Written by Chris Panico
I’m not an avid hip-hop listener, but even I can tell you that Wiz Khalifa’s latest release, left me with some no-so-mixed emotions.
Khalifa’s album, entitled Blacc Hollywood, leaves much to be desired for any listener. Most of the songs lack the infectiousness that bolstered his 2010 single “Black and Yellow” to the top of the charts. While the opening track “Hope” has similar potential to “Black and Yellow,” it doesn’t quite measure up. While the chorus is memorable, much of the song seems to drag on far too long without reaching any clear destination. Other tracks like “Promises” and “Stayin’ Out All Night” both fail by having too many potential hooks, but none which come out strong enough to take hold of the listener. I found myself wishing that Wiz had just picked one and stuck with it.
Throughout Hollywood there are many stylistic risks that Wiz Khalifa makes, which while commendable, ultimately detract from the final product. Too often Wiz reaches for single phrase refrains to fill out his choruses, most annoyingly so in “KK”, where more than half the song’s real estate is taken up by the repetition of the line “Blowing KK.” Boring melodies and mind numbing repetition riddle the new release and make the record easier to turn off than tune out.
Blacc Hollywood does have its moments though. After sifting through a verbal assault about money and marijuana, Khalifa finally gives us at least one track with real content. “House in the Hills” manages to relay a relevant message in spite of the other tracks around it. For the few minutes the song lasts the audience gets a chance to hear Khalifa’s ideas about race and the media’s role in racial perception.
The new release by Wiz Khalifa has a few, very small positives to it. Unfortunately, the bad far outweighs the good for the new album, leaving the audience with a disjointed declaration about Wiz Khalifa’s greatness, regardless of evidence to the contrary.
