Hip-hop couples are always fun to watch. Their public displays of affection and how they express their love for one another draws us in. When two celebrities couple up; we want to know everything!  Wiz Khalifa and Amber Rose’s relationship blossomed from a short fling into something a lot more. Just recently, Wiz and Amber welcomed their son Sebastian Taylor Thomaz in February and now announced getting married. So it’s only right we revisit our October/November 2012 cover story on the lovebirds. Here, they share details on their relationship, pressures of becoming new parents, and future goals together.

Hip-hop's most publicly affectionate couple, Wiz Khalifa and Amber Rose are engaged to be married and expecting a child. Aww. Yeah!

Written By: Vanessa Satten

“You look awesome in every picture, daddy,” Amber Rose says to her fiancé, Wiz Khalifa, while sitting at a computer and scrolling through some photos we just shot of them. Wiz stands behind her, looking at the screen. “You look beautiful in every picture,” he says, giving her shoulder a squeeze. “I look like a dummy.” He laughs.

Amber shakes her head and giggles. “I look like a fat fuck.”

“Nooo,” her boo insists.

And so it goes as the photo shoot unfolds on this sunny September afternoon in Los Angeles’s Siren Studios. Wiz, 25, and Amber, 28, are in love with a capital L-O-V-E. They kiss, they pet and paw, they googly-eye each other. Some of their poses are so intimate, you want to turn away. Like you just walked into the wrong hotel room. But it’s cool. It’s something folks don’t see everyday in hip-hop.

After shooting to rap stardom with his monster 2010 smash “Black and Yellow,” Wiz carved himself a solid place in hip-hop with the release of his major label debut Rolling Papers (Rostum/Atlantic). It was during those heady “Black and Yellow” days that the Pittsburgh native linked up with the Philadelpha-born model and former girlfriend of Kanye West. They fell head-over-heels. Fast-forward a year-and-half, Wiz and Amber are now engaged and expecting a child.

So while Wiz works on his second album, O.N.I.F.C. [Only Nigga In First Class], due out later this year, and runs his label, Taylor Gang Records, his primary focus is on getting ready to be a dad and husband.

Mums the word on the baby’s gender, due date and name, but Wiz and Amber opened up to XXL about their relationship and the excitement about all of their upcoming releases.

How far along are you?
AMBER: Second trimester. My first trimester was really hard, like most women. I threw up a lot. I was very, very, very sick. I’m still sick now in my second trimester. I just feel like I learned a lot just being pregnant this time. For my next baby, I’ll know what not to eat and things to stay away from. Definitely the smell sensitivity is still very strong. Certain things, as soon as I smell them, I throw up immediately.

You said earlier that the smell of weed made you sick. With Wiz being such a famous weed head, how does that work out?
AMBER: He would never ever smoke in front of me. I mean even just living in California, it’s really hard because there’s weed shops everywhere. So even when I’m driving and I go down the wrong block, I get sick.

So, how long have you guys been together?
WIZ: A year and a half.

And you’re officially engaged. Is there a date set?
WIZ: Nah, there’s no date set yet. But we’ll probably get licensed and married before the baby’s born, and do a wedding afterwards because it makes more sense for the baby to be in the wedding than for her to be pregnant. Some people, they rush and do it. But, it works both ways.

AMBER: Yeah, we definitely want our baby to be in our wedding pictures. And you know, being pregnant, I’m tired a lot. So to have a whole wedding and planning it all out and the reception—I just don’t want to be sleeping when everybody’s partying at our wedding.

So what about Amber got you so caught up?
WIZ: It was really just her personality. The way I felt, like, she really loved me and stood up for me. At the point where she could’ve went either way.

She wasn’t chasing you just for being Wiz…
WIZ: Yeah. Not only that, but she had people whose interests weren’t necessarily how happy she was, personally. It was like, “How many dollars can we get.” And she went against those people, because she’s like, “Yo, I love this dude and I don’t give a fuck what you guys say or who you think he is or what you think it’s going to do for my career. I want to be happy and fall in love and I want to fully experience this.” We had that conversation and she told me what her decision was. Even before that, I knew she was down for me. But that was like what really solidified it and made it, more-or-less; couldn’t nobody tell me anything about her after that. What would you say about the industry, this, that and the other thing.


How do your families get along?
WIZ: They get along great.
AMBER: They love each other.
WIZ: Her and my dad talk more than me and my dad. Me and her mom are best friends. Her and my mom just chop it up. It’s crazy; we were raised like we all grew up together. Her mom is just like my mom; her dad is just like my dad. Her dad was in the military; my dad was the more strict military one. Her mom let her do whatever and my mom just let me run around and do whatever. It’s the same message from both of our parents so it’s really crazy.
AMBER: We have the same exact parents… My family now is Wiz and his mom, dad and sister and his family, I’ve gained a whole family and now we’re having a baby so that’s more important to me than any career I could possibly have. I’m not one of those girls that’s going to wait until they’re 45. I just feel like I need to do what makes me happy. Family makes me happy. My side of the family is literally like three people. So when me and Wiz fell in love, his entire family just took me in and I was like, ‘This is what I always wanted.’ I just felt like I was back home and that was true happiness for me.

