by Amanda Slater

Named “rookie of the year” by multiple publications and recently gracing the cover of Rolling Stone magazine, Wiz Khalifa is seemingly an overnight sensation. But what many do not know is that he has actually been making music for years (his debut album, “Show and Prove,” was released in 2006). However, it was the release of “Black and Yellow,” his smash-hit first single on major label Atlantic Records that put him in the limelight, working its way up to the number one spot on Billboard’s Top 100.

Wiz is 23-year-old Cameron Jibril Thomaz, who was raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania—which explains his affinity for the colors black and yellow. His first full-length album with Atlantic Records, entitled “Rolling Papers,” will be released at the end of March—shortly after which he will be stopping by Eastern Michigan University’s Convocation Center. Wiz will be performing at EMU on April 4, 2011. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Tickets range from $20 to $30 and can be purchased online at www.emich.edu/convocation.