Today in Hip-Hop: Wiz Khalifa Drops ‘Kush and Orange Juice’ Mixtape

On this day, April 14, in hip-hop history...

2010: On April 14, 2010 Pittsburgh rapper Wiz Khalifa dropped his eighth independently produced mixtape, Kush & Orange Juice .

Khalifa dropped Kush & Orange Juice after he was just featured on the 2010 XXL Freshmen List earlier in the year, proving he was making a push for stardom now that his profile was at a higher level.

The expansive, 20-track tape first put Khalifa on the map thanks to his devoted online following. Within hours of Wiz dropping Kush & Orange Juice for free download, it was a trending topic on Twitter. Sticking to his usual formula of rapping about weed and women, Wiz exhibited a higher confidence on this mixtape than others past and received critical acclaim as a result.

One of the most popular tracks from the tape was "Mezmorized," produced by frequent Wiz collaborator Cardo. The beat, which was like a modernized take on G-funk, was perfect for the Khalifa man. The first four bars firmly established his image, too; "I don't love 'em/I don't chase 'em, I duck 'em/Smoke somethin'/Go to a new state soon as I fuck 'em." Wiz was and is one of the coolest rapper's out, and this project and song helped solidify him in that sense.

New York Magazine said Wiz showed budding "commercial appeal" and XXL's review of the tape ranked it at a 'XL.'

Wiz spoke on the fifth anniversary of K&OJ with MTV (watch below):

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