Wiz Khalifa sees fame mix with fortune
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The $10,000 Wiz Khalifa sunglasses created by Norman Childs of Eyetique in Squirrel Hill.
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The rapper behind "Black and Yellow" couldn't have picked a better season to make some green.
Wiz Khalifa, an Army brat who landed in Pittsburgh in high school and claimed it as his home, released the song in October 2010. It's since become the adopted anthem of the Steelers season -- and a chance for Khalifa (whose real name is Cameron Jibril Thomaz) to capitalize on his newfound fame.
Throughout the season, Khalifa has seen digital sales grow with the Steelers' league ranking. His YouTube views reached new peaks on the days of the conference and division championships. He's even scored an endorsement deal for sunglasses with Eyetique. (A sign he's made it: One pair costs $10,000.)
The Pittsbugh transplant seems to be following the mantra of hip-hop mogul Jay-Z, who once advised, "I'm not a businessman / I'm a business, man."
The 23-year-old rap star burst on to the scene in 2006 when his "Show and Prove" album, released through the independent Pittsburgh label Rostrum Records, was acclaimed as one of the top underground albums of the year. After a brief stint with Warner Bros. Records, Khalifa released "Deal or No Deal" in 2009.
PG VIDEO: DESIGNER SUNGLASSES INSPIRED BY WIZ KHALIFAWorking the Internet and performing a steady stream of college shows, Khalifa made himself one of the hottest rappers who didn't gain acclaim through radio or by being seen on MTV. But after signing with Atlantic records and releasing the hit single in 2010, Khalifa is now seen pretty much everywhere.
It hasn't all gone off without a hitch: Khalifa and eight bandmates were busted for marijuana possession in November at East Carolina University -- yet another star-aligned instance that saw his record sales rise. Three days after the arrest, "Black and Yellow" rose from No. 43 to No. 29 on the Billboard Hot 100.
First Published February 2, 2011 12:00 am
