Rolling Papers (album)

Rolling Papers
Studio album by Wiz Khalifa
Released	March 29, 2011
Recorded	2010–2011 Downtown Recording Studios Lotzah Matzah Studios Roc The Mic Studios (New York, New York) I.D. Labs Studio (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) The Treehouse (Los Angeles, California) Circle House Recording Studios (Miami, Florida)
Genre	Pop rap
Length	57:51
Label	Rostrum, Atlantic
Producer	StarGate, Jim Jonsin, Benny Blanco, I.D. Labs, Andrew "Pop" Wansel, Oak, Brandon Carrier, Bei Maejor, Detail, Lex Luger, Clinton Sparks
Wiz Khalifa chronology
Rolling Papers (2011) Mac & Devin Go to High School (2011)
Singles from Rolling Papers
"Black and Yellow" Released: September 14, 2010 "Roll Up" Released: February 3, 2011 "On My Level" Released: May 28, 2011 "No Sleep" Released: August 9, 2011

Rolling Papers is a studio album by American rapper Wiz Khalifa, released March 29, 2011, on Atlantic Records, and Rostrum Records. The album features collaborations with Too $hort, Curren$y, and Chevy Woods. It contains the singles "Black and Yellow", "Roll Up", "On My Level", and "No Sleep".

Rolling Papers debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200 chart, with first-week sales of 197,000 copies in the United States.^[1] It received generally mixed reviews from music critics, who complimented its hooks, but criticized its subject matter.

Contents 1 Background 1.1 Title significance 2 Guests 3 Release and promotion 3.1 Singles 4 Reception 4.1 Commercial performance 4.2 Critical response 5 Track listing 6 Personnel 7 Charts and certifications 7.1 Chart positions 7.2 Certifications 8 References 9 External links

Background

Following the release of his independent second album, Deal Or No Deal, Khalifa released his mixtape Kush & Orange Juice, which immediately became widely praised as one of the best hip hop mixtapes of 2010.^[2][3] After generating buzz from the mixtape, Khalifa not only won MTV's "Hottest Breakthrough Hip Hop Artist of 2010" award,^[4] but he also became the center of a bidding war between various labels, including Rick Ross' Maybach Music Group label.^[5] He also came to the attention of fellow rapper Drake, who offered him the chance to co-headline his album tour.^[6] After declining both rapper's offers,^[7][8] he announced that he was signing with Atlantic Records live on July 30 on MTV's "RapFix Live," and confirmed that he had begun work on his debut on the label.^[9] His first official single, "Black and Yellow," produced by Stargate,^[10] became one of the highest selling hip hop singles of 2010, eventually selling over two million digital downloads.^[11]

Title significance

On January 26, 2011, Wiz announced the album's title and release date via Ustream.tv. According to Wiz, there are three different meanings behind the Rolling Papers title.

“

It’s an appropriate title. It’s called Rolling Papers, like the papers that you roll, the papers that I roll, the papers that we smoke. But it’s deeper than that too. I thought of this before I even started recording the album and before it was a full idea. It’s not just about the weed thing. It’s bigger than that. My career really took off when I started smoking papers. The second reason I called it Rolling Papers is when I left Warner Bros., I sort of got my ‘rolling papers.’ I got my contract, fucking rolled up, and smoked. And I was able to walk and I was able to leave and I was able to do my thing and I was able to capitalize off that. So that’s another pair of papers that I really needed in my life. The third reason why I named it Rolling Papers, I quit writing a long time ago. I stopped physically writing it down or putting it in my BlackBerry or iPhone. I write notes down, but I don’t write whole verses, so it was like saying goodbye to the paper. The paper’s rolling out too. So everything is real natural. The first thing that came to my head is how I really, really feel. I feel like this is my most natural sound. I paid the most attention to this shit when I did it. I was real focused. I was real keyed in on this shit when I was working on it and I didn’t use any paper, except for [the rolling papers].[12]

”

Guests

Khalifa had confirmed that rappers; Curren$y, Rick Ross, Too $hort, and Snoop Dogg would appear on the album in late January, 2011.^[13][14] In 2010, Khalifa had also toured and been in the studio with long-time friend Yelawolf making their appearance on the album a possibility.^[15] He also confirmed via twitter, that he had been in the studio and finished two tracks with rapper, Game, one of which will appear on Khalifa's album.^[16][17] Fellow Pittsburgh and Rostrum Records labelmate rapper, Mac Miller, has also confirmed working with Wiz for the album in the studio.^[18] Upon the album's release, the only guest appearances on the album are Too $hort, Curren$y and Chevy Woods.^[19]

Release and promotion

On April 14, 2010, Khalifa released his eighth mixtape, Kush & Orange Juice. The following year, on February 18, 2011, Khalifa released another mixtape, Cabin Fever, in promotion for the album.^[20] Rolling Papers was released on March 29, 2011 by Atlantic Records and Rostrum Records, making it his first release on a major label.^[21]

