If you bought Rolling Papers expecting to be wowed by lyricism and engaging content, you went to the wrong source; Wiz Khalifa is no poet laureate and his music shows no concern for anything of real substance. He strays from complex rhyme schemes, intricate wordplay and thoughtful content.Instead, Rolling Papers is heavy on melodic, infectious choruses and simple rhymes about weed, women and swagger. While there's nothing wrong with that approach in itself, and while such an approach can yield excellent results if properly executed, Rolling Papers is missing the talent and originality to make it a strong album.
The album suffers from a lack of sonic diversity, which combined with Khalifa's low-level lyrical dexterity results in several songs on the album sounding the same. Outside of "Fly Solo," a surprisingly introspective, downbeat track that makes use of an acoustic guitar sample, the production on Rolling Papers is more often than not a mix of synth-heavy, pop-rap beats that are heavy on melody.
Lyrics like, "And they say all I rap about is bitches and champagne/ You would too if every night you seen the same thing," on the opening track of "When I'm Gone" pretty much sum up what you get from Khalifa. He stays in his comfort zone. However, despite his shallowness, catchy songs such as "On My Level" and the much-remixed "Black and Yellow" show Khalifa at his finest, with the young emcee effortlessly dropping smooth boasts over up-tempo beats. The tracks are simple, but they go down smooth and are fun to listen to.
Khalifa also shines on tracks such as "The Race," and "Rooftops," where he proudly declares, "Used to not be allowed in the building, but now we're on the rooftop." The song, which is boosted by a solid assist from New Orleans rapper Curren$y, is a bass and snare-heavy track with bell-like synths that is both celebratory and thoughtful.
If there's one thing to applaud Khalifa for, it's his honesty. The emcee doesn't present himself as a deep, contemplative rapper. And in his defense, that's not what a lot of people want these days.
Khalifa is similar to much of hip-hop's new school; he sings and typically raps on top of poppy, electronic or soft-rock instrumentals. That seems to be the direction that much hip-hop, or what passes for it, is headed for these days. The problem is that while he has impressive charisma, Khalifa's skill doesn't make him a standout, and with the rise of more skilled rapper/crooners such as Drake and Kid Cudi out there, what makes Khalifa special? Nothing. He pretty much always uses simple A-B rhyme schemes, and is a mediocre singer.
Each song on Rolling Papers feels like an attempt at Top 40 radio fame. In case you haven't heard, most rap on mainstream radio sucks - and this album sings the same tune.
