Wiz Khalifa's Mixtapes Ranked From Worst To Best

Nowadays, the ubiquity of weed rappers in the Hip Hop industry is so overwhelming it's hard to believe that only ten years ago Wiz Khalifa was one of the only ones to break into the mainstream. Before artists like Wiz, rappers only partially publicized their habit of consuming the green, THC-riddled substance in roundabout metaphorical and slang laden songs like Bone Thugs N Harmony's "Buddah Lovas" or Ludacris' "Blueberry Yum Yum." Dr. Dre's debut album The Chronic in 1992 was one of the first conceptual albums loosely based on weed, showing the lengthy timeline in which Marijuana started becoming less of a cultural taboo. 

Thanks to new school weed-heads like Wiz Khalifa fully dedicating themselves to the art of smoking Mary Jane, as well as the medicinal and recreational reform of Marijuana in the United States, we now have a weed-based hip hop culture that caters to stoners as well as hip hop heads.

Wiz Khalifa's approach to weed rap is like none other we have ever seen before. Not only has he made a career from being a weed rapper, but he also helped pioneer a subgenre of music that has had truly transformative effects on the industry. In order to fully understand the weight of Wiz's contribution to the game, we have logged and ranked each of his mixtapes from best to worst to both pay homage to the Chief chiefer as well as shed light on the evolution of his music.

So kick your feet up, roll some weed up and prepare to travel down memory lane through the high times of Wiz Khalifa's discography.

Cover by Frazer Harrison

No. 15 Kush & OJ: 7 Year Anniversary EP

It seemed only right to begin this list with Kush & OJ related music because after all, it is essentially his most important body of work. However, with projects like this and Pre-Rolleds, it's hard to consider them anything other than an afterthought. Comparatively speaking, this anniversary EP falls significantly short from the blueprin Wiz established with the original mixtape. Even more so, it feels thrown together and not purposefully curated to commemorate the project. Honestly the O.N.I.F.C 4 year anniversary tracks feel more meaningful than this project.

New music from Wiz Khalifa is always a treat and even though this anniversary EP isn't what we maybe would've hoped it to be, it's still pretty dope. To be completely honest, Wiz' discography speaks for itself and the fact that he even revisited the project shows his commitment to the craft and to his fans.

No. 14 Bong Rips

Bong Rips gives the listener a different sort of high than his other recent music. Much like a bong rip, this project hits you with a powerful sensation that leaves as quickly as it sets it. This project has a perfect mix of the simplistic, catchy music we have come to see Wiz experiment with lately, alongside his more complex and classic styles. The features on this are also standouts, as Chevy Woods and Desiigner help elevate the project to the next level. Overall, Bong Rips is a solid effort, truly edging fans even further fro the ends of their seats in anticipation of Rolling Papers 2.

No. 13 Pre-Rolleds

Pre-Rolleds is new and improved Trap Wiz with a bone to pick. This tape really highlights that simplistic yet ridiculously hard sound that Wiz has infused into his most recent releases, managing to stay in his own lane while adapting to the age of Soundcloud rap.

The standout tracks "Doubt Fire" and "Water Damage" emulate that new age of rap while also embodying any and everything Wiz Khalifa has ever stood for: music, weed and really cool shit. This release certainly puts Wiz in an interesting and exciting position to one again reinvent himself.

No. 12 Grow Season

Grow Season is quite possibly the most inconsistent mixtape in Wiz Khalifa's discography. There are high points like "Talk To Me" "Lifted" and "Grow." There are stagnant points where the mixtape doesn't seem to move forward. At the very minimum, this tape shows promise in tremendous bouts during the peak moments and in a way, foreshadows some of Wiz' future musical developments.  Still, even with the heights, there was room to grow on Grow Season.

No. 11 Star Power

This tape is forever infamous because of "Ink My Whole Body" along with key cuts "Hero Freestyle" and "Flickin Ashes." Otherwise, Star Power is a bit lackluster. Much of the reason this tape seems bland is because it lacks the stoner spirit exuded in previous releases. Many of these songs are reaching more for machismo rather than individuality,  but there are still peaks of uniqueness with songs like "Bankroll" and "She Wanna Roll." Overall, this tape doesn't really have the fire pack we associate with Wiz's music, but remains an honorable mention.

