Fighter: Wiz Khalifa
Trainer (Gym): Benjy Grinberg, Danny D., Tim Blacksmith (Atlantic Records, Rostrum Records)
Cut Men: Andrew “Pop” Wansel, Benny Blanco, Cardo, Danja, DPAT, Drumma Boy, Earl & E, Jim Jonsin, JO A, I.D. Labs, Illangelo, Nice Rec, Pharrell Williams, Rico Love, Rykeyz, Sledgren, Stargate, The Invasion, will.i.am
Weight Class: Young Star, Weed Rapper
Notable Fire: Paperbond, The Plan (Feat. Juicy J), Time, Remember You (Feat. The Weeknd)
Notable Trash: Fall Asleep, No Limit, Got Everything
Tale of the Tape: Like the Sports Illustrated jinx and the Madden Curse, the “sophomore slump” is much easier to succumb to than it is to avoid, but can a “sophomore slump” exist when you didn’t knock it out of the park on the first go around?
Okay, this analogy does contain its fair share of flaws. For one, this is Wiz’s fourth solo album, it’s just his second on a major label. Also, Rolling Papers, his first album on Atlantic, debuted at #2 on the Billboard 200 charts and is certified gold. So Wiz certainly had a successful project the last time out, in some respects anyway. Many felt that Rolling Papers was a total sellout job by Wiz as it contained several songs that were radio friendly, but did not totally coincide with his previous work. Wiz has even admitted in interviews, such as this one at the end of “Guilty Conscience” off his Taylor Allderdice mixtape, that he would do the album differently if he had a time machine.
O.N.I.F.C. (short for Only Nigga In First Class) is Khalifa’s second attempt at trying to balance the commercial success he’s seen with what is expected from his legions of Taylor Gang & pothead fans. About the only thing this project does definitively is it proves Wiz is still lost in his search for that balance.
This was a very slow album— too slow in fact. Chances are, you’ll find yourself bored while listening to it on more than one occasion. It starts off promising enough with the very catchy “Paperbond”, probably O.N.I.F.C.‘s best blend of production and melody, as Wiz shows off his trademark flow that was the catalyst for his ascension in the rap game. “Killin’ these niggas, I ain’t innocent/My bad/Ain’t paid the cost, see they just watch me, then copy my swag/Say I fell off, that’s where you lost me/How’s that when my name is in my upholstery?/I’m rollin’ up and goin’ places across seas”.
However following “Paperbond”, the second track, is an audio malaise. “Bluffin’” is decent, “Let It Go” (featuring Akon) carried little significance, despite the fact that it was one of the major features on the album, “The Bluff” was average at best, etc, etc.
Sidebar: It was nice to see Cam’ron get back on the scene on “The Bluff”, however his verse was nothing to write home about, and it was difficult to get over the purpose of having one song called “Bluffin'” and another one called “The Bluff”, two tracks later.
The album continues on like this without any real heat to breakup the monotony. Overall, the production was weak, which is tragic considering Wiz’s history of spitting over hot, or if nothing else, uptempo beats, such as the aforementioned “Guilty Conscience” or “Ridin Round” off his last mixtape, Cabin Fever 2. Wiz has made magic with producers like Lex Lugar in the past; why O.N.I.F.C. was void of any Lugar beats is anyone’s guess. Drumma Boy does make two appearances (“Bluffin'” & “It’s Nothin” featuring 2 Chainz), but those two tracks aren’t enough to justify giving the album consistent rotation in the whip.
The fact that this album was heavy on the slower songs is not necessarily a drawback. Many of Wiz’s best songs over the years were mellow in nature to appease his weedhead audience. Memorable tracks such as “Mezmorized”, “Up”, “Who I Am“, “Mary 3x”, “Deep Sleep” and “The Race” are all more laid back in nature, yet they are all fire. Unfortunately, with the exception of “The Plan” featuring Juicy J, Khalifa was unable to recapture the winning formula on O.N.I.F.C. (Even the song “O.N.I.F.C.” would’ve been a solid addition).
Virtually every song is about Wiz having more money than you (at least it delivers what the title promises), while he beats you over the head with the whole “I ain’t changed” message. This is okay for some, but a little more variety in Wiz’s subject matter on his albums wouldn’t kill him. Moreover, the fact that his albums have a tendency to stray away from what got him signed to Atlantic in the first place makes it difficult to believe that he hasn’t changed.
Fight Night: Eighth Round TKO Loss
For someone who has been a fan of Wiz Khalifa long before he really blew up with “Black & Yellow” (downloaded mixtapes, purchased albums, attended concerts etc), this was a somber grade to give, but a necessary one nevertheless. Songs like “Fall Asleep” and “No Limit” (at least the first part anyway— the best part of this song actually was the intermission) are just terrible and serve little purpose besides being filler material. And the best songs are far from special, they’re just very good by comparison. More than anything, O.N.I.F.C. is an hour of songs that mostly struggle, but fail to reach the adequate plateau.
Wiz has a lot going on right now. He’s helping Juicy get back to relevancy again with the mainstream public, he got engaged to Amber Rose and he’s about to have a kid. Perhaps his head was not in the right place for making music at time he was recording. Considering the fact that the album was pushed back multiple times, one can reasonably conclude that quandaries with the label may have anchored this project as well.
Sidebar: It’s baffling how once a label signs an artist, they go out of their way to change whatever it was that made them popular in the first place. Sometimes they successfully broaden the appeal of that artist, but how often does that happen and at what cost?
Additionally, Wiz still doesn’t appear to know how to balance the commercial demands with staying true to what got him there. He took a ton of heat for his last record, but Rolling Papers was actually a better album and you could’ve easily taken the best songs off his two mixtapes from 2012 and made a better final project than O.N.I.F.C.
If you believe in Wiz Khalifa’s talent, you have to imagine he’ll figure it out eventually. But when? And will his 15 minutes be up by the time that happens?