beloved.

[Wiz Khalifa]

Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

And they come to you, and you just look at the scene. You had conversation with them. You had already wrote a verse, and you look at the scene of him driving that car off, and you get the writing. How much pressure did you feel?

[Wiz Khalifa]

I didn't feel any pressure at all. Cause I think everybody. You know, it's unfortunate that Paul Walker lost his life. And his legacy is always gonna live on. I met his family and stuff like that.

[Shannon Sharpe]

But what did they think about the song?

[Wiz Khalifa]

They love it. They loved it from day one. They loved it. But I think, like, See youe Again connects, because you can tell, like, everybody goes through those losses, and you can feel that in those verses. And I've taken losses and, you know, I've felt, you know what I mean, personally, what that feels like. So to be able to channel that through the music, tell his story, help his legacy live on, and also connect with other people who go through similar things. You know, that was my main goal, and that was what I knew I could do just through my personal experiences. And I'm glad that the world, you know, gravitated towards it like that.

[Shannon Sharpe]

What did that song do for weeks?

[Wiz Khalifa]

That song turned me into a global superstar. Yeah. Black and Yellow household name. See you Again, global superstar is when.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You do a set, is that the song that you always close with?

[Wiz Khalifa]

I don't close with it.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You don't close with it.

[Wiz Khalifa]

Yeah, but that's how you know we getting close to the end.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay.

[Wiz Khalifa]

Somebody always said, don't close with your biggest song.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay.

[Wiz Khalifa]

So, yeah, we not gonna do that.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Now you can confirm or you can say, I don't got no comments. Now, I read in our research team, Lil wayne, Chris Brown, 50 Cent, Eminem, Wale were all originally supposed to be on the song. 50 said See youe Again was originally developed for em.

[Wiz Khalifa]

I could see that. But yes, all of those names. Definitely. They were all on there.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You know what Wiz, you know a lot of times where, you know, like, this song was written for this artist and this song was written for that artist. And I had this song in mind for this. And when you hear it, I don't know if somebody could have done it justice like you did that song. That might have been. That was your calling. That was your purpose, that song, bruh.

[Wiz Khalifa]

Whatever God did, he was.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah, he's sprinkling something on you.

[Wiz Khalifa]

He knew exactly what he was doing. Yeah, he. He knows what he's doing. Yeah, but that was proof that he knows what he's doing for sure.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah, babe. That was so from there. Obviously, now you a household name. Black and yellow household name. Everybody in America knows you. See you again. Everybody in the world knows you. Now there's a windfall of monetary and fame and adulation. So now what does Wiz do? What does Wiz buy? What is the one thing, like, I get whatever I want now let your boy go get that rap.

[Wiz Khalifa]

Um, Shit, I don't know. I always had money.

[Shannon Sharpe]

But that's a. See you again brought in a different type of money.

[Wiz Khalifa]

It did, but I was like, you know, I always.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You didn't do it. You didn't like, damn, I got the number one song on Billboards for three months.

[Wiz Khalifa]

No, no, no, I didn't do that.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You didn't?

[Wiz Khalifa]

Like, I was making smarter business decisions at that.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Like, invested in.

[Wiz Khalifa]

Yeah, I was invested. I was like. I went on tour that year, so we definitely put money into a tour and made money off of that song being huge songs. So I made more money. That's what I did with my money.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah, but I did see where you said in a video that you say you don't like cybertrucks. What is it about cybertrucks you don't like?

[Wiz Khalifa]

They're ugly. They're ugly as shit. Anybody who says they're not ugly, I.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Can'T say I disagree with you, Wiz.

[Wiz Khalifa]

That shit's ugly. It probably cool as hell on the inside. And that's too like, I'm like not getting in the car. Cause I don't wanna be like, oh my God, this shit's cool as in here.

[Shannon Sharpe]

And did you get one of them cars? Huh?

[Wiz Khalifa]

Nah. Yeah, exactly. Cause I could get one, but it's so ugly.

[Shannon Sharpe]

What's the best gift Wiz has ever given someone?

[Wiz Khalifa]

The best gift that I've ever given someone. A child.

[Shannon Sharpe]

That really don't take a whole lot, Wizard. We'll get back to that in a minute. What have you learned about money? Because you mentioned that like you've always had money and I see you invested in this company and I think the company is worth over a billion dollars. You invested in the. What is this, Jen? You got Khalifa, Kush. So obviously you're doing right. It's not so much just, I mean you got Jury. But you understand that one day Wiz ain't gonna be able to, right?

