As the Wiz-Rose union welcomes their new baby into the world, the pair brings to mind the beauty that can result from knowing how to leverage the right opportunity at just the right time. A quick look at Wiz Khalifa’s rise to chart-topping glory offers a glimpse into the life of the Grammy-nominated rapper who is getting quite good at capitalizing on opportunities as they are presented and creating opportunities where one doesn’t exist. What can we learn from Hip Hop’s newest daddy? Here are four things the life and times of Wiz Khalifa is teaching us.
Tip #1: Build from small beginnings
Wiz was just 16 years old when a performance he delivered on a mixtape caught the attention of Benjy Grinberg, president of Rostrum Records. While Grinberg will be the first to admit that Wiz Khalifa was a raw talent, he also believed that with some direction and development, the Pittsburgh rapper could do big things.
Wiz worked what he had. He didn’t have a record deal, but he had talent and drive. Going by the moniker (Wiz) assigned to him by his grandfather, Khalifa was good at many things, but found his passion in music. Pay or no pay, big gig or small gig. He made every opportunity count.
Tip #2: Invest in brand development
It’s easy to have an idea then jump right into the fray in a mad grab for money. But that’s not always the best road to posterity. Rostum Records signed Wiz Khalifa in 2005 and immediately went to work on the his brand. For seven years, Khalifa and his Rostum Records fellows shaped and cemented his image. Yes, he was a rapper. Yes, he was urban. But he had also been exposed to different cultures and styles of music presumably from his travels with his parents who were both military. And that flavor showed up in his music. By the time Khalifa released his first full-length studio project, Show and Prove in 2006, people were already hip to the nineteen year-old ingénue. Rolling Stone magazine named him an artist to watch that year.
Tip #3: Build relationships
For a business to stay viable, it needs relationships – with customers, with suppliers, with personnel, with colleagues in the same industry. By building the right relationships, one can stay working, stay busy, stay paid.
Case in point: Since showing up on the scene in 2005, Wiz Khalifa has worked with a varied range of underground and mainstream artists including Juelz Santana, U-God (Wu Tang), Rick Ross, … the list goes on and on. In 2007, he signed with Warner Bros where he released two well-received mixtapes. The partnership was severed two years later. Khalifa went ahead with the release of his next full-length release, Deal or No Deal in November of 2009. In March 2010 Wiz graced the cover of XXL magazine and made it onto their list of Top 10 Freshmen. That same year he was named “Rookie of the Year” by Source magazine. But the real proof of his stellar ability to leverage his brand and build relationships came when his cult following stormed social media with news, searches and downloads of his free mixtape release Kush and Orange Juice, and pushed the release to the No. 1 Google search spot and Twitter’s hottest trending hashtag.
Tip #4: Build brand equity by increased exposure
Smart companies learn how to engage their target customer. If there’s one thing Khalifa’s camp knows how to do, it’s generate publicity. How many times have you seen a tatted Wiz Khalifa standing behind Amber Rose (and her pregnant belly) on the cover of some magazine or on a celebrity gossip page in the last three months? The intrigue of their union is, in and of itself, newsworthy. It’s a drama-free zone. And they stay in the public eye.
Last year, Khalifa made his transition to film star with the releases of Gangs of Roses 2: Next Generation and Mac & Devin Go to High School. On the heels of his third album release, O.N.I.F.C, Khalifa hit the Grammy stage with Miguel to perform “” and also received two Grammy nominations this year for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance (for “Payphone” with Maroon 5) and Best Rap Song (for “Young, Wild & Free” with Snoop and Bruno Mars).
There you have it – four rich and rather sophisticated business lessons we can all learn from this gangly, cannabis-loving, 25 year-old lyricist and musician.
God bless America.
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