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A recording contract (commonly called a record deal) is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording artist (or group), where the artist makes a record (or series of records) for the label to sell and promote. Artists under contract are normally only allowed to record for that label exclusively; guest appearances on other artists' records will carry a notice "By courtesy of (the name of the label)", and that label may receive a percentage of sales.

Copyrights, payment and royalties[link]

Labels typically own the copyright in the records their artists make, and also the master copies of those records. An exception is when a label makes a distribution deal with an artist; in this case, the artist, their manager, or another party may own the copyright (and masters), while the record is licensed exclusively to the label for a set period of time. Promotion is a key factor in the success of a record, and is largely the label's responsibility, as is proper distribution of records.

While initial recording deals usually yield a smaller percentage of royalties to the artists, subsequent (or renegotiated) deals can result in much greater profit, or profit potential. A few acts, such as Madonna, Michael Jackson, U2, Janet Jackson and Barbra Streisand, among others, have signed multimillion-dollar deals. Whitney Houston signed a $100 million dollar deal with BMG to deliver just six albums. Robbie Williams signed an £80m (US$125m) contract with EMI.^[1] For many other artists, though, for the millions to become tangible, hit albums meeting or exceeding their previous sales figures must follow. Recording contracts may include opt-out clauses for the label in the event an act's popularity dips or the act releases non-hit albums under the deal; for instance Mariah Carey's unprecedented $100 million five-album contract with Virgin Records was bought out by Virgin for $28 million, after her album released by the company sold poorly.^[2]

Record companies put forth huge sums of money to produce, release, and promote an album. Recording time, manufacturing, packaging, photos, distribution, marketing, and music videos are just some of the areas where the label must spend money on an act it has signed. The label usually absorbs these expenses, but in some artists contracts, some of this money may be due back to the label, unless otherwise worded. Advances (upfront money that is paid directly to a recording artist) are normally always owed back to the label. Once (and if) the advance has been paid back from record sales, the artist then begins to see royalty payments for additional sales. Advancing an act money is a risk the label endures as it does not know how well the act's album will sell. Capitol Records suspended Linda Ronstadt's contract in the early 1970s, as Capitol had spent more money on Ronstadt then it had yielded. She continued to tour partly to pay Capitol back for her 1960s deal, and a string of hits in the mid-1970s allowed her to finally clear the debt. Record companies expect to make a profit, and little concern themselves with a given performer's lack of business or financial savvy, as artists such as George Michael have discovered. "Walking out" on a deal is very difficult or nearly impossible, as is attempting to strike a new deal without completing an old one. Donna Summer signed a new deal with Geffen Records in 1980, and released an album on Geffen. She was then told by her previous label, Casablanca Records, that she owed them another album, per her agreement. She recorded and delivered an album to Casablanca that the label released, and it became a hit. Summer then went back to recording for Geffen Records for her next project. The Mamas & the Papas were forced into a reunion, years after their 1968 breakup, by the letter of their Dunhill Records contract, which required one more album to be completed (1971's People Like Us).

Record companies will generally increase royalty rates or give artistic freedom to get acts to re-sign contracts with them. Established acts may otherwise go where they see better opportunity. During 1980, Diana Ross released her album Diana, which fulfilled her contract with Motown Records. The album spawned three Billboard Hot 100 hits (a #1 and two top tens). Ross, however, felt she was never fairly compensated by Motown for her work with The Supremes or her solo releases. When RCA Records offered her $20 million to sign with them, Ross gave Motown the chance to match the deal, or at least offer something comparable. Motown, believing Ross's solo career was too up-and-down, and not seeing any reason to now compensate her for her earlier Supremes work, offered $3 million. Split with the decision to remain with the label that made her famous, or sign a deal with a company that was willing to pay her what she felt she was worth, she ultimately signed with RCA. § The $20 million was the biggest contract offered to an artist singer up to that point. Michael Jackson Estate signed biggest recording contract in history with Sony Music Entertainment close to 250 million dollar.

Termination[link]

When recordings go out of print, this typically happens because either the label has decided that continuing to sell (or distribute) the record will not be profitable, or the licensing agreement with the artist has expired. (Labels may also stop distribution as a punitive measure, if an artist fails to comply with their contract, or as a strategic measure if negotiations for a new one prove difficult.) Record labels can also become bankrupt like any business, and their masters and copyrights sold or traded as part of their assets. (Occasionally these are purchased by the artists themselves.)

