Kush & Orange Juice

Kush & Orange Juice
Mixtape by Wiz Khalifa
Released April 14, 2010
Recorded 2009-2010
Genre Hip hop
Length 57:27
Label Rostrum, Taylor Gang
Producer Big Jerm, Cardo, Johnny Juliano, Kajmir Royale, Sermstyle, Sledgren, RichKid & The Allstarz , XO, The WatcherZ, Big K.R.I.T., Nesby Phips
Wiz Khalifa chronology

Burn After Rolling
(2009)		 Kush & Orange Juice
(2010)		 Cabin Fever
(2011)

Kush & Orange Juice is a mixtape by rapper Wiz Khalifa, released as a free online download on April 14, 2010. His eighth independently produced mixtape, Kush & Orange Juice gained notice by becoming the No. 1 search and trending topics on Google and Twitter following its release.[1]

Khalifa released the mixtape by posting download links to his Twitter profile on Wednesday, April 14, 2010.[2] The hashtag #kushandorangejuice became the No. 6 trending topic on the microblogging service after its release.[3] Due to Khalifa's devoted grassroots fan base, the hashtag reached the No. 1 spot on Twitter and ranked No. 1 on Google’s hot search trends.[4] #kushandorangejuice remained among the top trending items on Twitter for 3 days.[5]

The cover art of the mixtape is an homage to singer David Ruffin's album Gentleman Ruffin (1980). The subject matter includes stories about partying, pretty women, and smoking marijuana;[4] Khalifa stated to MTV's Mixtape Daily that he titled the release Kush and Orange Juice because "it's perfect for wake-and-bake".[6] Rapper Killa Kyleon has a guest appearance on the track "Spotlight".[5]

Samples

On the song "The Kid Frankie", Khalifa raps over the English R&B band Loose Ends' No. 1 hit single, "Hangin' on a String" (1985).[2] Khalifa stated that the song was inspired by the character Frankie from the film The Business (2005), who listens to Loose Ends while traveling around Spain.[6] The song "Never Been" samples "Schala's Theme" from the soundtrack to the Super Nintendo Entertainment System role-playing game Chrono Trigger, composed by Yasunori Mitsuda.[7] The song "Up", samples Tevin Campbell's "Could it be". "In the Cut" samples "Let Go" by Frou Frou from the end credits of the film Garden State, the song "We're Done" samples the single "Our Time Is Here" by Demi Lovato from the Disney soundtrack Camp Rock.[8] The song "Visions" contains a sample from "Huit Octobre 1971" by Cortex.

Critical reception

The mixtape garnered mostly positive reviews, with New York Magazine calling the mixtape "a nice showcase of the youngun’s commercial appeal", and that it "makes us think classic G-Funk (specifically, D.J. Quik) and a party mindset."[9] Entertainment Weekly stated that the mixtape was "pretty solid", and "difficult to resist".[4] PopMatters called it "a great listen."[10] Pitchfork Media rated the mixtape 7.2 out of 10, stating "for the most part, Kush and Orange Juice is a surprisingly relaxed and easy listen".[8]

Track listing

No. TitleProducer(s) Length
1. "Waken Baken"  Sledgren 1:29
2. "Mezmorized"  Cardo 4:29
3. "We’re Done"  Kajmir Royale 2:19
4. "Skit 1"    1:22
5. "The Statement"  RichKid & The Allstarz 2:47
6. "Spotlight" (featuring Killa Kyleon)The WatcherZ 4:13
7. "Skit 2"    1:22
8. "The Kid Frankie"  Big Jerm 3:15
9. "Up"  XO 4:18
10. "Never Been"  Sledgren 3:34
11. "In the Cut"  Cardo 4:14
12. "Visions"  Sledgren 3:05
13. "Still Blazin" (featuring Al Borosie)Sermstyle 3:27
14. "Slim Skit"    3:41
15. "Pedal to the Metal" (featuring Johnny Juliano)Johnny Juliano, Superstar O 3:27
16. "Good Dank"  Big Jerm 5:06
17. "Skit 3"    0:53
18. "Glass House" (featuring Curren$y & Big K.R.I.T.)Big K.R.I.T. 3:16
19. "Outro"  Sledgren 1:31
20. "Supply" (featuring Nesby Phips)Nesby Phips 2:59

References

  1. ↑ Roberts, Soraya (April 15, 2010). "Wiz Khalifa's free 'Kush and Orange Juice' mixtape download shoots to number one on Twitter, Google". Daily News. Retrieved April 15, 2010.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Roberts, Steven (April 14, 2010). "Wiz Khalifa's Kush And Orange Juice Hits Big On The Internet". MTV. Retrieved April 15, 2010.
  3. ↑ "Current Twitter trends: how much music artists earn, 'song prequels', Icelandic volcano". The Independent. April 15, 2010. Retrieved April 15, 2010.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Vozick-Levinson, Simon (April 14, 2010). "Wiz Khalifa's 'Kush and Orange Juice' mixtape blows up". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved April 15, 2010.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 McCray, Mike (April 14, 2010). "Mixtape Review: Wiz Khalifa’s Kush & Orange Juice". Creative Loafing Charlotte. Retrieved April 15, 2010.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Reid, Shaheem; Dukes, Rahman (May 10, 2010). "Wiz Khalifa Invades Hip-Hop, With Fans' Help: 'Taylor Gang Or Die!'". MTV. Retrieved May 15, 2010.
  7. ↑ Ashcroft, Brian (April 21, 2010). "Weed + Rap + Chrono trigger". Kotaku. Retrieved April 22, 2010.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Breihan, Tom (April 22, 2010). "Pitchfork: Album Reviews: Wiz Khalifa: Kush and Orange Juice". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved April 23, 2010.
  9. ↑ Barshad, Amos (April 15, 2010). "Wiz Khalifa Gets His Vitamin C". New York Magazine. Retrieved April 15, 2010.
  10. ↑ "Wiz Khalifa Steps It Up with New Mixtape". PopMatters. April 20, 2010. Retrieved April 21, 2010.