Today, Wiz Khalifa is a very well known name in the hip hop world. The Pittsburg native earned this status through his hard work and dedication to music. Wiz has dropped more than a dozen mixtapes but none more beloved by his fans than “Kush & OJ”. For most Wiz Khalifa fan’s, this mixtape is the one that solidified their fandom. Originally this project released in 2010 on free mixtape platforms like DatPiff and LiveMixtapes that have since died off.
Wiz along with many other rappers who made their rise in the late 2000s and early 2010s released a significant amount of music on these free mixtape platforms. The problem they face today is that most of these projects were recorded over beats that these artists didn’t own or have rights to so they cannot be monetized legally.
Streaming platforms have completely taken over, listeners rarely buy physical copies of albums but rather stream their favorite music directly from their iPhones.
These streaming services are in compliance with copyright laws that prohibit artists from uploading any content that contains unoriginal or uncleared material. As mp3 technology is becoming a thing of the past in favor of Spotify and Apple Music, an entire generation of mixtapes are increasingly harder to access. Which is ironic as we are in an time where music consumption is easier than ever before.
Khalifa’s former record label, Rostrum Records, has finally rereleased the project on streaming services. Doing so was not an easy task, especially with “Kush & OJ”. This mixtape contains samples of music by John Lennon, Demi Lovato and many more artists. Rostrum Records was able to get the mixtape cleared by altering the beats for “The Statement” and “Never Been”, and removing the Demi Lovato sample on “We’re Done”. Rostrum Records president, Benjy Grinberg explained in an interview with Genius that the changes occurred because of sample clearance problems.
After years of struggling to listen to this legendary mixtape, “Kush & OJ” is now available on Spotify, Apple Music, TIDAL, and more for the first time ever.
Take a listen by following the link below!
https://embed.music.apple.com/us/album/kush-orange-juice/1442166269
The Ice Box 