Finished and ready for shipment, Khalifa said the solo project will hit store shelves before the New Year.
“There was always a happy medium,” Wiz told us. “It’s just like I said, you gotta express those views and that’s where I said I was at, at that point with me more or less having to express my views and make those stick.” Khalifa insists that there is no problem between him and the powerhouse label. “It’s nobody’s problem or anything like that. That’s just where we was at, at the time,” he said. As far as O.N.I.F.C. goes, Wiz promises that it will come before the end of the year after missing its initial August 28 date and its September 18 make-up date. “The album is completely done and that’s what it was, just getting it all the way finished,” Khalifa said before comparing it to last year’s Rolling Papers. “You can just expect it to be more musical. All the elements that you’re used to getting from a quote-unquote ‘Wiz project,’ you’re gonna get every last one of those elements, whereas I feel like the first album lacked some of those elements.” (MTV)
Recently, Wiz admitted Atlantic Records wanted more single-driven tracks on the LP.
“Atlantic likes O.N.I.F.C.,” says Wiz. “But they want more obvioussingles because that’s what sells it for them. My belief in the record is what sells it to me. It’s not a conflict. You just have to communicate so everybody understands it. … When you’re working with other people, you figure out how much you do for them and how much you do for yourself. You can’t just be an artist fighting for your opinion and that’s it. The label has to understand artists. I wanted to make Rolling Papers when I madeRolling Papers, now it’s time for O.N.I.F.C. Now we’re going to do it exactly how I want to do it to see how that works. It can’t be one-sided.” (Complex)
He also detailed the importance of not rushing out the LP until it meets his own standards.
“When you start forcing things, you lose people,” says Wiz. “I never want to do that because none of my favorite artists have ever done that to me–i.e., Juicy J. You know what’s right and you know what’s wrong. You know when you’re forcing it and when you’re just laying it down. I’m trying to do more laying it down than forcing it. That’s how you become legendary.” (Complex)
Weeks ago, Khalifa revealed an intent to include mother-to-be Amber Rose on the album.
“She’s not on there yet, so I’ma put her on there. I usually always find a place for her,” Khalifa told hip-hop personality Karen Civil. “Even if it’s like something that I do, I’ll just cut myself out of there and put her on there, just so my baby can get a little piece of that. She deserves it. … [How do I handle the gossip blogs?] It’s cool ’cause nobody understands me, man. If anybody really knew me and they were talking about me, then that would mean something — people don’t know sh*t.” (Karen Civil)
Check out a recent Wiz Khalifa interview below:
