In Service OfOn this week's In Service Of hip-hop superstar Wiz Khalifa sits down with co-host Steve Baltin to talk about his new album, what a perfect day for him is, weed, jazz, being a dad and so much more.
Hi, It's Steve Baldon. This week on In Service sub I'm hanging out with Whiz Khalifa. This is a great conversation on his new album, on touring, on jazz music, on being a dad, smoking weed of course, and so much more.
Hope you enjoyed us one whos Budge side. Thanks Thanks for being here today, dude.
But it's funny because we'll come on to the new album, which is awesome in a second. But I just was thinking, I love doing this interview now. TV is a little thread for me. I did Bootsy like three weeks ago last week, you know, and they were telling me their crazy stories. So you know, I'm sure you have a lot of stories working with Bootsy Cube people of that. Bootsy was telling me the fucking nutty story about doing LSD with James Brown, and then Cube was telling me about partying with George Clinton.
Both legendary. Dude.
James was crazy. I got to interview him once. I bet that was an experience and a half.
But for you, what, all of these dudes you name got the same spirit.
Yeah, so it's funny for you being around them. Talk about that spirit for a second, you know, because I love Bootsy. They're still like Cube and I were joking he may really be from outer space, but he still having so much fun.
Yeah, I haven't got the I think I did meet Bootsy. Actually I did. I met Bootsy at at this concert that I did with George Clinton because I played George Clinton in a movie and I got to meet him and jam out with him and his band, and I'm at Bootsy and his wife and they had like the same outfit on and everything.
Like.
It was super inspirational and cool to see, you know, like somebody who is like a player and you know, just just a real big figure in the seventies and eighties, still having that energy and still caring and still you know, you know, putting that effort into what his reality is.
And that's what I think is real.
About all of those guys is beyond making amazing music and being incredibly talented in music, whether it's playing instruments or bringing people together to create one sound, these guys were able to create a world, you know, based off of that sound and what to expect from that sound, or what to expect from an album cover, or what to expect from a live show. And that's what a true artist really is is when they're really out here world building and you know, changing people's lives, like anybody who listened to, you know, their music for the first time, whether it's like as a kid and you hear it through your parents or like an older sibling or something, or it's like you get of age and you smoke a little bit weed and you start to experience what they're talking about like that, you know, it latches onto you and it stays with you for life, and it's something that you know, just transitions and translates through generations and generations of music lovers.
Well, yeah, I know you were on Boutsie's record. You were on the song the influencer is correct. Yeah, yeah, But it's interesting what you're saying because in a way, once you put it as you did so eloquently about building worlds, because it's funny. I see Cushion of Orange just too the same way. You know, it's like it is, you know, it's taking you. I love the fact vibe is it reminding me of the seventies, you know what the spoken wordes and just like the music was still chill.
Thank you.
It's definitely inspired by the seventies. It's jazz inspired, it's reggae inspired, it's R and B inspired, it's funk in inspired.
Like it's it's really soulful. It's a soulful album.
It is, and as I say, it's very much a vibe. It's like taking you into a world. It's interesting for you, you know, it's funny. I want to go back for a second. I read the Rolling Stone piece you did, and I love how you talked about it's always interesting talking to people about how they revisit records because you changed so much over time. And I love what you said about how your like, your vision of a perfect day changes.
And for you, what's the perfect day today?
Perfect day is waking up about six six am, kissing my daughter she's still sleep, kissing my son on the forehead, he's still sleep, feeding my dogs, getting my son up, getting him to school, making it back home to my daughter she's awake, having breakfast with her, smoking a few joints, playing with my dog, getting on social media, making about three posts that are going to do at least a million apiece, eating breakfast, going to the gym, doing some yoga, after making it home by three, eating lunch, taking a nap, waking up by five, making sure my son does his homework, making sure my daughter is getting ready for her last little round, make sure eat dinner, get dressed, go to the studio, maybe record about two versus stay out till about twelve. Maybe make it back home, taking shower, back in the bed.
That's perfect that.
It's funny when you think of the original Chushion orange juice and what a perfect day was to you, then could you ever have imagined that this would be a perfect day for you?
Now? No, I wouldn't imagine that at all.
Yeah, and not that I look down on it, but just I never at that age, I never knew what that would feel like. I wasn't even a goal of mine at that time. So I'm very appreciative.
That you know I did that.
