Wiz Khalifa Biography

Cameron Jabril Thomaz, better known as “Wiz Khalifa,” has earned himself a spot as a mainstream artist today. But who was Cameron Jabril Thomaz, before recognized as Wiz Khalifa? It’s as simple as he was just another kid brought up in Minot, North Dakota and was born on September 8th, 1987. Wiz did not remain in North Dakota for long. By the age of three, Wiz’s parents had split up and he had to deal with the difficulty of both parents serving in the military. They both went their separate ways which caused Cameron to move several times globally, throughout the course of his childhood. He lived in Germany, England, and Japan before he finally settled in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania where he would eventually attend school at Taylor Allderdice High School. Following the move to Pittsburgh, Wiz started to become more involved with hip-hop and was dedicated to becoming a star. By age fifteen, he created a stage name for himself that was originally, “Wisdom Khalifa.” Soon after developing the name he shortened the “Wisdom” to just plain old “Wiz.” In an interview conducted, he explained the reasoning behind his name. The term “Khalifa,” means “successor” in Arabic; and also stated that he was always called “Young Wiz” because he was good at everything that he did. By his sophomore year in High School, he released his first mix tape entitled, Prince of the City: Welcome to Pistolvani (2005). The following year, the mix tape helped lead to the creation of his very first album called, Show and Prove. As an unsigned artist, the album received much more publicity than expected and proved Wiz’s ability. Later that year, Wiz was recognized as an “upcoming artist to watch.” 2007 was a big year for Wiz as it was the year he graduated and also was signed to Warner Bros. Records. By November of 2007, Wiz released yet another mix tape titled, Prince of the City 2 which also helped his cause as an up and coming artist. In 2008, Wiz gained national recognition as he released the single, “Say Yeah” which earned him top spots on Billboard’s Rhythmic Top 40 along with a number 20 spot on Billboard’s Hot Rap Tracks. In 2009, he left Warner Bros. Records due to the delay of his debut album with the label. Soon after his departure from the label, he joined Rostrum Records. Since joining the label he has released two mix tapes and one album that included many different styles of rapping. Yet again, in 2010, he signed with a new record label, Atlantic Records. Soon after his signing with the Label he released another single that appeared on radio stations all over the country entitled, “Black and Yellow.” Wiz is on the up rise in the music industry and despite his struggles through his childhood, he has still managed to stick with his first love, rap.