Recording artists signed to a failed label can find themselves in limbo, unable to record for anyone but a company that is out of business (and thus cannot sell or distribute their records), and with their existing works unavailable for sale. When one label "buys out" another (or a label is purchased by an outside party), any existing copyrights and contracts held (and masters, if owned by the label) normally go with the sale. This often benefits recording artists, but not always.

Distribution deals are often renewed, but occasionally the label and the copyright owner cannot come to terms for a renewal. The reason is usually that one party expects too much money, or too large a percentage of profits, to suit the other.

See also[link]

• Distribution deal
• 360 deal

References[link]

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Irv Gotti
Gotti in February 2005
Background information
Birth name	Irving Domingo Lorenzo, Jr.
Also known as	Irv Gotti
Born	(1970-06-26) June 26, 1970 (age 42)
Genres	Hip Hop, R&B
Occupations	producer,
Instruments	Turntable, Mixer, keyboards, Drum Machine, sampler
Years active	1992–present
Labels	The Inc. Records
Associated acts	Ja Rule, Jay-Z, DMX, Ashanti, Fat Joe, Charli Baltimore, Vanessa Carlton, Lloyd

Irving Domingo Lorenzo, Jr., (born June 26, 1970^[1]) better known as Irv Gotti is an American hip hop and R&B record producer and is the head and founder of The Inc record label.

He selected the stage name Irv Gotti by naming himself after John Gotti.^[2]

He produced Jay-Z's "Can I Get A...", DMX's "What's My Name?", and Ja Rule's "Holla Holla".^{[citation needed]}

Music production[link]

Gotti co-produced Vanessa Carlton's third album, Heroes and Thieves, with Channel 7, Rick Rubin and Stephan Jenkins, which was released October 9, 2007.^[3]

In an interview with Angie Martinez in early May 2009, Gotti stated that his label, The Inc., was leaving Universal Records.

Discography[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Irv Gotti at MTV
• Irv Gotti at the Internet Movie Database
• Interview with Irv Gotti on Running a Record Label
• VIBE Profile

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (October 2008)

Big Daddy Kane
NYC 1999
Background information
Birth name	Antonio Hardy
Also known as	B.D.K., Dark Gable, King Asiatic Nobody's Equal, Blackanova, Count Macula
Born	(1968-09-10) September 10, 1968 (age 43) Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, United States
Genres	East Coast hip hop, hardcore hip hop
Occupations	Rapper, screenwriter, record producer, model
Years active	1984–present
Labels	Cold Chillin'/Reprise/Warner Bros. Records (1986-1993) MCA Records (1994) Blackheart/Mercury/PolyGram Records (1998)
Associated acts	Juice Crew, Quincy Jones, Kool G. Rap, Easy Mo Bee,2pac Prince Paul
Website	officialbigdaddykane.com

Antonio Hardy (born September 10, 1968)^[1] better known by his stage name Big Daddy Kane, is a Grammy Award-winning American rapper who started his career in 1986 as a member of the rap group the Juice Crew. He is widely considered to be one of the most influential and skilled MCs in Hip Hop.^{[2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12]} Regarding the name Big Daddy Kane, he said: "The Big Daddy part and the Kane part came from two different things. The Kane part came from my fascination with the martial arts flicks when I was young. The Big Daddy came from something that happened on a ski trip one time involving a young lady." ^[13]

Biography[link]

1980s[link]

In 1984, Kane became friends with Biz Markie, and he would co-write some of Biz's best-known lyrics.^[14][15] Both eventually became important members of the Queens-based Juice Crew, a collective headed by renowned producer Marley Marl. Kane signed with Marl's Cold Chillin' Records label in 1987 and debuted the following year with the 12" single "Raw," an underground hit. Kane is known for his ability to syncopate over faster hip hop beats, and despite his asthmatic condition^[14] he is acknowledged as one of the pioneering masters of fast-rap. His sense of style is renowned and set a number of late-1980s and early-1990s hip hop trends (high-top fades, velour suits, and four-finger rings). The backronym "King Asiatic Nobody's Equal" is often applied to his moniker.

He released his debut album under Cold Chillin' Records in the early summer of 1988 called Long Live the Kane which featured the hip hop hit, "Ain't No Half Steppin". The following year Kane released his second album and biggest hit to date It's a Big Daddy Thing which included 1970s sample throwbacks like "Smooth Operator" and the Teddy Riley produced track "I Get the Job Done" which hit the R&B top 40 during the closing of the 1980s. He also had a memorable verse on the Marley Marl produced track "The Symphony" released in late 1988 which included Juice Crew member Craig G, Masta Ace, and Kool G Rap).

