Wiz Khalifa is coming home to open Pittsburgh’s new Hill District venue

Pittsburgh-bred rapper Wiz Khalifa is coming home for the opening weekend of the city’s newest music venue, Citizens Live at the Wylie. Khalifa tells Pittsburgh City Paper his show on October 2 will have “lots of energy and a lot of weed smoke.” Khalifa, 38, has become the millennial face of weed rap since he came on the scene 20 years ago. In June 2025, he appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and said he smokes about 30 joints a day . He’s been smoking since he was a teenager, a habit he picked up while hanging out in music studios, he told Kimmel. Khalifa tells City Paper his favorite album to smoke to is his 2010 mixtape Kush & Orange Juice. He feels it’s a classic album that helped “solidify” him in the game. The mixtape was released in April of that year, and because of Khalifa’s devoted fanbase, it became the number one trending topic on Twitter (now X), at the time with the hashtag #kushandorangejuice. Google search trends for April 2010 for “Kush and Orange Juice download” ranked number one. In late August of this year, the rapper even launched Kush & Orange Juice THC drinks . In addition to beverages, Khalifa has his own signature weed strain called Khalifa Kush . Throughout his career, Khalifa says he has always strived to connect with his fans. He plans to continue to do so by “always staying tapped in with fans and connecting with them genuinely.” “I like asking them their opinions, but also not being afraid to piss them off and guide them and lead them in the right direction,” he adds. The best advice he’s received from a fellow rapper, who he prefers to keep what he calls a “mystery,” is “rappers are like wrestlers, they’re just characters.” When he’s back in the ‘burgh, Khalifa, a 2006 Taylor Allderdice High School graduate, enjoys going to local recording studio I.D. Labs to hang out. “I also like to eat at Mike & Tony’s and Primanti’s ,” he says.  Khalifa recorded music at I.D. Lab