Wiz Khalifa Signs Worldwide Co-Publishing Deal With Warner/Chappell Music

via the press release

Warner/Chappell recently signed a worldwide co-publishing deal with up-and-coming Pittsburgh rapper, Wiz Khalifa. Khalifa blew up in early 2010 when, after releasing a steady stream of mixtapes, he unleashed the critically-acclaimed, Kush and Orange Juice. The mixtape proved to be an online phenomenon, quickly becoming the No. 1 trending topic on Twitter with the hashtag #kushandorangejuice. Since then, Khalifa’s online presence has skyrocketed, with more than 470,000 fans following him on Twitter, more than one million “Likes” on his Facebook page, and nearly 9 million profile views and 33 million plays at his official MySpace page.

Khalifa has had a breakthrough 2010: he signed with Atlantic Records in June, he was named MTV’s “Hottest Breakthrough MC of 2010,” and he recently wrapped up a massive North American tour dubbed the “Waken Baken Tour.” Khalifa’s current single, “Black & Yellow,” produced by super-production duo Stargate, is quickly racing up the charts, as its currently No. 29 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart and No. 17 on Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. Khalifa’s 2009 full-length mixtape, Deal or No Deal, peaked at No. 1 on iTunes’ Top Hip-Hop/Rap Albums chart, No. 2 on Billboard’s Heatseekers Albums chart and No. 10 on Billboard’s Rap Albums chart.

Wiz Khalifa is one of those true, internet-success stories you always hear about. He released his music through the Web, it spread like wildfire, and his fans rallied around him until he broke through to the next level. He has worked extremely hard to get where he is and Warner/Chappell is a great place to ensure that that momentum keeps going.
- Scott Francis, President, Warner/Chappell Music, and Chairman and CEO, Warner/Chappell Music U.S.

Wiz Khalifa Plays The Glass House In Pomona, CA Tomorrow Night

For more info about Wiz Khalifa's Glass House show in Pomona, CA
visit here:
East Of L.A. website

Wiz Khalifa: Entertainment Weekly 'Buzz' Article

For a short time early last week, a surprising entry crept into the iTunes Music Store’s overall top 10 albums: 22-year-old Pittsburgh rapper Wiz Khalifa’s Deal or No Deal, coming in just below high-profile pop releases by the likes of Adam Lambert, Lady Gaga, John Mayer, and the New Moon soundtrack. It also briefly topped iTunes’ hip-hop chart. Wait a sec — Wiz who?

If you did recognize Wiz’s name, it might have been from last year’s “Say Yeah,” with its prominent sample of Dutch trance act Alice DeeJay’s “Better Off Alone.” That single became a minor hit, but a full-length follow-up failed to materialize, and Wiz left then-label Warner Bros. earlier this year. “I didn’t get dropped from Warner, but they definitely lost interest in the project,” he tells the Music Mix. “After ‘Say Yeah,’ I think they wanted me to be that artist who just does that [sound].” (A Warner Bros. rep confirmed that Wiz parted ways with the label this year, but declined further comment.)

Wiz kept a healthy buzz going among rap fans in recent months with well-received mixtapes and tracks like “This Plane.” He ended up releasing Nov. 24’s Deal or No Deal, many of whose songs were recorded while he was still with Warner Bros., on the considerably smaller (to say the least) Rostrum Records/Frank Radio/iHipHop Distribution. Now he’s getting arguably as much attention for his new project on a teensy indie label as he ever did back when he was signed to a major. “I’m feeling really great, man,” Wiz says with an audible grin. “I’m on my own terms.” (source)

Wiz Khalifa Hometown Newspaper Feature

via Pittsburgh Post Gazette

After an amicable split (with Warner Bros.) allowed Wiz to keep music created under the label, he kicked off a whirlwind of activity including online videos, national appearances and the release of three mixtapes that included "at least 50 songs."

"I really figured out that these days, with how fast the game is moving and how fast the fans are able to access music, I gotta be able to make a lot of music and really just flood the streets and the Internet the right way," said Wiz.

"We did a little mini-tour this summer, which really helped kick things off for when school came back around. And with the buzz building up with everybody getting on to my music on a wider scale and a wider range, everything just picked up and fell into line."

But anything that fell in line for Wiz over the past year came as a direct result of his push, particularly online. Since last year, he has posted regular blogs and videos on a YouTube channel, written hooks and recorded songs during live webcasts on the site Ustream and drawn more than 41,000 followers to his Twitter account.

Read the full article here:
Pittsburgh Post Gazette - Rapper Wiz Khalifa drops 'Deal or No Deal' after frustrating time with Warner Bros.

Wiz Khalifa Owns The Crowd At CMJ Showcase NYC

Wiz Khalifa live at Southpaw in Brooklyn for the Frankradio CMJ Showcase Tuesday, October 20.

via Jamie Falkowski from NY Time Out

Minutes after we walked through the door, Wu-Tang member U-God took the stage. The Shaolin soldiers announced that he was ready to step out of the shadow of his crew, and he performed a number of Wu classics before spitting material off of his latest, Dopium. After a short break, it was time for Khalifa, and although Grand Puba would follow, Wiz owned the crowd like a true headliner. Most in attendance sang and rapped along to almost every song in his set, including the more obscure mixtape tracks. Energy was high for the young MC, who closed his set by bringing out his collaborator on this year’s How Fly, Curren$y. Below, check out our video of the two performing the lead single from the project, “Rollin’ Up,” and don’t be surprised if Wiz returns the surprise-guest favor tonight when Curren$y performs at B.B. King’s.

Source

(video courtesy of spotcoffee)