I am that I would am fortunate enough to have learned that lesson, especially at my age. So no, I wouldn't have imagined it, but I'm I'm very grateful that I that I've achieved in them.
It's funny for you too when you think about it, It's like, either to me, that's what makes life so worth living, is like you have this idea of what you think you want your life to be, and then yeah, it turns out to be something completely fucking different and it's way better than you imagine.
It's way better. And people change.
You have to allow yourself to change and let go of certain things and be comfortable with it. And there's just certain things that I know if I put myself around it, what the results are going to be. So instead of, you know, continuously just offering myself to that, I know the difference. Okay, I can be over here where I really enjoy myself, or I could be over here where it might be necessary and you know, I pop in and pop out.
But having that discretion I think is worth a lot.
It's worth everything, because man, it's like, you know, it's funny. I mean, and as you say, your age, you're lucky to do it. I remember talking with the dude Derek Wilby from some forty one. I don't know if you know him. He's been a friend for a long time. Great dude, and you know, he nearly died when he was like thirty one, and you know, we were talking about it and he's like, well, I thought I had more time before that would happen, you know, And so it's like you never know when that lifestyle will kick your ass. So you know, yeah, yeah earlier, you know, because I have a lot of friends unfortunately in music who didn't make it, you know, and so when you see people who are like figure it out, you know, it's very inspiring and uplifting for you. Were there people who really inspired you as you watch them, Because it's funny, like I said, I just touked to a cube last week. You know, it's like dude runs a basketball league. He's having the time of his life doing movies.
And yet right I'm really inspired by Snoop. Just getting close to Snoop and him being one of the first real superstars to embrace me.
He really set the.
Bar up high for what behavior is supposed to be. And I've only seen Snoopy like nice and pleasant and really.
Giving with his.
Platform and with his talents and with anything that he does, whether it's like knowledge or information or weed, whatever it is, it just gives it to you. And Snoop he understands his role as somebody who can change other people's lives, even if it's just him being kind to them or shaking their hand, and you know, whatever it is, letting them go before him.
Like, there's just certain things.
That Snoop does that showed me that when you reach a certain level of greatness, how gentle you're supposed to be and how much care you're supposed to put into having that position so you can have longevity through that position. So I definitely look up to Snoop in a lot of ways when it comes to that.
Yeah, now I've done Snoop for years. It's always been very cool to me, and yeah, it's funny. But I like what you say about, you know, showing you because what I realized early on.
In the industry too.
I'll tell you the nicest person that I ever met in music, by far, it's Stevie Wonder. I don't know if you ever read Stevie, but like asking, what's that.
I said in passing like coming and gone?
But yeah, you know, the nicest guy. And it's just like exactly what you're talking about. The more you want people to think that you should be there, the nicer you are because you have nothing to prove.
Right, right, And he's a genius and he can, you know, freaking snap his finger and grammy, so it's like he knows he has superpowers, but he's really kind instead of being you know, not pleasant with it.
Yeah, I know, it's funny. I have the it's called the Stevie rule. If Stevie can be really cool and he can write songs in the key of life, then you don't get to be an asshole unless you get right down.
I'm not good boom, That's what I'm saying. The same you remember stuff like that?
Absolutely so for you because so I can go back to how who inspires you. You know, he also does so much philanthropy, And the name of the podcast is in Service Up because it's all about giving back, you know, and then giving back, and music means so much. It can either mean philanthropy doing charity work, or it can mean you know, giving back musically. Like I remember talking about the band Blondie and they were telling me not writing a political song to them is making a political statement because you know, when people come to see their show, they get to escape from the world for two hours. So for you talk about you know the importance of giving back and how you do that and how being inspired by someone like Snoop you know, has shown you how to do that and as you say, just being nice to people, Like when you take a picture with someone, Yeah, it's like it's two minutes for you. And sometimes it's annoying as shit. I know I'm talking to so many friends, but it's like it.
Makes their whole week. Yeah.
Absolutely, Yeah, I think me just being a good person is the most important thing. People love me for my talents and things like that, and they're going to admire that because they see something that takes a lot to do and they respect the work that goes into it. But a lot of and I'm happy that a lot of my legacy comes from how I make people feel, and not just them being blown away by what I do. But a lot of people made life decisions to my music. A lot of people have, you know, turned their life around or just found out things about themselves or were free enough to be themselves, you know, by listening to my music. And that's a really good responsibility to have because it keeps it where I can always make music about the things that are important, rather than feeling like I have to follow a trend or create something new that's just mind blowing. I really just have to inspire the people who live the way that i'd live, or you know, have any part of my lifestyle that's theirs. And besides music and my job, we're all human beings. We all have kids, we all have family, we all have this one day that we want to make the best of. And if my music can help you through that day, or seeing me happy, you can help you through that day. Or like you said, if I bump into you and we take a picture and you get to realize, like, hey, what is is like one of us that can.