1990s[link]

Big Daddy Kane appeared on Patti Labelle's 1991 effort, "Burnin'". He provided the rap chorus to the single "Feels Like Another One". He also appeared on the video release "Live in New York."

In 1991, Kane won the Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group for his performance on the Quincy Jones collaborative track "Back on the Block" off of Back on the Block.

Widely regarded as one of the greatest rappers during the "golden age" of hip hop (1986–1993), Kane's experimentation with R&B beats and his alignment to the Five Percent Nation drew criticism. Later albums, such as Looks Like a Job For…, were acclaimed, but he was never able to return to the commercial and artistic success of It's a Big Daddy Thing. However, he still tours extensively.

As an actor, he debuted in Mario Van Peebles' 1993 western, Posse, and appeared in Robert Townsend's 1993 film Meteor Man. Big Daddy Kane also posed for Playgirl and Madonna's Sex book during the 1990s. In 1996, he collaborated with 2Pac on his song "Where Ever U R".

During the early 1990s, Jay-Z is known to have been Big Daddy Kane’s hype man, and Kane helped him early on in his career - Ice-T says, “I actually met Jay-Z with Kane. Kane brought Jay-Z over to my house”.^[2] Kane himself says that Jay-Z wasn’t technically his hypeman in the true sense of the term –“he wasn’t a hypeman, he basically made cameo appearances on stage. When I would leave the stage to go change outfits, I would bring out Jay-Z and Positive K and let them freestyle until I came back to the stage.”.^[16] Jay-Z was also featured on Big Daddy Kane’s track ‘Show & Prove’ from Daddy’s Home (1994), as well as in the video.^[17]

In 1995, Kane recorded with MC Hammer and Tupac Shakur on the rap song "Too Late Playa" (along with Danny Boy).^[18]

2000s[link]

A rejuvenated Big Daddy Kane occasionally collaborated with a variety of hip-hop artists, including A Tribe Called Quest, Jurassic 5, Little Brother, and DJ Babu of the Beat Junkies. He released two singles, the Alchemist-produced "The Man, The Icon", and the DJ Premier-produced "Any Type of Way" (on which he discusses urban collapse in post-9/11 New York City ("Giuliani got New York lookin' like it's Amistad") and the erosion of the middle class.)

Big Daddy Kane appeared on the trip-hop group Morcheeba's 2003 single "What's Your Name". In 2004, "Warm It Up, Kane" appeared on popular video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, playing on classic hip hop radio station Playback FM.

In 2005, Big Daddy Kane was honored during the VH1 Hip-Hop Honors. After a medley of hits performed by T.I., Black Thought, and Common, he came out to perform "Warm It Up, Kane" with his old dancers, Scoob and Scrap. Kane and Kool G Rap can both be seen briefly in Dave Chappelle's Block Party documentary.

In 2006, he appeared as a guest MC on the track "Get Wild Off This", produced by The Stanton Warriors for their Stanton Sessions Vol. 2 breaks mix. He also appeared alongside the Wu-Tang Clan, Rakim, and his longtime friends Busta Rhymes and Q-Tip in a segment of the 2006 Summer Jam concert (June 7, 2006), as part of an initiative by Busta Rhymes to honor the legacy of New York City hip hop.

In 2007, a new track, "BK Mentality", was released on the mixtape compilation Official Joints. Kane also appeared on Joell Ortiz's The Brick: Bodega Chronicles mixtape.

Big Daddy Kane made a cameo in the 2008 video for "Game's Pain", a track by Compton rapper The Game. The video also featured appearances by Raekwon, Three Six Mafia and Ice Cube. The Game also referenced Jay-Z's former occupation as Kane's hypeman: "Ask a Jay-Z fan about Big Daddy Kane: Don't know him, Game gon' show 'em".^[19] He also appeared on the remix of "Don't Touch Me" by Busta Rhymes. Also in 2009 Kane played the role of Clay in the film Just Another Day. The film is the tale of two rappers, one poor and young, one older and successful. The movie follows them through just another day of their lives.

As of 2010, Big Daddy Kane is working on a new album with his band Connie Price and the Keystones, and Darnell Chavis from the 90's R&B group, Solo, called "The Last Supper". The project is said to have a classic Hip-Hop & R&B vibe to it. No date is set for the release of the album.

