Pitchfork

Based in Pittsburgh, born in North Dakota, and raised everywhere from England to Japan, rapper Wiz Khalifa's military-brat upbringing makes him a bit more worldly than the average American MC-- and he's barely out of his teens. Known to his parents as Cameron Thomaz, Khalifa caught the attention of Warner Bros. with debut album Show and Prove and signed to the label last June. On Warner-issued 2007 single "Youngin On His Grind", Khalifa displays a gliding, percussive flow, with grimly cinematic synths and gutter-stained beats that complement his youthful swagger.

Fellow Pittsburgher DJ Howlermonkey previously appeared in Forkcast for his Crystal Castles "Omnibus Mix". His "Youngin' On His Grind" remix surrounds Khalifa's chopped-up hooks and rhymes with trebly, twinkling-- but still slightly eerie-- synths, jittery funk-bass sounds, dance beats decked out with rolling toms, and lilting male vocals, all of which often seem to be sampled from one-time Ian Drury collaborator Chaz Jankel's 1985 hit "Number One". It's a revealing revamp, and it shows that Khalifa can hold his own just fine outside of the usual East Coast rap context, as only befits his globetrotting background.

MP3:> Wiz Khalifa: "Youngin On His Grind (DJ Howlermonkey Remix)"
[Show and Prove is out now on Rostrum]