Wiz KhalifaDeal Or No Deal

Most people know Pittsburgh emcee Wiz Khalifa because of his great, 2008 synth-heavy single “Say Yeah.” The DXnext alum is fully aware of that appeal, because damn near every song on Deal Or No Deal feels like an attempt to somehow recapture the glory of said song: synth riffs dominate the mix (though none as catchy as the Alice Deejay sample from “Say Yeah!”) while lyrics focus almost exclusively on women, weed, and money, and a steady, if at times overly-simple beat anchors the proceedings. But unfortunately, no song on Khalifa’s second pre-release album captures the effervescent atmosphere of his best single, though some come remarkably close. In doing so, the mid-tempo groove that most of the songs are locked into makes the album drag for long stretches. It’s this lack of youthful energy, which was so abundant on “Say Yeah!”, that makes Deal Or No Deal less than satisfying, as when you listen to an album from a talented 22 year-old one of the last things you expect it to ever be is lethargic.


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