Throughout an interview which he starts off by proclaiming that he is in the reinvention stage of his career, it seems that Wiz is focused on building his business portfolio. Featured as July's guest for Playboy's "20 Questions" series, Wiz navigates through an assortment of topics which allow readers to explore his range as an evolving businessman and a maturing artist. From reflecting on "Black and Yellow" putting him on the map in 2011, to what is projected to be a prolific distribution of two albums by the end of 2016, Wiz, 28, has this vision of becoming a billionaire by the time he is 40, and every track he's got lined up in lead up to Rolling Papers 2: The Weed Album, is a short-term goal towards those ends.
When Wiz says "I have never really been depressed in my life," you believe him. The smooth flow, the fashion suave, the laid back presence of a Snoop Dogg descendant; the Pittsburgh rapper didn't come this far without an undeniable cool. So it comes off as no surprise that he'd deal well with distractions, whether they be external or close to home. When asked what he thought about the #OscarsSoWhite controversy, his answer is, "Black people should boss up and say 'We don't give a f***,' and then really not give a f***." When presented with the money question concerning beef with Kanye, it rolls off his attitude just the same. "N****s talk s*** every day, and n****s say s*** about my ex, n****s say s*** about my kid. It's all good. There's competition in rap, and Kanye obviously sees me as that," says Wiz.
For every ying there is a yang. That is Wiz. After revealing how extreme his experiences with police brutality have been, unable to recount ever being so much as stopped in traffic without a gun to the back of his head; he gladly validates the basis for the Black Lives Matter movement all the while endorsing it's focus as educational. "It's not about fighting the cops physically. You have to know how to outsmart them, and what they can and can't do to you. That won't make things all good, but it will help level the playing field." In recollecting Ye's post-Katrina response for example, one might get the sense that he is the anti-Kanye. They may share what are perceived to be the same "rebellious" ideals, but Wiz will keep his head, just as he he has during his split with ex-wife Amber Rose, who he credits in part for his growth. "I learned how to be present where I need to be present. I'd been present in the relationship, but at that age and with what was going on, it just wasn't right for me. It helps to walk away sometimes, even though it was super hard."
Wiz says it doesn't even take much for him to get ahead anymore, telling of how he is down to smoking two joints per day. All the more telling is how the Taylor Gang chief started smoking. Albeit he grew up around the herb, with his mother having enjoyed an occasional smoke, Khalifa admits to initially having no interest in trying it. As you would expect from an old soul [who counts Pam Grier, Michelle Pfeiffer, Madonna, Apollonia Kotero and Pocahontas among his top five ideal women], he carried the attitude that he simply didn't need to, so why start. Fast forward to his mid-teens, when Wiz says he began selling to help sustain the home, and all it took was one random evening for a love affair to be born. "I started selling weed, and then one night at the studio I was like, 'F*** it, I'mma smoke.' And then I was like "Damn, I love this s***!," Wiz said.
He's had no problem turning lemons into lemonade. Wiz may be driven by the idea that his life is in transition, but that drive doesn't take away from seeing to make sure it all comes together. He speaks of involving himself in the fight for legalization of marijuana. In the same breath come the details on how what started as a hustle, is soon to bloom into a profitable investment. And how his leisure, his business, his art, and his social progression seamlessly move along. "I'm active, and it's gonna get bigger and bigger. I just bought a grow house, and I'm in business with one of the largest growers in America, but people don't know that because they're legal and legit. It's crazy. We're gonna be manufacturing and selling, so that's why I'm gonna be trying to help get bills passed—to talk to the people and explain, 'Hey, this is why you gotta do it.'"
Source: playboy.com
