The album Wiz Khalifa loved “all the way through”
Wiz Khalifa has never been shy about sharing the records that shaped him, and among his all-time favourites is an unexpected but telling choice: Bone Thugs-n-Harmony’s 1997 double album, The Art of War. In an interview with Complex, Wiz called it “a good CD all the way through”, remembering how deeply it resonated with him during his early years as a fan. For Wiz, this album wasn’t just background noise. It was a soundtrack to his upbringing and a gateway into the kind of melodic, genre-blending rap that would later define his own sound.
When The Art of War dropped, Bone Thugs were already massive. Their 1995 album E. 1999 Eternal had gone multi-platinum and won a Grammy for “Tha Crossroads”. But this follow-up was more ambitious. Spread across two discs with 28 tracks, The Art of War debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and quickly went quadruple platinum. Its length was a bold move, especially in a year when rap was still reeling from the deaths of 2Pac and Biggie, but Bone Thugs delivered.
For Wiz Khalifa, the timing was perfect. He was around ten or eleven years old and finally old enough to fully engage with music on his own terms. “It came out in like ‘98, so I was able to totally fan out and be a part of it”, he recalled. Unlike albums he’d merely heard around the house, The Art of War was something he chose, memorised, and played on repeat. Every track felt relevant. It was the rare album that needed no skips.
Bone Thugs’ mix of harmonised vocals and rapid-fire verses was unlike anything else at the time. Their approach blurred the lines between rapping and singing, laying the groundwork for a style that Wiz himself would later adopt. Songs like “Look Into My Eyes” and “If I Could Teach the World” offered both melody and menace, introspection and intensity. For a young fan looking to connect with something deeper, Bone Thugs hit the mark.
Among the sprawling tracklist, Wiz has singled out “Hatin’ Nation” as a personal favourite. The song, like much of the album, is rooted in resilience. Bone Thugs used The Art of War to call out imitators and critics, defending their originality in a rapidly shifting rap landscape. For a future artist like Wiz, who would go on to carve his own lane with a distinct style, this message likely hit home.
Beyond that, the album’s themes of loyalty, family, and perseverance echoed in Wiz’s own career ethos. Bone Thugs celebrated their crew, stayed true to their sound, and pushed boundaries without chasing trends. That sense of artistic integrity clearly made an impact on Wiz, as he later built his Taylor Gang collective and honed a sound that didn’t rely on gimmicks.
Even the skits and interludes helped to make The Art of War more immersive. For Wiz, this wasn’t just an album. It was a full experience. The double-disc format, the balance of grit and harmony, and the unapologetically regional identity all contributed to something he could completely dive into. It’s no surprise that he would call it one of the standout records of his youth.
Wiz’s admiration for Bone Thugs didn’t fade with time. In 2014, he tattooed portraits of the group’s members on his thigh, a permanent homage to the artists who helped shape his taste. The gesture wasn’t lost on Bone Thugs, who publicly praised the tribute and acknowledged Wiz as someone carrying their influence forward.
Four years later, Wiz got the chance to collaborate with all five original Bone Thugs members on the track “Reach for the Stars”, featured on his album Rolling Papers 2. For Wiz, it was more than a feature. It was a full-circle moment. He later described it as his chance to “be in Bone Thugs-N-Harmony”, fulfilling a dream that started back in 1997 with The Art of War.
That track didn’t just showcase mutual respect. It also highlighted how Wiz had absorbed the melodic DNA of Bone’s sound. While he’s never tried to copy their complex harmonies, his laid-back delivery and hook-driven tracks clearly carry the spirit of their genre-blending approach.
In the grand history of hip hop, The Art of War might not always get the same attention as records from the coasts, but for Wiz Khalifa, it was the defining album of his early fandom. It was relevant, original, and, above all, consistent. Every track spoke to him. Decades later, it still holds that power.
Wiz’s love for the album reveals the kind of listener he was before he became an artist. Someone who valued storytelling, structure, and style. Someone who could appreciate a double-disc epic for everything it tried to do, not just the singles it produced.
By championing The Art of War, Wiz Khalifa not only shines a light on an underrated piece of rap history, he also reminds us that some of the most important albums in an artist’s life are the ones they grew up with — the ones they loved all the way through.