[Wiz Khalifa]

And so no, I'll always be able to rap.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You go be like Big Jagger in.

[Wiz Khalifa]

George Clinton is 83 years old. He's still on stage smoking weed, directing his band.

[Shannon Sharpe]

What's the guy? Rolling Stones. He's up there too.

[Wiz Khalifa]

Oh, what's that boy name?

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah, but they gotta be in their late 70s, Wiz.

[Wiz Khalifa]

Yeah, but George Clinton look good. Yeah, I like seeing George Clinton on stage.

[Shannon Sharpe]

But how did you learn about money?

[Wiz Khalifa]

Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

And because there have been a lot of people make a lot of money.

[Wiz Khalifa]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

It ain't how much you make, it's how much you keep. How did you learn? Did you see from others? A wise man learn from others mistakes. A fool has to learn from its own. Did you see some of the pitfalls that some of the people that were in your position had gone through? And you're like, I'm not going to make those mistakes.

[Wiz Khalifa]

I think it's a combination of like wanting good advice.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay.

[Wiz Khalifa]

And having good advice.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay.

[Wiz Khalifa]

Because a lot of people don't want somebody to tell them what to do with their money or how to manage it and shit like that. I'll spend it whenever the I want, blah, blah, blah. But me, I might have some crazy ass dreams, but I'd be like, financially, does that make sense? You know what I'm saying? So like a lot of, you know, there's a lot of people from our community, they don't give a about that. Like they just wanna Buy it right away. And I had that point in my life, and luckily I made it out of that. You know what I'm saying? I was in my early 20s and it was like, yo, if I see it, I like it. I'm gonna buy it. And it just takes growth and maturity. And some of us, we reach that point earlier than others do. But for me, I always seen my money as an opportunity to make me more money. Like, even if I buy a chance is so I could look good, you know what I mean? Like. Cause if I'm like a bummy rapper, nobody's gonna wanna book me, right? So, like, hopefully this, however much I spent on my chain is.

[Shannon Sharpe]

I'll make it back.

[Wiz Khalifa]

I'll make it back. I'm gonna do some videos, I'm gonna look cool, that's gonna give me some views, then that's gonna sell me some tickets. And then, you know, eventually it's just all gonna promote the brand, you know what I'm saying? Like, I'm not doing it to, like, be in the club or to be the coolest guy ever. It's really. It all goes back into something. And, you know, you can buy studio equipment. There's a lot of things that you can buy that will make you money. Yeah, that'll make you money. So it's like, on top of having fun, buying cars and, you know, houses and shit like that. And that's another thing. Y'all need to stop renting all them houses and shit like that. It is not cool to have a house in here and over there and over there. Like, get one spot, like, you know what I'm saying?

[Shannon Sharpe]

And own it.

[Wiz Khalifa]

And own it. Save your money, bro. Like, a lot of fools just be, like, blowing their money on dumb shit just cause they see somebody else doing it. I never been that type of dude. I'm like, yeah, spend your money. You'll be broke. And I'll be looking real good. Like, you know, I make more money every year. Like, there hasn't been a year yet that I made less money than the previous year. I'm doing all right, bro. You know what I'm saying? So it's like, I wanna keep it that way. So it's like you gotta have good habits and shit like that and just stop looking at everybody else.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Invest. Investing. You mentioned investing. How did you learn about investing?

[Wiz Khalifa]

I learned about investing just through my business management, really. I learned that my lifestyle could make me a lot of money if I just put the money in the right places. And there's a Lot of opportunities that come up. And there's a lot of things that people talk about on the low that you can get in on early before it even becomes something. If you have money, just take a little bit of that money and put it off into something that can make you a little bit more money.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right. That 250 or 500,000 you go spend on the car, invest it in some bruh.

[Wiz Khalifa]

You'll come up so, so good in, like, you know, five to seven years, if that. If it's a good. You know what I'm saying? And everything doesn't work, everything ain't gonna hit. So you might put a little bit into this one, a little bit over there. So you just figure out what makes the most sense. Yeah. Yep. But I learned that through having good business.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah. You gotta have the right people around.

[Wiz Khalifa]

Yeah. Yep.

[Shannon Sharpe]

I had Carlos Miller. I don't know if you saw that.