A lot of rappers don’t like to look married or wifed up so that they can stay attractive to their female fans. Keep the fantasy. Ever worry about losing that part of your fan base?
WIZ: Nah, not at all.
AMBER: They love us.
WIZ: The girls, I don’t feel like—a lot of my female fans aren’t attracted to me sexually anyway. They like my music.
AMBER: I don’t believe that.
WIZ: They like my music and they like my mind frame. So, when they see me and see how much I love Amber, that just adds to it. They don’t necessarily want me, they want they’re own guy to be modeled after me. So I’m perfectly fine with that. I’m taken... You know, everything I do is me, personally. That’s just how I feel. I wouldn’t be me if I was acting any type of way, if I acted like another rapper doing what another rapper does.

My situation works for me perfectly. But for another rapper—and you know some of my friends are fuckin’ sleazebags, and they’re not not my friends but, they’re just not on the same shit that I’m on. That’s just where the line is drawn. I think when you have that respect with your peers and the people who know you then you could move forward everybody knows that you’re
being real.

You’re so open when talking about loving Amber and being in love. You don’t often see that in hip-hop. It’s kinda more old R&Bish. What makes you comfortable with being so open
about your feelings?
WIZ: I love my baby. She’s gorgeous and it makes me look even cooler when I show how much I love her to other people. But not only that, it’s just how I really feel. And that’s just what I’m all about. It’s about being yourself, 100 percent. When I met Amber, she loved me for who I was. I had some money, but it was like to pay my bills and literally set myself up for a future. But I was wearing the same camo shorts and high-tops and Chucks. But she liked my swag and she liked me for who I was and I wasn’t afraid of that.
AMBER: I remember when you called me—and he was like, “Babe, I just got the cover of Rolling Stone.” And I was like, ‘Oh my God!’ I was so excited.
WIZ: When she seen me on the cover of XXL—tell her about the story with XXL.
AMBER: Yeah I saw him on the cover of XXL’s Freshmen Class [April 2010 issue]. And I was like, he was the only one on there that was smiling. It’s so crazy that I didn’t put two and two together when I met him, ’cause at that time, I didn’t really know “Black and Yellow.” I didn’t really listen to radio like that. And when I met him, I didn’t put two and two together until after. “Hey, you’re from the Freshman Class of XXL!” And now he’s my fiancé.

Did you have any hesitation dating another rapper after your previous relationship?
WIZ: Yes.
AMBER: [To Wiz] You want me to answer that, daddy? [Wiz nods.] Okay, yes. One hundred percent.
WIZ: She didn’t wanna date any entertainers or anybody in the business. She didn’t know who she wanted to be with, but she knew who she didn’t wanna be with.
AMBER: Yeah, I was like, “I don’t want to go down that road again.” I’ve been to hell and back and I do not wanna do that again. I don’t know, Wiz and I, we’re both from PA. We both like old school cars. We both like cookouts, barbecues. Regular family cool shit. We just had all that stuff in common. And he didn’t let the fame get to him. He’s not egotistical; he’s not an asshole. He doesn’t treat people like shit. You know, he’s just a genuine sweet guy. And that’s what made me fall in love with him. And I just said, “You know what, I don’t care if he’s a rapper.” I don’t care if people say, “Oh, you’re a gold-digger.” I don’t care if people say, “Oh, you went from one rapper to another,” or whatever. I love him. I don’t look at him as a rapper. I look at him as Cameron Thomaz, not even Wiz Khalifa. I just fell so deeply in love with him, I didn’t care what anyone says.

What’d your friends think?
AMBER: My friends love him. He can do no wrong.
WIZ: Well, the friends she had then, she don’t got none of them friends no more.
AMBER: Oh, no. At that time, he only had “Black and Yellow” out. He didn’t have a “Roll Up” video out; he didn’t have the cover of Rolling Stone. He didn’t have any covers, really. So, yeah my friends were being very superfi cial. Mean things. “Oh, he only has one song.” And I was like, “I don’t care. I don’t care. I love him.” I’ve been with him since and a lot of people don’t know that. But that’s my baby.
WIZ: A lot of people just think that there’s all this scrutiny from the media being a rapper, but honestly, it’s not that difficult. Rappers don’t necessarily know who they are anyways. They’re looking for somebody else, for someone to look up to, to be like. Nobody’s trying to be the best them. So that wasn’t my concern. For her, it was more diffi cult because she really values these people’s opinions. Like, “Yo, that dude is this,” or “he’s that.” And that’s when she needs to figure out, are these people really your friends? Is it doing what’s best for you?
AMBER: I’m just not a superficial person and didn’t wanna have superficial friends. They were judging him and not even getting to know his personality and who he was. That’s what I fell in love with. And they’re not around anymore, so fuck ’em.