Inspire you and you know, moving forward.
And I put a lot of my stuff and my content as well, because I want people to know what a regular day is like. Whether you're you know, an artist or whatever it is. You want to be happy. You know, you want to be successful and you want to be happy. So it's not about you know, materialistic stuff or the fame. It's just more about you know, working hard and taking care of your family and not comparing yourself to anybody else. And if you can get that through watching me, by listening to my music, then I feel like I'm doing my job.
It's interesting for you, I mean that's a really you know kind of like I'm enlightened perspective on it. And for you when did you sort of realize that, because it takes a while, you know, just to look like you say, not to compare yourself to anybody or anything, and just you know, it takes a while sometimes to figure that out. And it seems like, you know, you're like ahead of the game or at a good place in terms of just being comfortable doing what you do and not worry about what happens in the rest of the world. And it's funny because being at Forbes, I've talked to so many people about this, and the only thing that drives successful people, whether you're an athlete, whether you're an author, whether you're a CEO, is the internal fire you're always trying to meet with yourself. You're never worried about what's happening in the rest of the world. The only way to keep motivating it is like with yourself.
Yep.
Yeah, I figured it out just by knowing my connection with my fans and the people who really support me, and those are the people who've taken me to the top. And that's who continues to support me and challenge me and inspire me and motivate me. And you know, that's what creates that fire because I'm not afraid to run things past them and be wrong or you know, find out exactly what right is and what serves this community. And my community is full of peaceful people. My community is full of hard workers. My community is full of people who respect themselves and respect the people around them, So it's not hard to you know, really navigate and make you know, good decisions based off of what we all would expect from each other. And in turn, I think that just brings up the whole vibration and elevates everybody around us, because who doesn't want to be you know, cool just for who they are, or who doesn't want to just you know, feel good about trying some shit and making a mistake and still being all right. And that's what I think a lot of my following is all about, is just figuring this whole thing out together and just doing it the right way who we really are deep down inside. And music is a is a channel for that because it makes everybody feel good.
And if you see me on stage.
Whether you know my music or not, I make it so you remember the performance, You remember that night, you remember moments, and you know you're in love with it. You leave happy, You don't leave feeling, you know, any depressed or heard or anything like that.
You feel elevated.
And I just think that everybody deserves that feeling, whether you know it or not, and through the music, you're able to discover it. And I put all of that energy into, you know, making sure that my fans have that first, so they're able to tell people like, hey, whiz is this, whiz is that? So stay in locked in with them. That's what keeps me, you know, focused on that mission.
It's funny for you, but at what point did you first realize that powever music to transform you? And how old were you? And like, were there are one or two records early on and you always use this like there's you know, it's like sometimes you'll hear a record and you'll feel like the person is in your head, like if you feel like they're talking directly to Yale.
Yeah, for me, it was Bone Thus in harmony.
I grew up. I was born in eighty seven, so I grew up in the nineties. So when they first started releasing music, it just sounded so different to me. And I remember when I heard Crossroads, like I just fell in love like with that song. The first time I heard it, it was so good. I thought I was never going to hear it. I was like, this song is so good. And then and then I got to the age where I was like able to figure out the artist and see the videos and stuff like that.
And then I went to one of their concerts, and that's.
What really let me know how real the music was, because I might have been in like second grade, but I was like a die hard fan instantly, and I didn't even know what that was or what that felt like.
But I was like, I wanted the t shirt, I wanted the tape. I wanted my hair braided.
I wanted to be in bone thus in harmony like instantly, and just that love and that, you know, being captivated that much by something and feeling positive about it.
That's when I knew music was really really powerful.
Interesting. I assume you've met them over the years now.
Oh yeah, for sure. I met him. I got a song with him as well. Did you ever smoke with them? Yes? Because I did.
Yeah, nearly killed me. You know, it's funny because the one person you're nearly killed me smoking because I started when I was like fourteen, So I was smoking for like you know, forty years it.
Was be Real and the top smoker dog.
