1 / 17

The Rundown: Wiz Khalifa, O.N.I.F.C. - Wiz Khalifa is having a great 2012: a dope mixtape (Taylor Allderdice), a pregnant fiancée. But before Amber Rose gives birth to their first child next year, he has another baby to unveil: his new album, O.N.I.F.C. After the huge, unexpected success of his last album, Rolling Papers, and its smash single "Black & Yellow," the expectations are bigger than ever. Does Wiz live up to the hype with O.N.I.F.C.? Read on to find out with this track-by-track review. —Alex Gale(Photo: Atlantic Records)

Photo By Atlantic Records

2 / 17

"Intro" - Over its too-short 36 seconds of Beach Boys-inspired harmonizing over trap drums, the intro, really just a beat, gives early notice that Wiz Khalifa occasionally makes more interesting musical choices on O.N.I.F.C. than he did on his pop-focused breakthrough, Rolling Papers. It ends with an inhalation sound — no explanation needed.  (Photo: Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images)

3 / 17

"Paperbond" - "I have enough weed to last me for the rest of my motherf--king life," Wiz Khalifa says at the top of the true album opener, "Paperbond." With that proclamation and the spacy, synth-heavy production, Wiz immediately announces the album's direction, which is really a U-turn. O.N.I.F.C. spares us the frat-party anthems of Rolling Papers, instead going for that other cornerstone of college life: the dorm room, which Wiz's early work was often the soundtrack for.  (Photo: Chris McKay/Getty Images for BET)

4 / 17

"Bluffin" - Wiz Khalifa gets into his zone early here, boasting of "big money," big blunts and his nonstop work ethic over his trademark sound — more serene synth chords floating over frenetic trap drums.  (Photo: C Flanigan)

5 / 17

"Let It Go"  - We're not sure where Akon's been — busy cashing those Lady Gaga checks, most likely (not that we can blame him). But Wiz Khalifa somehow recruits the "Locked Up" star for one of the album's cornier, more cliched moments. Wiz comes with a double-time flow at points, finally breaking out of his same-y stoner trance, but Akon's syrupy vocals on the hook make you want to take another deep pull regardless.  (Photo: Rick Diamond/Getty Images for BET)

6 / 17

"The Bluff" feat. Cam'ron - Wiz Khalifa reaches out to a much more interesting collaborator here: Cam'ron, the man, the legend, the Dipset boss. But the polite hook and production — again, synths and 808s drenched in reverb — aren't the proper vehicle for Cam's Harlem's cocky Uptown swagger. It's still a good song, and Cam's nimble delivery outshines Wiz easily, but what could've been a classic moment between two eccentric rap opposites is squandered. (Photos from left: Michael Loccisano/Getty Images, John Ricard / BET).

7 / 17

"Work Hard Play Hard" - Interestingly, this is the only song on the album produced by Stargate, the chart-topping Swedish production duo, who produced "Black & Yellow" and other joints on Rolling Papers. This song, co-produced by Benny Blanco, doesn't come close to that song's monstrous, anthemic catchiness. Still, with Wiz Khalifa's re-found predilection for sleepy stoner-trap beats on O.N.I.F.C., the big hook and even bigger beat are a welcome standout. (Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images) 

8 / 17

"Got Everything" feat. Courtney Noelle - Maybe the pop stylings of Rolling Papers were actually a good thing? Wiz Khalifa goes for another single here, and he succeeds, with a happy, radio-ready beat from Pittsburgh production crew I.D. Labs and a bright, pulsing hook from Taylor Gang signee Courtney Noelle. Taken by itself, this song's mainstream leanings and cliches are over the top, but in the smoked-out context of the album's stoner rap comfort zone, it comes across as a blast of fresh air.  (Photos from left: Kevin Winter/Getty Images, Courtney Noelle/Myspace)

