Wiz Khalifa: 15 years of greatness celebrated with ‘Kush & Orange Juice’ refilled
Need more Wiz Khalifa in your life? How about a little of the vintage Taylor Gang boss flex with a dab of newness? It’s all coming courtesy of the Kush & Orange Juice celebratory release.
Wiz Khalifa comes through with the ‘Kush & Orange Juice’ revamped album
15 years in the books that quick? You already know. So how about pushing for another 15 with a couple new anthems on the project? Tap in.
Wiz takes a fond look back at that career milestone, releasing Kush & Orange Juice (15th Anniversary Edition) on all platforms via Rostrum Records. The new edition of the blog era classic arrives with two previously unreleased Wiz Khalifa songs from the era: "Champagne" and "Over Here," each of which arrive with new visualizers featuring archival footage from the era.
Produced by T-Minus, who would go on to produce numerous hits for rappers like Drake, Lil Wayne, and Kendrick Lamar, "Champagne" seamlessly blends Wiz's laid-back stoner stylings with the speaker-knocking trap that ruled the charts at the time. Meanwhile, "Over Here," a lost stoner classic, teases the ear with a slinky keyboard riff, courtesy of producer E-Dan, who produced "The Statement" from the tape's original tracklist.
Featuring early-career contributions from the likes of Curren$y, Big K.R.I.T., Cardo Got Wingz, and others, Kush & Orange Juice was one of the first mixtapes to catch fire on social media, becoming a #1 trending topic on Twitter and Google in the days after its release on April 14th, 2010. The tape was the biggest of Wiz's career, with 4 million downloads on Datpiff, including 2 million in just its first two months of release, making it one of the best-performing releases in the history of that iconic mixtape platform.
Keeping a unified vibe with a wide variety of sonic elements, the tape features fan favorites like the Frou Frou-sampling "In The Cut" and laid-back mission statement "Mezmorized," as well as genre experiments like the reggae-inspired "Still Blazin'" and the '80s R&B-inspired "The Kid Frankie," featuring producer Big Jerm's brilliant flip of "Hangin' On A String" by Loose Ends. This past April, Wiz celebrated the 15th anniversary of Kush & OJ by releasing Kush & Orange Juice 2, his latest album and the long-awaited sequel to the mixtape.
Fifteen years later, the tape still sounds fresh, its eclectic soundscapes and ultra-laid back vibes growing more necessary as the outside world grows more chaotic. Pop a bottle, get the weed rolled up, and press play: Kush & Orange Juice is the perfect way to start your day.