Well it's funny though, because he said the only first thing he can't keep up with was you.
He said, you're doing that at a time. Be Real's top at the top, but he says you are man.
He said, you were doing like six joints at a time.
Yeah.
Yeah, I mean, I'm just I'm just trying to hang with the big dogs.
Man, all right.
So I asked people this, say, lot, who's the dream for you to smoked with? He said, what, who's the dream for you to have smoked with?
The one person that you know? Who do I want to smoke with? I smoke with damn near everybody. I got to make sure that they smoke weed. I think jay Z smokes weed now, so I want to smoke ahole? That would be who?
And what about from history?
Like you know, for me, I always wanted to do Bob Marley, but I'm also a huge I've been I've hung out with Chiching Chong, but I never smoked with them.
Yeah, I smoke with Chijing Chong. I smoke with Willy Nelson from history.
It would have to be like, uh, like Jimmy Hendrix or Rick James. Probably Rick James because it would be a little bit more like Jimmy Hendricks will be cool to like talk to, but Rick James will be fun.
Yeah, I'm trying to picture that. I mean it might bosso be scary. Like you know, like Bootsy was telling me, He's like, you don't want to do l Steve with James Brown. Yeah, No, I agree, man. I think if I.
Could just smoke weed and they do all the other stuff, I'll be fine.
You know.
It is so interesting though, because you know, like I said, this record goes back to the seventies and there is that whole culture that comes from that time, and for you how much fun is it to sort of go back to that and bring that back. And you know, you talked to the Rolling Stone article about you know, sort of bringing the smoke y alter back to hip hop, but at the same time, it also it's going back to a different era as well.
Yeah. Yeah, absolutely.
It feels really good to make feel good records about Bud because I think that's what it all originally comes from. It's just like bringing people together and then like when they say one Nation under a Groove, it's something that we can all feel, you know, together, It's like you get stoned and you just hear this music and whatever you're doing at the time becomes better.
And that's what cushing orange juice is all about.
It's like you get cushed it cushed up, and then the music it just soothes you. And I think, you know, just the inspiration of like listening to vinyls.
When you drive the needle on.
There, like your mind expands and you just start getting visuals of what this world actually looks like and what it is as opposed to just hearing the fucking biggest hit in the world. You're discovering music, you know what I mean that somebody created and there's depth to it and that's what people respect, and that's what people understand when you the more you like smoke weed, because some people kind of just listen to music to digest it and it goes in one ear and out the other. But it wasn't until I started smoking weed where I really heard the instruments and I heard delays, and I heard background vocals and I heard okay on the verse, the snare, I mean, the high hat timing is here, and then on the hook they changed it or the pitch shift. And it wasn't until I started smoking weed that I even cared about that. And I know that other people who smoke pot and listen to music, they're tripping out over the same things. So we're able to connect through sonics as well as.
You know, you know what's going on.
Yeah, that's interesting because among the many things I do, I do jazz for the La Times now, and you talked about listening to jazz, So I'm curious, what were the records you were really listening to you from the making of this, or what's the stuff you've been digging in the jazz world lately.
Well, I read a Herbie hand I wrote.
I read a Herbie Hancock book and it was a story of his whole life and just how he started making music and every era that he transitioned through while he was making music. So any artists that he mentioned that he played in the band for, or played instruments for, or toured with, any artists, I wrote it down, and I went into the record store and I just bought records and I just listened straight through, and even in my in my truck, I gotta you know, I have a driver, so on the way to the studio. Instead of listening to rap, I'm just listening to the jazz station and a lot of that stuff. They will play the records that I had, or they would play jazz from other countries like African or uh, you know, some Asian countries and just a lot of different mixtures of like eras of jazz. So I was just really exploring it as somebody who doesn't know anything about it.
Yeah, I know, it's funny because that just the story for the times on Coltrane that Love Supreme the sixteenth anniversary. I like Common and rakeeem q Tip, you know, you know, as well as some rock people like Flea, and you know, that's then album that has inspired everybody across all genres. But you know, it's interesting to talk to both Common and q Tip and you know Rakim, they all feel like, you know, for them, rap was a direct descentive jazz.
I feel I feel like I feel like in a way it could be a direct descendant of jazz because of the improvisation element, and I think funk because of the timing. Because jazz can run along, it can just keep running, but like funk, it has to repeat, like you know what I mean, Like it's back to the one, and that's how That's how rap music is.
