Review: WIZ KHALIFA - MULTIVERSE

Wiz has not only held but expanded the definition of what he does keeping a classic base of rhythm & blues, while mixing in finer elements of hip hop and a bit of modern jazz giving his stuff a defining brand.  After you listen to this album a few times you start hearing stuff in there you didn't before. Melodies layered up nice and smooth, blending as another dimension to the underlying music using counterpoint strikes, or if needed, something with more soul, keeping a slight dissonant edge, so you don't get too distant from zoning too hard.

While this album contains the harder Bad Ass Bitches hit, coming in at under 2 minutes here, you have a whole work of  richly embossed real estate to check out before you get there deep in the second half of the album. Before you get there by track nine there's interest in the scene which has been built exemplified on We're Not Even. Then right away on the next number the gospel gets told to the street as Wiz opens up on the heartfelt Homies, bringing his spot on timing & poetic rhyme to the stage. It's a song any OG can relate to, you've been there, you know these things Wiz raps about. It's life man. More of that comes in strong on Mirror, almost hinting at acapella, almost....then here come them Bad Ass Bitches. Oh Yeah.

Now we're in these modern alley ways. Wiz doesn't have to tell us about these ways, it's everywhere. What's cool is the last three or four leading up here have progressively got more what people think about being something you hear more of when you think "Wiz Khalifa".  See he's built another set of nuggets before he goes to the known hand, hangin' out smokin' watchin' purple rain. Then he funks you on Goyard Bags, messin' with that head.

Strong bass anchors a more ethereal Nobody Knows, going back again to a personal scene, serving Wiz well on this his latest in so far a 20 year career. He then brings it to a close with something coulda been new way back when but is new now, as the album ends on song 17. Run done till the next one, and you know Wiz will have that motherfucker rolled.