Legacy[link]

Big Daddy Kane is regarded as one of the most influential and skilled golden age rappers.^{[2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][20]} MTV put him at No. 7 in their Greatest MCs Of All Time list,^[2] he is placed at No.4 in Kool Moe Dee’s book There's A God On The Mic: The True 50 Greatest MCs,^[3] About.com ranked him #3 on its list of the "Top 50 MCs of Our Time,"^[21] and RZA listed him as one of his Top 5 best MCs.^[4] Allmusic says, “his best material ranks among the finest hip-hop of its era, and his sex-drenched persona was enormously influential on countless future would-be players”,^[5] and describes him as, “an enormously talented battle MC”,^[6] “one of rap's major talents”,^[6] refers to his, “near-peerless technique” ”^[6] and “first-rate technique and rhyming skills”^[22] and says he “had the sheer verbal facility and razor-clean dexterity to ambush any MC and exhilarate anyone who witnessed or heard him perform”.^[20] Kool Moe Dee describes him as “one of the most imitated emcees ever in the game”^[23] and “one of the true greatest emcees ever”,^[24] and Ice-T says:

"To me, Big Daddy Kane is still today one of the best rappers. I would put Big Daddy Kane against any rapper in a battle. Jay-Z, Nas, Eminem, any of them. I could take his 'Raw' "swagger" from 88 and put it up against any record [from today]. Kane is one of the most incredible lyricists… and he will devour you on the mic. I don't want to try to out-rap Big Daddy Kane. Big Daddy Kane can rap circles around cats".^[2]

His first two albums are also considered Hip Hop classics^[7] and Rolling Stone says, “he has received consistent critical kudos”.^[25] In the book, Rap-Up: The Ultimate Guide To Hip-Hop And R&B, Cameron and Devin Lazerine say Big Daddy Kane is “widely seen as one of the best lyricists of his time and even today regularly gets name-checked by younger dudes”,^[26] and music journalist Peter Shapiro says Kane is “perhaps the most complete MC ever”.^[12] Eminem references Big Daddy Kane in the lyrics to his song ‘Yellow Brick Road’ from his Encore album, saying, “we (Eminem and Proof) was on the same shit, that Big Daddy Kane shit, where compound syllables sound combined”^[10] and he quotes the same lines in his book, The Way I Am – this illustrates how Big Daddy Kane had an influence on both Eminem’s and Proof’s rhyme technique.^[11]

Discography[link]

• Long Live the Kane (1988)
• It's a Big Daddy Thing (1989)
• Taste of Chocolate (1990)
• Prince of Darkness (1991)
• Looks Like a Job For... (1993)
• Daddy's Home (1994)
• Veteranz' Day (1998)

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Big Daddy Kane

• Official website
• Big Daddy Kane on Myspace
• Big Daddy Kane at Allmusic
• Big Daddy Kane at MTV
• Big Daddy Kane at the Internet Movie Database
• Big Daddy Kane bio The 411 on Big Daddy Kane
• The Unkut Interview
• http://www.exclaim.ca/musicreviews/latestsub.aspx?csid1=130&csid2=870&fid1=37508 March 26, 2009 Toronto Concert Review - Exclaim! Magazine - by: Neil Acharya
• Hiphopdx.com article

Tyler Ray Ward (born March 12, 1989), is a singer/songwriter and producer known for his covers of hit songs by artists including Adele, Maroon 5, Justin Bieber, and Katy Perry.^[1][2] Tyler is also well known for his original songs such as Everything, The Hardest Thing, The Rescue, Paper Heart and Our Story's Told.^[3][4] Although Ward often sings and produces his own music, he also works with his backing band on many projects and on tour, members include his instrumental band whom he met during a small gig in 2007 along with rapper Eppic, singer/songwriter Alex G and rapper and brother Derek Ward... He has also worked and produced music for many people across Youtube including Boyce Avenue, Megan Nicole and Katy McAllister..

