I will admit to you, I NEVER thought I’d listen to a Wiz Khalifa album again. I love Wiz though. Let me explain… Wiz Khalifa started blowing up right when I started blazing, in the year 2008. At least that’s how I remember it. The first song I remember listening to from Wiz is Say Yeah, a cover of Alice Deejay’s timeless classic “Better Off Alone.”

Whilst smoking the THC, it is essential to soundtrack the moment with tunes, as Mary Jane absolutely heightens your aural senses. In hip-hop there was always a stoner genre, which could largely be attributed to Snoop Dogg, but my generation didn’t really have an artist to carry the torch, and the weed smoking anthems felt pretty stale. 

That was until April 14th, 2010, when Wiz released the mixtape Kush & Orange Juice just six days before 4/20. Back then weed was illegal in all states, so 4/20 was still a party. And also back then, mixtapes were collections of cover tracks by an artist, where a rapper would rap over other rapper’s beats. Lil Wayne was the perfect example, releasing countless mixtapes that made him at the time the most popular rapper in arguably the entire world. Also I have to shout out the Mixtape Messiah Chamillionaire… one of the most underrated rappers ever. Ok back to the topic.

Kush & OJ was the first mixtape that I had ever heard that was made with original beats, as if it were an album. It was a genius idea. This was before the days of Spotify and streaming music. You had to either pay for an album, or download it illegally. With a mixtape, you’d get to download it legally, without having to pay a cent. Additionally, the music featured on your mixtape could contain samples galore, ensuring that the production would be dope and artistically pure. 

Ok long story short, Kush & OJ was the soundtrack to my formational stoner years. A phenomenal mixtape that changed the game, and upgraded the stoner genre, and pretty much redefined it. What was so game-changing you ask? I’d say the production. 

The production on Kush & OJ sounded like nothing I’d heard before and it still holds up today. The production was largely handled by Sledgren and Cardo, though Wiz called on several producers. The whole thing sounds so cohesive though. It’s the perfect soundtrack for smoking, and I don’t think there’s ever been an album since that is as enjoyable to smoke to. 

But wait, this was a blog about Wiz Owens. Ok, you’re right. Wiz Owens caught my ear when I heard the first track “Jet Lag,” which was produced by Harry Fraud (who from my perspective built his career on building Kush & OJ type beats). My first thought was I haven’t heard Wiz in a minute. Then my second thought was huh, this sounds pretty dope and original. 

I’ll be honest, I had lost faith in Wiz completely. I hadn’t even peeped one of his projects in a decade. But after hearing “Jet Lag”, I thought hey, it couldn’t hurt. And lo and behold, the majority of Wiz Owens is produced by none other than Sledgren!!! There, I finally connected the dots. Sledgren produced more than any producer on Kush & OJ, and he does the same on Wiz Owens.

This album isn’t amazing by any means, but it’s a really strong listen. If you were ever a Wiz fan, you’ll likely enjoy this. In fact, I’d be shocked if you didn’t. Will it alter the earth we walk on like Kush & OJ did? No. Is it a nice album to play in the car or while lighting up? Yes. 

I was surprised this dropped to absolutely zero fanfare, so I feel like I’m covering an underground release, even though it’s for the supremely famous Wiz Khalifa. My favorite track on here is “On Bro”, which made it onto my Fucking Classics playlist, and it’s well deserved. The top comment on the YouTube video says the same thing I did… best track on the album. 

I will have to dive back into Wiz’s discog and see what I’ve missed in the last decade. Don’t miss this one. 

 

 

 

 

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About

The Author

I wrote this blog for a few reasons. One is because nobody in my circle of friends ever puts me on to music or things that are dope that I haven't heard about (step your game up friends!) as few people nerd out as hard as me on the dumb things I focus on. The other and main reason is because I am so tired of The NeedleDrop and Pitchfork, from the way Fantano talks about music, to the way that Pitchfork writes about it. Both cause me physical pain to read or watch, yet I for some reason occasionally check their review scores, because they are the only sites I know that do stay on top of music (to a degree), and they focus on genres that I'm not tapped into, so occasionally I find something good. Is it worth the pain? No. So let me save you the pain, by only sharing with you my favorites, and maybe you'll find a new favorite. Oh and I also love talking shit, so I'll do that too, but this blog is about showing love to great art.