9 / 17

"Time" - "I'm doing what I usually do, man," Wiz Khalifa says at the beginning of "Time." "Sticking to the script." He's not lying: It's another ode to all things green (money and weed) over another stuttering synth beat, which sounds even more forgettable after the helter-skelter awesomeness of "Fall Asleep." (Photo: Michael Loccisano/Getty Images)

10 / 17

"It's Nothing" feat. 2 Chainz - Like Rolling Papers, O.N.I.F.C. is remarkably friendly and happy for a rap album, but here Wiz Khalifa manages a swaggering snarl of sorts thanks to a mean-mugging Drumma Boy beat and a verse from 2 Chainz. (Photos: Jeff Daly/PictureGroup)

11 / 17

"Rise Above" feat. Pharrell Williams, Amber Rose and Tuki Carter - Another dark, weird moment thanks to Pharrell's pensive, driving beat, which features a relentless sample of someone seemingly shouting "Sir!" Pharrell and Taylor Gang's Tuki Carter do a good job on their verses, and Amber Rose's thankfully brief rap at the end remarkably doesn't derail the whole proceeding. (Photos from left: John Ricard / BET, PacificCoastNews.com, Courtesy of WIkiCommons)

12 / 17

"Initiation" - For the second song in a row, a paranoid Wiz Khalifa goes in on "haters" — a nice dark sub-theme that breaks up the relentless braggadocio on the rest of the album. It might be lazy to compare Taylor Gang rapstress Lola Monroe, but here, they sound remarkably similar. Which is a shame, because, lyrically, Lola's sixteen is razor-sharp.  (Photos from left: Gustavo Caballero/Getty Images for Heineken, Angela Weiss/Getty Images for Anna Francesca)

13 / 17

"Up In It" - Songs like this are super awkward when you know exactly who a musician is talking about. Wiz Khalifa and Amber continue their tongue-twisting PDA, this time on wax. "Speeding up the pace, while I look right into your face," Wiz raps. TMI, guys.  (Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

Photo By Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images

14 / 17

"No Limit" - Wiz Khalifa gets back on track here, possibly the album's best spaced-out aspirational smoker's anthem, and certainly its most interesting. Thanks to producers will.i.am and ID Labs, Synths make way to warm Rhodes, and 808s are mercifully replaced by live-sounding drum breaks. The nine-minute, two-part song's gorgeous, seamless transition into its second half is the album's best, most unexpected moment, musically speaking.   (Photo: Gary Gershoff/Getty Images)

15 / 17

"The Plan" feat. Juicy J - Surprisingly, O.N.I.F.C. starts to pick up toward the end — a rap rarity. ID Labs come with another great beat, pensive and powerful at the same time, with layers of keyboards floating beautifully in and out. But Juicy J is the real MVP here, giving the track a gritty O.G. gravitas that Wiz Khalifa lacks.    (Photo: Rick Diamond/Getty Images for BET)

16 / 17

"Remember You" feat. The Weeknd - After the yucky platitudes of "Up In It," Wiz Khalifa gets a tutorial in subtle, smoky seduction from The Weeknd himself. The Toronto crooner's go-to producer, Illangelo, comes along too, and the result really comes off like a Weeknd song featuring Wiz. That's a good thing here, another example of Wiz winning when he goes weird. (Photos from left: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for ABC, Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for Coachella)

17 / 17

"Medicated" feat. Chevy Woods and Juicy J - Wiz Khalifa reverts back to form here, as the title and synth-and-808 beat immediately make apparent. It's tried-and-true Wiz, but like much of the album, it doesn't have the same oomph as breakthrough mixtape Kush and Orange Juice or even this year's Taylor Allderdice. The pop stylings of Rolling Papers were often over the top and pander-ish, but those melodic hooks and big Stargate beats still stuck in your head more. On O.N.I.F.C., Wiz is sky high once again, but this time he's on auto-pilot for much of the flight.  (Photos from left: Kevin Winter/Getty Images, Taylor Gang Entertainment, Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)