It's like when it drops or even how you do your patterns.
You could do whatever you want to rap an in between, but it also it always has to come back.
Yeah, No, it's cool. I mean, it's you know, because I also think obviously that just makes you a better musician.
The more you listen to yeah, yeah, absolutely, it opens up the way that you're able to approach things. And while I understood, you know, listening and being inspired by jazz, that I couldn't make a full jazz record, I did go there and take the important parts and bring it back to where I was at, especially having like Terrorist Martin.
On on ja manat Dude.
Yeah, he's awesome and he's like I've known him since I was like nineteen years old, so to be able to have him on the album, it's like a full circle moment. But you know, I learned a lot about you know, jazz just by watching him play. I went and seen him play, you know, four or five times during the process of me making this album, and was just blown away, like you know what I'm saying. So it was like even that just seeing it live had a huge effect on me. While making this album, I.
Ask you something fun, man, this was I don't know if you're a Doors fan at all, but I'm doing a story on the door of sixtieth anniversary similar to the culture and story I did. I interviewed a fucking palaeontologist who was telling me about being in Patagonia dinosaur bones and how he would hire these cowboys and they would listen to riders on the storm and drag dinosaur bones with horses while listening to riders on the storm, and I thought it was the coolest visual ever. So, what's the craziest place you've heard your music?
Craziest place I've heard my music.
Or you've heard from people about, you know, listening to your music.
I was probably like being in a in an airport in Korea and when they've seen me in the airport, they all started singing Young, Wild and Free, and I'm like, they obviously don't speak English, but the whole airport, like in Unison, started singing and Young, Wild and Free, and I thought that was pretty cool.
That was like, that was like I've made it moment, Yeah, this is cool. How old are you.
Shit, I was still in my twenties when that happened. I might have been like twenty seven.
Yeah. Cool, all right, what are you going to add about the album that we didn't talk about.
I think I think we explained it pretty well.
We talked about the features, we talked about the vibe, we talked about, you know, the process of making it. We talked about the importance of it to my fans. So I think we really we hit it on the nose.
Yeah, no, dude, I appreciate It's fun interview.
Yeah, yeah, it was fun. Thank you. I appreciate it, man, thank you for talking to me.
Yeah. So, what are the touring planks coming up?
You said, what touring plans?
Touring plans we start late May. We do an intimate tour first. I'm a big fan of letting a small group of people have the show and then taking it to the bigger stages. So we announced another Amphitheater tour really soon, and then.
We do some you know.
Some blog era stuff, and then we do some festival stuff. I feel like me being on the road now that the actual album is out. It's going to last until this time next year, So anytime anybody who wants to come see me the time it starts.
Now you're gonna come see me. You know.
It's funny you say doing the smaller venues. You know, one of the stories I'm doing for the La Times is on the opening the Blue Note La you know, and there are all these great jazz venues and stuff. Is there any place like you know when you say smaller places like, are there any places you would really want to play that you know that would just be really fun or that you would never imagine playing otherwise?
I'm down for excuse me, I'm down for whatever.
Because learning from terrorists is you can make an experience in a small room that a lot of people walk away with, you know, for the rest of their lives. So that's the main thing about this is just creating those memories. And whatever room I'm in, give me a chance with this music, and it's going to create that memory.
Yeah. Who would be the dream jazz mus just to play with terrors?
That's my dream right there. Yeah, if I play with Tea, I'll let Tea put the.
Whole band together, cause yeah, he's he's really good at that. And the way that it sound and the way that it will come off, and I would let him like direct it to to where we like move in and out of certain songs the right way, and I would let him do all that. I would literally just show up and rap. So yeah, terras would be fired.
Dude, that'd be cool. I'd like to see it, you know, because it's funny.
I agree.
There's something about their small venues, like you know, Smalls in New York or those Vanguard or those places that are like two hundred people where you go in and you see like Ron Carter, you know, who's like years old, a legend. It's like it's just such a vibe. It's a different vibe than anything else you got.
Yeah, it's really good.
And like you said, you see an exclusive amount of people and everybody's focused on what's going on. You don't have time to like record it or any of that. They're just embracing everything and you just feel you feel special after you leave there. So to be able to create.
Create that feeling and knowing.
How potent and how soulful this music is, I think that's the perfect match.
Dude.
I love to see it. Plus I love to see Cherish Leader because thanks then it's such a fun Yeah, man, good to see you too, Man.
Thank you to
