Words by Jesse Serwer
No surprise seeing rap’s newest bonafide star Wiz Khalifa on the cover of the new Complex Magazine (A publication, as it happens, currently under the art direction of LargeUp family member Brent Rollins). The kid, who’s about to drop one of the most anticipated rap albums of the year next week, has already been out front on Rolling Stone. Wiz’s attire took us for a loop, though: he’s rocking the Gully squad T-shirt from our peoples RepJA. We’ve never known Wiz to be much of a dancehall head (though he did rhyme over Alborosie’s “Still Blazin” on his Kush & Orange Juice mixtape) so we’re curious to know if this is a deliberate homage to Mavado, or just a happy accident. If so, we’d like to see those two lighting one up in the studio before the summer comes. With all due apologies to Nas and Jr. Gong, we’re still waiting for that crucial collaboration that brings reggae/hip-hop crossover back to the forefront.
For more on RepJA, who are sure to be on a lot more radar screens after this look, check our May 2010 interview with brand co-founders Prince Graham and Omar Thomas.