Singles

"Black and Yellow" was released as the lead single on September 14, 2010. The song was written in honor of Khalifa's hometown city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania's sporting team's colors,^[22] and became the unofficial anthem of the Pittsburgh Steelers.^[23] The single topped the US Billboard Hot 100 and Rap Songs chart, and reached six on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. It became one of highest selling Hip-Hop songs of 2010, obtaining massive radio air-play and eventually attaining sales of 2,342,000 in the US.^[24] It also reached the top ten in Canada and the United Kingdom and reached the top forty in many other countries. The song is also notably popular for being remixed numerous times by fellow rappers, including Lil Wayne, Tyga, Slim Thug, Young Jeezy, Wale, Donnis, Game, SoLouCity YG, Kendrick Lamar, Jim Jones and Maino.^{[25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][33]} The official remix entitled, "Black and Yellow" (G-Mix) would later be released in February, and feature Snoop Dogg, Juicy J and T-Pain.^[34]

"Roll Up" was released as the second single on February 3, 2011.^[35] It peaked at number thirteen on the US Hot 100, seven on the US R&B charts, and two on US Rap charts. It achieved moderate success in international markets, where it reached the top fifty in the UK. "The Race" was released as the second promotional single on March 8, 2011,^[36] and debuted at sixty-six on the US Hot 100. "On My Level", featuring Too $hort, originally released via digital download on February 22, 2011 as the first promotional single,^[37] was later released as the third official single in North America on May 28, 2011. It debuted at fifty-two on the US Hot 100, and has reached a current peak at sixty-one on US R&B charts. "No Sleep" was released as the third promotional single on March 22, 2011.^[38] It became one of the best performing releases from the album, as it debuted at number six on the US Billboard Hot 100. The song was later released as the fourth single from the album on August 9, 2011.^[39] It has also debuted at number 38 on the Billboard Pop Songs chart.

Reception

Commercial performance

The album debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200 chart, with first-week sales of 197,000 copies in the United States.^[1] It entered at number one on Billboard's R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, and Rap Albums chart.^[40][41] In its second week, the album dipped to number five on the US Billboard 200 after selling additional 59,300 copies, bringing its total sales in the US to 257,500 units.^[42] In its third and fourth week on the US charts, the album sold another 37,000 and 34,000 units, bringing its total sales in the US to 328,000 units.^[43] On June 21, 2011 the album was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America for shipping over 500,000 copies.^[44] As of November 16, 2011, the album has sold 606,000 copies in the United States^[45] Rolling Papers debuted at number six on the Canadian Albums Chart.^[46] The album debuted at number forty-seven on the UK Albums Chart, and in its second week, slipped to number seventy-eight.^[47] The album debuted at number two on the UK R&B Albums Chart, and maintained that position in its second week.^[48] Additionally, Rolling Papers debuted at number thirty-five on the Norwegian Albums Chart,^[49] number forty-nine on the Dutch Albums Chart^[50] and number sixty on the French Albums Chart.^[47][51]

Critical response

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[52]
The A.V. Club	(C)[53]
Entertainment Weekly	(B+)[54]
NME	(5/10)[55]
Pitchfork Media	(7.2/10)[56]
PopMatters	(2/10)[57]
Rolling Stone	[58]
Slant Magazine	[59]
Spin	(6/10)[60]
The Village Voice	(mixed)[61]

Rolling Papers received generally mixed reviews from music critics.^[62] At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 59, based on 24 reviews, which indicates "mixed or average reviews".^[62] Brandon Soderberg of Spin wrote that it "embraces the doggedly one-note approach of the numerous mixtapes that built his substantial following".^[60] Slant Magazine's Matthew Cole found Khalifa's lyrics "boring" and stated, "he seems to regress to the tepid sing-song rapping that the music demands".^[59] Julian Benbow of The Boston Globe called it "the safest album possible, a collection of radio-accessible singles and one homer".^[63] Sputnikmusic's Sobhi Abdul-Rakhman gave it one-and-a-half out of five stars and panned it as "overproduced, generic disney channel beats by names no one knows, derivative choruses and melodies that obviously sound manufactured by a tie-wielding Atlantic executive, and lyricism that fails at even being anthemic for parties".^[64] Jesse Serwer of The Village Voice criticized the tracks with "beats even more pop than 'Black & Yellow'", adding that "Wiz has grown into a more skillful hookmeister than rapper".^[61]