So Wiz, you going to all the doctor’s appointments?
WIZ: I go all the time. I only missed one doctor’s appointment. Or two—’cause I wasn’t in town and because she just had to give blood.
AMBER: Yeah, it wasn’t to see the baby.
WIZ: Everything’s all good.
AMBER: Can I just tell them that our baby, like, dances inside me. When we go get the ultrasound my baby is like this [Throws arms in the air, waves them like she just don’t care.]
WIZ: In the videos babies are usually, like, still. Our baby moves.
AMBER: Popping and locking!
WIZ: Yeah, spinning around.
AMBER: It’s awesome.

Amber, how are you holding up?
AMBER: I’m so ready. I’m going all-natural. I’ve decided that I’m going to have an all-natural water birth. No medicine. I want those bragging rights! The next time Wiz has a stomachache or anything, I’ll say, “I popped out a baby all-natural.”
WIZ: [Laughs]

Wiz, how do you juggle recording and touring with a pregnant woman at home?
WIZ: [Laughs] I just gotta do it. The most important thing is knowing that she is there and I have to tend to my babies. This is my first child ever in life. I gotta go hard at everything. As hard as I go in the studio, I gotta go just as hard taking care of my baby and making sure she’s alright, and I’m spending time with her and she doesn’t feel neglected.
AMBER: Sometimes I go to the studio. When I go to the studio, my baby is legit. Nobody in the studio can smoke. He makes sure it’s fresh clean air when I walk in there. I come and hang out there until I get tired and then I go to bed.
WIZ: She’s bringing a whole new life into this world, so I gotta do everything but pop a baby out. [Laughs]

You’ve put some mixtapes out this past year, released some individual songs. What’s going on with the album?
WIZ: The album is completely done. It’ll drop before the end of this year for sure. It was just getting everybody on the same page. Because with me, I do so much on my own. I had my hands on the project, and then I have my independent label. The difference between Rolling Papers and this album is, [with Rolling Papers,] I more-or-less just went with what other peoples’ formula was. Like, ‘Okay, you guys know how to make this work, so I’m going to it.’ Now that I’m kind of doing it my way, it’s something tricky, because we have to have four or five meetings to sit down and tell people what going on. So, you know, it just gives more build up. I’m definitely married to the name, Only Nigga In First Class. Because everyday it just builds up more and we just live it. People’s expectation for the swag and creativity and the originality of it, they’re looking forward to that. So with that, and the great music that we have to come, only thing left is just the roll out. That’s what we’re working on.

“Black and Yellow” was a huge song that kind of had the backing of the Super Bowl and an NFL team, in a way. That’s a huge look for a single on your first time out. Do you feel pressure to repeat that kind of success with a single?
WIZ: I’m not really concerned with recreating it. I think that was just a moment. So I can live off of that. Everything from there will have it’s own moment and will have it’s own thing. I’m still the kid who made “Black and Yellow,” and I’ll always be that. But at this point, as long as the single goes platinum, I’m happy. We don’t even really need to try it, because my fans are so active and they just want it so bad, that when we say something, they do it. So it kind of works in our favor.

What about you, Amber? You’re starring in Nick Cannon’s new movie, School Dance. But you shot that a minute ago. What happens after the baby? Stay-at-home-mom?
Going back to work?

AMBER: I definitely wanna stay at home for a while. I want to be there for the baby, watch the baby grow at least a couple years. In between that, I want to do little stuff here and there. But I definitely want to be a stay-at-homemom for a while. I want to make sure that I don’t miss those good years with the baby, because I feel like a lot of moms do that. But their situations are where they have to be at work. For me, I just, I don’t want to miss out on that time with my baby.

Would you guys encourage your child to be in the music industry?
WIZ: I would encourage the baby to do whatever makes him or her feel happy. If you wanna play baseball, if you wanna play soccer, if you wanna do gymnastics, if you wanna draw, if you wanna read the most books in the world and be quiet, whatever you wanna do. The industry is what you make it. My parents weren’t industry parents, but I was normal and ready for the industry just because of how they raised me.
AMBER: The thing about the industry, it doesn’t really let you make mistakes. That’s the hardest thing. When you’re a kid, teenager or an adult, you’re supposed to make mistakes and learn
from them. I personally would have to let my son or daughter know about those things before. Like, look what they do to Willow Smith. She’s talented, has her
own style—
WIZ: Yeah, but I don’t think Willow gives a fuck, either. When you’re a kid and do all that, people will say what they say. But it’s up to you. She don’t give a fuck.
AMBER: But when you’re a kid, a lot of them don’t become adult celebrities. They become washed up.
WIZ: I think if the kid feels confident, they’ll still be accepted. That has a lot to do with it, too.

Wiz, how’s your trip been since you got in the industry? Are you surprised where you are with everything right now?
WIZ: It’s funny. I’m completely happy where I’m at. To me, everything is realistic and where it’s supposed to be. What shocks me is how big I am to other people. I feel like I’m completely normal. My rewards add up to the work I’ve put in. But I’ve talked to some other people and they remind you, “Yo, you are larger than life to some people.” I don’t think about that. I don’t think about reaching that point or none of that. I just think about being the best at what I do and seeing results. But the accolades and the people I inspire touch me too, and that’s what I can’t believe.

More From XXL