YouTube recognition[link]

Tyler Ward is best known for his cover with fellow YouTubers, Megan Nicole and Eppic of Eminem's "Love the Way You Lie" which has had more than 17 million views as of July 1, 2012.^[5] His first video was a mix of the current top 40 songs of 2008 which has 600 thousand views to date.^[6] Since then, Ward has amassed over 900,000 subscribers and more than 250 million views on his channel.^[7][8]

Career[link]

Before Tyler Ward had an interest in music, he was focused on sports. After graduating from high school, Tyler enrolled in the United States Air Force Academy to begin a college football career. Tyler Ward was not able to adjust to the different lifestyle and decided to move on with his life. After leaving the Air Force Academy, Ward was accepted into the University Of Northern Colorado and started to write songs while seeking a journalism degree.^[9][10][11] Tyler is also a devoted christian and has witten songs to express his faith.

Tyler Ward was once number five on Billboard's Top 100 Uncharted List and was also ranked on Billboard's Social 50 Chart for several weeks.^[12][13]

In 2011, Ward performed a duet with The Band Perry, celebrating the Academy of Country Music Awards.^[14] Later that year, Ward performed with Christina Grimmie live on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. Their performance aired nationwide on October 10, 2011.^[15]

Tyler is currently working towards the release of his first official original album which will be released in two parts, one half being released in September 18th, 2012 and will feature 6 songs. The second half is then scheduled to be released complete with the last 6 songs on February 12, 2013. The album has been described as an "Album for the Fans, By the Fans" and will be funded by the fans themselves.

Songs covered[link]

Singles[link]

Top 10 most viewed videos[link]

As of 27th July 2012, the 10 most viewed videos uploaded by Tyler Ward are:

References[link]

Wiz Khalifa
Wiz Khalifa in Brooklyn, New York in August 2009.
Background information
Birth name	Cameron Jibril Thomaz
Born	(1987-09-08) September 8, 1987 (age 24) Minot, North Dakota, United States
Genres	Hip hop
Occupations	Rapper, singer, songwriter, actor
Years active	2005–present
Labels	Rostrum, Taylor Gang, Warner Bros., Atlantic
Associated acts	Snoop Dogg, Rick Ross, Curren$y, Big Sean, Chevy Woods, Mac Miller, Juicy J, Tinie Tempah, Yelawolf, Maroon 5, Big K.R.I.T.
Website	wizkhalifa.com

Cameron Jibril Thomaz (born September 8, 1987), better known by the stage name Wiz Khalifa, is an American rapper. He released his debut album, Show and Prove, in 2006, and signed to Warner Bros. Records in 2007. His Eurodance-influenced single, "Say Yeah", received urban radio airplay, charting on the Rhythmic Top 40 and Hot Rap Tracks charts in 2008.^[1] Khalifa parted with Warner Bros. and released his second album, Deal or No Deal, in November 2009. He released the mixtape Kush and Orange Juice as a free download in April 2010; he then signed with Atlantic Records.^[2] He is also well known for his debut single for Atlantic, "Black and Yellow", which peaked at number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. His debut album for the label, Rolling Papers, was released on March 29, 2011.^[3]

Early life[link]

Khalifa was born on September 8, 1987 to a mother and a father serving in the military.^[1][4] His parents divorced when Khalifa was about three years old. His parents' military service caused him to move regularly: Khalifa lived in Germany, the United Kingdom, and Japan before settling in Pittsburgh where he attended Taylor Allderdice High School.^[1][4]

His stage name is derived from khalifa, an Arabic word meaning "successor", and wisdom, which was shortened to Wiz when Khalifa was a young boy .^[5] Khalifa stated to spinner.com that the name also came from being called "young Wiz 'cause I was good at everything I did, and my granddad is Muslim, so he gave me that name; he felt like that's what I was doing with my music." He got his stage name tattooed on his 17th birthday.^[6][7] He includes Jimi Hendrix, Camp Lo, The Notorious B.I.G. and Bone Thugs-n-Harmony among his influences.^[8]

Career[link]

[edit] 2005–08: Early mixtapes and Show and Prove

Rostrum Records president Benjy Grinberg first heard about Wiz Khalifa in 2004 when the rapper's contribution to a mixtape of various new Pittsburgh artists attracted his interest.^[9] When Grinberg finally met the 16-year-old artist, he immediately decided he wanted to work with him, later telling HitQuarters: "Even though he wasn’t all the way developed you could just tell that he was a diamond in the rough, and that with some polishing, guidance and backing he could become something special."^[9] Khalifa signed to the label shortly after and began a seven year period of artist development.^[9]

Khalifa released his first mixtape, Prince of the City: Welcome to Pistolvania, in 2005. The mixtape paved the way for his first full length album entitled Show and Prove in 2006. Khalifa was declared an "artist to watch" that year in Rolling Stone magazine.^[10][11]