However, Allmusic editor David Jeffries complimented Khalifa's "keen sense of melody and fat sack of hooks" and stated "Khalifa’s chilled and confused Rolling Papers is an acquired taste [...] purposeful mood music, perfect for bong loading or just hanging out".^[52] Steve Jones of USA Today found him "limited thematically", but complimented his "laid-back flow and knack for catchy rhymes over melodic beats".^[65] Entertainment Weekly's Brad Wete called the album "lyrically limited to getting high, stealing chicks, and blowing cash [...] Yet it burns with an underdog's passion and a champion's spite".^[54] BBC Online's Lloyd Bradley stated "Apart from some of the tedious subject matter – being stoned, drinking etc – it’s the sort of rap that deserves mainstream attention as it’s musically thoughtful and endearing beyond the dancefloor".^[66] Pitchfork Media's Sean Fennessey called it "mood music for the mindless" and wrote that its production team "has given this album surprising cohesion".^[56] Jon Dolan of Rolling Stone commented that Khalifa "manages to give life to those kinds of cash-gorged perma-baked clichés by warmly luxuriating in the space between pop's fresh-faced exuberance and hip-hop's easy arrogance".^[58]

Despite finding its music "catchy and melodic", HipHopDX writer Omar Burgess commented that "a majority of the production on Rolling Papers seems like a failed attempt for more Top 40 radio play".^[67] Hamish MacBain of NME stated "Six songs in [...] the start of 'Rolling Paper''s descent into eight loooong, dull filler tracks that, musically and lyrically, are completely indistinguishable from one to the other".^[55] Kevin Ritchie of NOW wrote similarly, "Around the midpoint, his preoccupation with 'bitches and champagne' (and weed) starts to wear thin as he leans harder on pop choruses, resulting in forced and cutesy-sounding tracks".^[68] Jesal Padania of RapReviews complimented Khalifa's "solid taste in music", but called his lyrics "generally poor" and wrote that "Khalifa's rapping ability is extremely limited, as is his range".^[69] David Amidon of PopMatters wrote that "lyrical laziness pervades the album heavily, and Wiz’s flow even sounds less tight than it has in the past".^[57] Lev Harris of The Quietus called the album "a rap autopilot that engages all too often [...] revert[s] back to the pop rap blueprint as drawn by Dre and Snoop Dogg", noting its lyrical content as too "preoccup[ied] with weed".^[70] The A.V. Club's Nathan Rabin called it "monomaniacal, largely undistinguished" and commented that "unlike Snoop, Khalifa never seems to be having much fun".^[53]

Track listing

Personnel

Credits for Rolling Papers adapted from Allmusic.^[71]

Darren Ankenman – photography Chris Athens – mastering Benny Blanco – engineer, guitar, instrumentation, producer, programming Amanda Berkowitz – A&R Big Jerm – engineer, producer, vocal engineer Tim Blacksmith – executive producer Christopher Bodie – illustrations Greg Gigendad Burke – art direction, design Brandon Carrier – composer, producer E. Dan – engineer, mixing, producer Eric Dan – composer Danny D – executive producer Sarah Demarco – project coordinator Zvi Edelman – A&R Tor Erik – instrumentation M.S. Eriksen – composer Mikkel S. Eriksen – engineer, instrumentation Warren "Oak" Felder – composer Shante Franklin – composer Lanre Gaba – A&R Chris Gehringer – mastering Serban Ghenea – mixing Brandon Greene – composer Benjy Grinberg – executive producer

John Hanes – mixing T.E. Hermansen – composer Tor Erik Hermansen – instrumentation Matt Huber – assistant, engineer Jim Jonsin – keyboards, producer, programming Benjamin Levin – composer Jeremy "J Boogs" Levin – production coordination Damien Lewis – assistant engineer Andrew Luftman – guitar Bei Maejor – producer Robert Marks – engineer, mixing Danny Morris – composer, keyboards Don Murray – engineer Tim Roberts – assistant engineer Nick Romei – package manager James Scheffer – composer Todd Shaw – composer Stargate – producer Phil Tan – mixing Cameron Thomaz – composer Miles Walker – engineer Andrew Wansel – composer Pop Wansel – producer Jason Wilkie – assistant Richard Butler - composer

Charts and certifications

Chart positions Chart (2011) Peak position Canadian Albums Chart[46] 6 Dutch Albums Chart[50] 49 French Albums Chart[51] 60 Norwegian Albums Chart[72] 35 Swiss Albums Chart[73] 68 UK Albums Chart[47] 47 UK R&B Albums Chart[48] 7 US Billboard 200[74] 2 US R&B/Hip Hop Albums[40] 1 US Rap Albums[41] 1

Certifications Country Provider Certification United States RIAA Gold[75]

References

External links

• Official website
• Rolling Papers at Discogs
• Rolling Papers at Metacritic

Wiz Khalifa Discography Studio albums Rolling Papers Independent albums Show and Prove · Deal or No Deal Mixtapes Kush & Orange Juice Singles Rolling Papers "Black and Yellow" · "Roll Up" · "On My Level" · "No Sleep" Collabration singles "Young, Wild & Free" Featured singles "Double Vision" · "Bright Lights Bigger City" · "Best Night of My Life" · "Till I'm Gone" · "Oh My" · "5 O'clock" Promotional singles "Say Yeah" · "The Race Other songs Main artist "When I'm Gone" · "Fly Solo" Guest artist "Taylor Gang" Related articles Rostrum Records · Taylor Gang Records