Review: Wiz Breaks a Bad Habit with Rolling Papers 2
Everyone hates a cliche, and the “Wiz makes better mixtapes than albums” cliche is the loudest one surrounding the veteran Pittsburgh rapper. It may be the longest-running cliche surrounding any mainstream rapper today.
The thing about cliches are they’re almost always true, and that holds true for Wiz, also. Disappointment (Rolling Papers), after disappointment (O.N.I.F.C) after disappointment (Blacc Hollywood), continued to give truth to the statement, so much so that it’s slowly becoming a running joke. Rolling Papers 2 hopes to be the album to change the narrative and bring attention to his bodies of work that need billboards over Los Angeles buildings instead of DJ drops on intro tracks.
I usually have some optimism when the studio album rollout starts for Wiz, but this time around was different. It was hard to be optimistic knowing how things eventually turned out, and that optimism reached its lowest point when I heard his latest album would be 25 songs. Wiz’s last project, Khalifa, was forgettable at only 13 songs apart from the hit single “Bake Sale” and under-the-radar songs like “Lit,” “No Permission” and “Most Of Us.” There wasn’t even a hint of what the direction of the album would feel like.
Rolling Papers 2 chooses not to focus on one style but rolls all of Wiz’s various styles and talents up and slowly put a flame to the end of it.
Bass and hi-hat heavy trap Wiz from the 28 Grams mixtape show up in tracks like “Hot Now” and “Real Rich.” Pop Wiz — who earned record-breaking praise for songs like “See You Again” and backlash for falling too deep down the pop sinkhole with Rolling Papers — rounds out the album with “It’s on You” and “Reach for the Stars.” Stoner Wiz is omnipresent, but has shining moments on future 420 playlist additions “Bootsy Fellows” and “Never Hesitate.”
The different styles don’t clash with each other but complement one another. Each style flows seamlessly throughout the album, and they actually sound good.
The tracks feel well-thought-out and intricate without being overproduced. “Hot Now” is the summer banger that no one will talk about after a new Future tape and Shiggy dances. The sleek “Bootsy Fellow” is pure Cadillac music and reminiscent of what made Taylor Allderdice great, and “It’s On You” follows a similar formula that made “See You Again” the most viewed video on YouTube at one point.
When it comes to lyrics, Wiz falls in the same lane as ASAP Rocky: it’s not about what’s being said, but how it’s being said. Most of the lyrical content is typical flex rap, but there’s a specific air of cool on every bar about how much weed he has or the good-looking women in his vicinity that only Wiz can replicate, even when it’s slowed to a deep rumble on the second half of “Mr. Williams.”
He takes a break from the cool braggadocio rap to get personal about his ex-wife Amber Rose and the sequence of events and emotions that led to their eventual divorce (“When you said you felt single, I remember like it was yesterday/ How the fuck you hold me down when you ain’t take my last name”), the passing of his sister (“Can’t feel too bad because I know I see you again one day/ But right now I can’t help but feel this pain”), and the struggles of balancing fame, family and the pressures of delivering hit records (“Say they all gib’ still love me if I don’t make another hit song”). It’s the most personal song Wiz has ever made.
Sledgren, TM88, and E. Dan do most of the heavy lifting on the album’s production making Wiz and his various styles sound better than they have in past projects. Features from marquee acts like Gucci Mane, Swae Lee and Ty Dolla $ign often steal the show and outshine Wiz at every turn. Even with the great features and production, the album length can be tough to sit through in order. The intricacies are strong, but strong enough to make a hour and a half of Wiz weed raps enjoyable all the way through.
Rolling Papers 2 isn’t the Wiz Khalifa classic capable of earning a spot at the table with Kush & OJ or Taylor Allderdice. But what Khalifa brings is arguably his best studio album since Deal or No Deal almost a decade ago, and his first real opportunity to put the nagging cliche in the ashtray.
Random Thoughts:
- I’ve never heard of TheMxxnlight before this, and they killed it with all three of their guest features.
- I like this album, but I hate this cover.
- The decision to put Bone Thugs-N-Harmony on “Reach for the Stars” is a mistake. They don’t fit the song at all.
- Chevy Woods floated on his verse on Karate. He really held his own alongside some big-name artists
- RIP Jimmy Wopo