[Wiz Khalifa]

Yeah, I did.

[Shannon Sharpe]

And he said, man, the best weed he ever had was Khalifa Kush. You wanna show the camera you want.

[Wiz Khalifa]

It'S the best weed in the world. Camera, let me see the red. And this is. Yeah, Wait till you see how much I'm smoking. Open it up right here.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Oh, you got no magnet.

[Wiz Khalifa]

Yeah. Yeah. There you go. Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

This gotta be a month's supply.

[Wiz Khalifa]

Nah, I'ma run out in a week.

[Shannon Sharpe]

A week?

[Wiz Khalifa]

Yeah. Yep.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Oh, God. Can y'all see this?

[Wiz Khalifa]

Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

No, no, hold up.

[Wiz Khalifa]

It's like a little Christmas tree in there.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yes. Can y'all see this?

[Wiz Khalifa]

Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

This man said this will last him a week.

[Wiz Khalifa]

Mm.

[Shannon Sharpe]

I'm weak thinking about it.

[Wiz Khalifa]

Yes. I see you trying to knock one off in your pocket. Trying to shake it so it falls in your pocket. Go ahead. Go ahead, take that.

[Shannon Sharpe]

No, no, no, no. This interview will be over.

[Wiz Khalifa]

You don't gotta use it. Now.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Let me ask you a question. So how did you, like. Did you ever think that. Cause weed used to be so taboo.

[Wiz Khalifa]

Mm.

[Shannon Sharpe]

I mean, people have lost careers. People lost, you know, not only professional careers, endorsements, you know, jobs, good job, doctor, lawyer, whatever. Families gone to jail. Yes. How many people in jail for weed? And now it's a multi, multi, multi billion dollar business, and everybody knew it was. As soon as the government could find a way to tax it, they gonna say, yeah, bring it. Bring it on.

[Wiz Khalifa]

Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

And here you are, you know. Did you ever think smoking weed you could ever make money smoking weed?

[Wiz Khalifa]

I did, man. I used to make money smoking weed before he was allowed to make money smoking weed. But, yeah. Yeah, I think, like, the way Weed is now. It's nothing how it was before I got in the game.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right.

[Wiz Khalifa]

So I like to think that I had something to do with it.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah. Cause it's cool. Look, you and Snoop, you guys, I mean, Snoop, I mean, Snoop is as big an icon. He's one of the most recognizable faces, recognizable names. But he was able to stay true to himself. Like, I smoke weed. What y'all want me to do? Get up here and all of a sudden I don't smoke no more? No, I. You the same way. Like, bro, I smoke weed. Take it or leave it. And everybody's like, man, that's weird, man. Hey, we cheapin'we. Cool with it.

[Wiz Khalifa]

They cool with Snoop.

[Shannon Sharpe]

We cool with it.

[Wiz Khalifa]

Yep. Yep. Well, Snoop brought me into the game the right way.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah.

[Wiz Khalifa]

He gave me the pass. And I think just him being such a OG and like a real, you know what I'm saying, solid individual, he wanted to see me, you know, take this as far as I can by being myself. He never was like, yo, Wiz is the next Snoop Dogg. But if you think of weed, you're gonna think of Wiz and Snoop and like Bob Marley.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yep.

[Wiz Khalifa]

You know what I mean?

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah.

[Wiz Khalifa]

But, like, that's a really. That's a really good company to be in.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah.

[Wiz Khalifa]

And all around the world just to go to Thailand and see weed shops on every corner and just to be sitting in a restaurant in France and they'd be like, yeah, go ahead, light up. I'm like, dang, bro, we came a long ass way, man. And that's what it was really all about. To me, it's not about like, flexing or, you know, I love pot. You know what I'm saying? I don't even try to get the whole world high, but I just enjoy the benefits of it. And the more that people just see the good side of it and if you can smoke it and enjoy it and hell yeah, but the eyesight. Yeah, sure, totally.

[Shannon Sharpe]

I will have to wear glasses no more.

[Wiz Khalifa]

No, it's like, you know, it's like Lasik. You just wake up seeing better, bro.

[Shannon Sharpe]

This concludes the first half of my conversation. Part two is also posted and you can access it to whichever podcast platform you just listened to part one on. Just simply go back to Club Sha Shay profile and I'll see you there.

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[Wiz Khalifa]

Holiday gift list, but you're still not.

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