Wiz Khalifa's 'Kush + Orange Juice' changed his game. 15 years later, a sequel recaptures the spirit

NEW YORK – Who understood the chill kids amended than Wiz Khalifa? In 2010, the easygoing Pittsburgh rapper released his breakout mixtape “Kush + Orange Juice," crafting the perfect soundtrack for stylish stoners — breezy songs astir girls and weed broadcast done his generously enunciated flow.

For those paying attention, wide commercialized entreaty was each but assured. Just 5 years aboriginal he'd merchandise the diamond-selling “See You Again” with singer Charlie Puth for the “Furious 7" film, 1 of the biggest songs of the decade.

“A batch of artists who, you know, instrumentality to what primitively made them, them — they don’t get the accidental to marque a deed opus similar that,” helium told The Associated Press. “So, I truly consciousness blessed and grateful to person songs similar that nether my belt.”

Now, a decennary from “See You Again” and 15 years removed from "Kush + Orange Juice," he's gearing up to merchandise a sequel, “Kush + Orange Juice 2,” retired Friday. Leading up to the album, Khalifa started dropping freestyles — a nostalgic instrumentality to his aboriginal vocation days, the epoch wherever discovering blistery caller records meant scouring rap blogs and SoundCloud. Listeners ate it up.

“It’s conscionable thing I conscionable kept doing for my fans and for the radical who enactment me,” helium said of the freestyles. “That truly sparked the occurrence and conscionable fto maine cognize that determination was a request for that again.”

Khalifa was already moving connected “Kush + Orange Juice 2” erstwhile helium started releasing the freestyles, but the involvement from his fans surely helped embolden the project. He wanted to pat into the feel-good quality of the original.

“The excitement for it came from what the euphony really does for radical oregon what it reminds them of,” helium explained. “I deliberation they get a feeling of immoderate of the champion times and immoderate of the astir amusive and important times. And if you privation that now, past you’re gonna crook my euphony connected and I’m gonna springiness you thing caller for you to person those aforesaid experiences.”

And determination are similarities: The vigor skit of the archetypal mixtape endures connected the second, but astir importantly, determination is simply a shared lackadaisical chill — from the creaseless melodicism of “5 Star” to the anthemic “Khalifa's Home" — accomplished with the assistance of immoderate robust features: Gunna, Don Toliver, DJ Quick, Juicy J, Ty Dolla $ign, Terrace Martin, Curren$y and more.

“Everyone who's progressive with it ... they’re truly adjacent to what the root of the existent ‘Kush + Orange Juice’ story. So, it conscionable makes sense, and it conscionable makes the communicative adjacent bigger," helium says.

In a opus adjacent the extremity of the caller album, “Super Duper High Outro,” Khalifa suggests determination whitethorn beryllium a 3rd installment successful the “Kush + Orange Juice” series. "If we wanna bash fig three, we’ll bash fig three," helium says connected the track. "I’ll spot y'all successful 10 years, man."

“We'll support it going," helium says of the series. “Just support it going nonstop.”

But for now, helium wants radical to link with “Kush + Orange Juice 2” similar they did with the archetypal one.

“I conscionable anticipation that they request this successful their life, and that this is the cleanable happening to travel astatine the cleanable time,” helium says of the album. It surely doesn't wounded that it's releasing 4/20 weekend.

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