In 2007, Khalifa signed to Warner Bros. Records and released two mixtapes through Rostrum Records: Grow Season, hosted by DJ Green Lantern and released on July 4, 2007, and Prince of the City 2, released on November 20, 2007. His debut Warner Bros. single "Say Yeah" reached number 25 on the Billboard Rhythmic Top 40 music chart and number 20 on Billboard's Hot Rap Tracks. The song samples "Better Off Alone" by Alice Deejay. Khalifa's vocals from "Say Yeah" appear near the end of Pittsburgh mash up producer Girl Talk's 2008 album, Feed the Animals, over music from Underworld's "Born Slippy", Usher's "Love in This Club", and the Cure's "In Between Days".^[12] Khalifa appeared with The Game, David Banner and Play-n-Skillz at U92's Summer Jam at the USANA Amphitheatre in West Valley City, Utah on August 2, 2008.^[13] Khalifa released the mixtapes Star Power in September 2008, and Flight School in April 2009 on Rostrum Records.

Khalifa parted ways with Warner Bros. Records in July 2009 after numerous delays in releasing his planned debut album for the label, First Flight. Khalifa stated to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that, "I learned a lot during my time there and matured as an artist during the process. I'm happy to be moving on with all of my material and having the chance to be in control of my next moves".^[14] Khalifa appeared with Girl Talk, Modey Lemon, Donora, Grand Buffet, and Don Caballero at the Amphitheatre at Station Square in Pittsburgh on July 31, 2009, where he announced that his relationship with Warner Bros. was over.^[15]

Wiz Khalifa performing at Columbia University in New York City in April 2010.

[edit] 2009–10: Deal or No Deal

Continuing his association with Rostrum Records, Khalifa released the single "Teach U to Fly", and the mixtape How Fly, a collaboration with New Orleans rapper Curren$y, on August 9, 2009.^[14] Khalifa introduced a more melodic style on the mixtape, alternating between singing and rapping. He opened for Wu-Tang Clan member U-God at the 2009 CMJ Music Marathon in New York City.^[16] Khalifa released the mixtape Burn After Rolling on November 2, 2009, where he raps over familiar beats from other artists, including the songs "If I Were A Boy" and "Diva" by Beyoncé, "Walking on a Dream" by Empire of the Sun, "Luchini AKA This Is It" by Camp Lo, and "Best I Ever Had" by Drake.^[17] Khalifa released his second album, Deal or No Deal, on November 24, 2009.^[18]

Khalifa performed at Emo's in Austin, Texas in March 2010 as part of the 2010 South by Southwest Music Festival.^[19] He appeared on the cover of XXL magazine that same month, for the magazine's annual list of Top 10 Freshman, which included Donnis, J. Cole, Pill, Freddie Gibbs, and Fashawn. Wiz Khalifa was named 2010 "Rookie Of The Year" by "The Source", with alongside Rick Ross, "The Man Of The Year".^[20] He toured with rapper Yelawolf on a 20-date tour, the Deal Or No Deal Tour.^[21] Khalifa released the free mixtape Kush and Orange Juice for download on April 14, 2010. Due to Khalifa's devoted grassroots fan base, the mixtape became the No. 1 trending topic on Twitter with the hash tag #kushandorangejuice, and "Kush and Orange Juice download” ranked No. 1 on Google’s hot search trends.^[22]

2010: Signing with Atlantic Records[link]

Citing music industry insiders, New York magazine wrote that Khalifa signed with Atlantic Records in April 2010, although the rapper did not confirm it.^[23] He stated to AllHipHop in June 2010 that he was working on a new album, but was weighing his options and had not yet decided on a label to distribute it.^[24] Khalifa confirmed to MTV on July 30 that he was signing an Atlantic Records deal.^[25]

Wiz Khalifa on stage in Boston in August 2010.

Khalifa was featured in a remix and video for the 2010 Rick Ross single "Super High", alongside Curren$y.^[26] He guested on the mixtape Grey Goose, Head Phones, and Thirsty Women by St. Louis rapper M.C,^[27] and was featured on the track "The Breeze (Cool)" on rapper Wale's August 2010 mixtape More About Nothing.^[28] Khalifa was named MTV's Hottest Breakthrough MC of 2010, winning with nearly 70,000 votes, and beating out finalists Nicki Minaj, J. Cole, Travis Porter, and Diggy Simmons.^[29]