Standing tall, at an impressive 6′ 3”, skinny as hell and covered in tattoos, 26-year-old, Rostrum signed hip-hop giant, Wiz Khalifa, fronts his own easy style of skater chic. Chuck Taylors on his feet, a snapback covering his crown, and rocking a low riding crotch, he takes to the stage, surrounded by a cloud of smoke; the crowds worship his every verse. Releasing his fifth studio album to date – Blacc Hollywood – and becoming a father, Wiz has come of age. Here he tells i-D about what he wore on his big day with baby momma Amber Rose, and how his long-loved signature Chuck Taylor kicks keep him grounded.
Were you skating with Brixton kids earlier?
Yeah some real hood kids. It was fun man.
Did they recognise you?
Yeah, but they were respectful, they allowed me to just be regular. I’m from an area that’s really similar, where there’s not really shit going on. They were excited to see me falling and scraping myself up and getting frustrated and trying new tricks. It meant something to them as much as it meant to me.
Where are your favourite places to skate in the world?
I like to skate in Paris. London’s really fun because these kids out here don’t really give a fuck. Brazil because they shred down there. Philly, yeah Philly. And of course, Pittsburgh. I also want to skate in Australia.
You’re wearing Chucks today, how many pairs do you own?
Maybe 200.
Who’s had the greatest influence on your sense of style and your attitude?
It changes, you know. The 80s, glam rock, that shit was popping and some of that was tight. And the 70s, punk rock, skaters, straight Mexican cholo motherfuckers. It all goes together as an urban mix.
Who is the one guy you’d pick as the best dressed?
Pharrell, just cuz!
What did you wear when you got married?
I wore Tom Ford and Louboutin shoes.
What’s Amber’s best pair of trainers?
She wears a lot of Giuseppes.
You’ve just stepped out of the studio, recording the new album. Of all the music that you’ve produced over the years, of all the mixtapes, what are you most proud of?
I’m most proud of Rolling Papers. That was my favourite and my biggest accomplishment just because of the amount of hit singles that were on there and the energy I put in to writing a lot of the music. It was a really free feeling. It makes me really happy to see where it started and see how far it’s come.
What aspirations have you got beyond music?
I want to get better at skating. It makes me want to go harder. So I just want to do better at that. I have artists, so the same way I want to get my vision out cleaner, I want to get their vision out cleaner as well. That’s beyond my own music, it’s about pushing them and pushing their projects.
Credits
Text Milly McMahon
Photography William Selden