Rising to prominence in the early 2010s alongside artists such as A$AP Rocky and Tyler The Creator, Wiz Khalifa was a household name in hip hop. However, upon his arrival to the mainstream, people questioned his artistic capabilities beyond “stoner rap”, and his debut album polarised critics, with many suggesting that his lyrics were too preoccupied with weed and lacked any thematic progression.
Regardless of its critical reception, Khalifa’s first major-label album on Atlantic Records debuted at number two on the Billboard 200, getting certified double-platinum. However, unlike his peers A$AP Rocky and Tyler The Creator, Wiz Khalifa’s inability to experiment and evolve meant that, on the whole, hip hop turned a blind eye to his music. However, that has not stopped the rapper from continuing to make music.
Released earlier this year, the rapper featured on a collaborative album alongside Big K.R.I.T. and Smoke DZA entitled Full Court Press. Produced by Pittsburgh native Girl Talk, it comes as the producer’s first full album in over a decade and is a product of a friendship among the artists.
Off the back of this recent release, in an interview with the magazine HipHopDX, Khalifa spoke about artists that have inspired him over the years. Firstly, the rapper cited JAY-Z, Cam’Ron and The Notorious B.I.G. as some of his favourite artists. However, he let it be known that his favourite rapper of all time is Black Thought.
The Philadelphia-born MC rose to prominence as part of rap group The Roots and has even been acknowledged by Ice Cube as one of the greatest ever to touch the mic. Following the interview taking to social media, Wiz tweeted, “Black Thought is one of the rappers to ever live.”
You can read the tweet below and judge for yourself by revisiting Black Thought’s epic Hot97 freestyle below.