No. 10 Prince Of The City: Welcome To Pistolvania

If Prince Of The City 2 sounded like Pittsburgh, than Prince Of The City: Welcome To Pistolvania is the personification of Pittsburgh. Individual tacks like the intro "Bars," "Niggas Know," & "Oh No" certainly standout, but this project can't truly be appreciated unless it's listened to all the way through.  Just listen to how well "Lay Em Down" transitions into "Life Of A Hustla." Wiz really put on for the city with this project.

No. 9 Prince Of The City 2

This project sounds like it came straight out of Pittsburgh, because it did. Prince Of The City 2 is that mixtape you can acquire from the Barbershop bootlegger. It's gritty and edgy, feeling raw and territorial at points. This is probably one of Wiz's few releases that really embodies that East Coast sound; some of the tracks have a  Dipset, Killa Cam feel to them, which makes sense as Wiz has often praised Cam'ron as one of his favorite rappers.

The tape comes out of the gate throwing haymakers with tracks like "Got Damn I Love It" "Go'on Hate" and "Gettin It." Young Wizzle has something to prove on this one, rapping like there is no tomorrow and emphasizing his point with every track.

No. 8 Flight School

Often, Wiz Khalifa's earlier projects don't get the respect they deserve. After all, it's on these very projects that some of our favorite Wiz Khalifa personalities were developed. Mr. Easy Rider, Principal at the Flight School and host of the on campus broadcast show W.E.E.D. Radio, for example. These are also some of his most consistent projects, fluid with dope tracks from top to bottom. In fact, the first four tracks after the intro on Flight School are absolute fire. 

While this project has many triumphs, it does lose steam with tracks that don't realize their full potential. Songs like "Teach You To Fly" or "Soulmate" attempt to step into this reaml of techno fusion, but miss the mark by more than a little. Despite a few experimental misses, there are still plenty other tracks that hit a powerful stride, including "Dreamer," "Get Sum," "Name On A Cloud," and "Wassup."

No. 7 Cabin Fever 3

The Cabin Fever series have been nothing short of impressive over the years. Wiz has proven time and time again that he can put together a project that retains his classic cool factor, while still building his brand. Cabin Fever 3 is definitely no exception, and one of the reasons that this project is so good is because of bravado that Wiz brings to the table. CF3 hits the obligatory laid back, groovy stoner notes on tracks like "Call Again" and "Prequel" but the main appeal of this project comes from the "flexy" tracks like "Respect," "Finish Line," and "Gangster 101."

No. 6 Cabin Fever 2

"I was just a young nigga getting tattoos. Now they say I'm on yeah they say I'm that dude," Wiz raps and reminisces on "Fucc Shit" a highlight of his Cabin Fever 2 mixtape.  Though there are only three tracks that Wiz appears solo on, he bears much of the weight on his back, vocally harmonizing with himself and employing that ultra simplistic songwriting format we have seen from him in recent years. 

This project finds Wiz once again stepping out of his comfort zone and experimenting with new sounds and styles. Though he dabbled in that West Coast G-Funk sound with the single "On My Level" off Rolling Papers, it's definitely a style with which Wiz was unfamiliar. However, West Coast infused tracks like "Bout Me" "STU" and "100 Bottles" really help give this tape the hyphy feel it needs.

There are only three tracks on this project that Wiz tackles alone, and each one proves that Wiz produces his best work while flying solo. "Bout That" is hype as almost anything hype he has done before, featureing some of Wiz's best punchlines including, "Take a look at me and you can tell I'm paid/Making all these faces, no Stevie J." Plus, the Keith Sweat sample on "Deep Sleep" is so fire it would be a crying shame not to mention it.

No. 5 28 Grams

28 Grams is, in a way, both over and underrated. It's overrated because even though it's a fire project, there is the constant debate of whether or not this was an authentic release from Wiz. Because of how popular Trap Music and autotune was in the industry, long time fans felt like this direction seemed a bit "monkey see, monkey do." It's also underrated, because even though this was a project that was meant to fit an archetype that "Trap Wiz" was trying to embody, it also showcased an exceptional range of musical variety.

The opening track "Aw Shit" is a hybrid of all that Wiz has to offer, setting the tempo for the entire project. The melodies are there, the bars in rapid fire form are present, and additionally, we get a preview of the concise and straight forward style Wiz begins to push in the latter half of his discography. 

