Sample Essay On Similarities And Differences Between Lil Wayne And Wiz Khalifa

Music is a big part of our life. Nowadays, a lot of new genres have emerged, especially in the electronic dance industry. Nevertheless, hip-hop has remained a genre with a large amount of people who like it and listen to it. Two big names in the hip-hop industry are Lil Wayne and Wiz Khalifa. They both perform in the new school hip-hop field and are honored by both young and adult generations.
Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. goes under the nickname Lil Wayne (also known as Mr. Carter, Tune, Tunechi, Weezy, Weezy F Baby, etc) and was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. Initially he was part of a hip-hop group called Hot Boys and released three albums. However, the group fell apart because all the members went their own separate ways, including Lil Wayne. He later on founded his record label – Young Money Entertainment, which has signed many famous rappers nowadays, such as Drake, Niki Minaj, Tyga and others. Having released ten albums till date, Weezy can be said to have a lot of experience and an eye for talent in the industry.
On the other hand, Cameron Jibril Thomaz is familiar to the public as Wiz Khalifa and was born in Minot, North Dakota. Khalifa has released four albums up to date, in which he has partnered with artists such as Rick Ross and The Weeknd. Wiz was first signed by Warner Bros and then switched to Atlantic Records. In 2010, he created his own record label called Taylor Gang, which signed artists such as Juicy J and Ty Dolla $ign.
Lil Wayne and Wiz Khalifa both perform in the hip-hop music industry. However, as they have some similarities, they are also differ in various things from their personal life to their professional life.
Secondly, both rappers started putting lyrics on paper at a very early age. Tunechi wrote his first song at the age of eight, whereas Wiz wrote his first lyrics when he was nine years old.
Thirdly, Tune and Khalifa both took part in the film industry. Lil Wayne has starred in TV movies and TV series such as ‘Blueprint: Lil Wayne’ and ‘The Roaches’ respectively. On the other hand, Wiz Khalifa has starred in two movies – ‘Mac & Devin Go to High School’, and ‘Gang of Roses 2: Next Generation’.
Fourthly, the famous rappers have both served jail time for several reasons. Weezy pleaded guilty for possession of a weapon. The artist was also arrested because of possessing a controlled substance, although the case was considered as an ‘incident’. Moreover, alongside others he was accused of possessing drugs such as marijuana and cocaine, and a misconduct involving weapons. Wiz Khalifa was arrested during his tour at East Carolina University because of possessing and trafficking marijuana.
Last but not least, both Lil Wayne and Wiz Khalifa have children and have been married in the past. Lil Wayne has four children, all from different mothers, and was married to his high-school sweetheart – Antonia Carter, who he divorced two years later. Wiz Khalifa dated and married model Amber Rose, with whom he has one son. Nevertheless, she filed a divorce citing ‘irreconcilable differences’.
Despite the fact that the two rappers have numerous things in common, there are also various differences between Lil Wayne and Wiz Khalifa.
Firstly, Lil Wayne is currently 32 years old, revealing a longer hip-hop career. He has been evolving ever since he started rapping and has gone through several styles and sub-styles of hip-hop. For example, he released a rock-esque album in 2010 which was very surprising to the public. Wayne is known for experimenting with different styles, artists and ways in music and also in other things in his life, such as skateboarding. Weezy released his debut album in 1999 when hip-hop was different from what it is now. On the contrary, Wiz Khalifa released his debut album in 2006. Thus, the difference in styles between the two artists starts from the beginning of their careers.
Secondly, the rappers said to be influenced by different rappers and groups. Some of the big names in the old-school hip-hop field, such as 2pac and Notorious B.I.G., served as a huge influence on almost every famous artist in the hip-hop industry since they opened many new doors in the music sphere. However, Lil Wayne and Wiz Khalifa have also cited different names who have influence each one of them. Lil Wayne cites the rock band Nirvana as a major influence on his music because they are one of his favorite bands since childhood. Wiz Khalifa, on the other hand, cites Jimi Hendrix, Camp Lo and Bone Thugs-n-Harmony as musical influences.
Both Lil Wayne and Wiz Khalifa are respected artists who perform mainly in the hip-hop music industry. Similarities between then can be found mainly when looking at their personal lives, whereas differences occur at a professional level. The latter is partially because of the age differences and times during which the artists were born, together with how they grew up as.