No. 4 Taylor Allderdice

Contextually speaking, Taylor Allderdice was the follow-up release after Wiz Khalifa's major label debut studio album Rolling Papers. The Hype surrounding Wiz had drastically increased, but doubters believed they had him all figured out. That's part of why Taylor Allderdice is so great, exceeding expectations while keeping people guessing what he was capable of. Essentially, Wiz broke the glass ceiling for weed rappers.

While Rolling Papers fared well among critics and the masses, it lacked the distinct personality and stoner class found within Wiz' prior work. That said, it was his mainstream debut on a major label so again, there are levels to this shit. Therefore, when fans received Taylor Allderdice after promising singles like "California," it was like seeing a light at the end of the tunnel. Not only was it refreshing to see Wiz head back to basics, it was empowering to see him taking a stand for what he believed in: Marijuana. 

No. 3 Cabin Fever

Cabin Fever established a mold for the metamorphosis of Wiz Khalifa as an artist. Though it's one of his shortest releases, it serves as a musical and stylistic blueprint for his post Kush & OJ material. Tracks like "Hustlin" provide the formula that Wiz applied to releases like 28 Grams, and classic tracks like "Phone Numbers," "Gang Bang," and the eponymous"Cabin Fever"  elevate this tape into the rafters of the mixtape hall of fame.

CF also gave the world some of the most celebrated turn-up records including "WTF," "Homicide," and "Taylor Gang." To say that you haven't taken part of a mosh pit when this trio of tracks comes on is probably a lie. But if you haven't, get real buck when you listen to them below.

No. 2 Burn After Rolling

Burn After Rolling does what no other Wiz project has done since, essentially chronicling his growth in artistry, style and prospective star power in real time. The project can be best detailed by the old aphorism "good, better, best." There are tracks on here that are good, like the remixes "Young Khalifa" and "If I Were A Lame." There are the tracks that are better, like "Miles," "Get Up," and  "One Way." And then there are the best, classics like the "B.A.R." intro track, the ultra hazy "When You Find" and of course, "The Thrill."

No. 1 Kush & OJ

The first and most apparent and or key factor to the success of this tape is the music encompassed within the project. The fusion of different genres, sounds and styles that Wiz stirred and mixed together on this release is astounding. He doesn't falter in his attempts to bridge the gap between genres, as evidenced by songs like "We're Done" with that infamous Demi Lovato sample. Even more so, the intro and outro tracks "Waken Baken" and "Outro" respectively are perfect examples of Wiz's diligent, detailed and creative approach to controlling the wild sonic array. 

The level of tastemaking and veteran composition standards in these songs speaks volumes to the golden talent of a young and green-thumbed Wiz Khalifa. Piggy backing off that, while the music is the main reason Kush & OJ is so legendary, another factor imperative to the success of the project is the presentation. The best way to describe Khalifa's effortless style is through the images conveyed in the neo-classical, Day Today-esque videos for standout tracks like "Kid Frankie" and "Mezmorized."

One of the most memorable passages of "Kid Frankie" sums up why teenagers and adults alike found some common ground in getting high as shit to this tape:

Ain't nothin' to a G, let your hair blow in the breeze
Roll some bomb-ass weed, get high, cruise out at jet speed
Do it like I do it for TV, $675, Damier LV's, 7-somethin' with tax
And when I'm on the plane got the carry-on to match
Nigga that's fly shit, tryna peek game lil homie, just watch this.

In the video, Wiz personifies the prose as he hops out of his yellow Dodge Challenger, grabs a Louis Vuitton carry-on holding his bongand a bottle of Bombay Gin, walks into the studio to blaze bowl after bowl with his homies. While it may seem pointless and somewhat droll, this was an brilliant move from a branding standpoint; the "Kid Frankie" video is one of the first blueprints of stoner style, helping to publicize the Wiz Khalifa image and the tapes' predominantly Marijuana minded subject matter.

This image of stoner style is continued throughout with visuals like "Mezmorized" "Still Blazing" and "Never Been." Wiz started a movement with this tape, and people literally wore Camo shorts with Chuck Taylors, carrying their bongs in their backpacks for two summers after Kush & OJ dropped.