HHNLive.com writer Maxine Ross sits down with Pittsburgh's Wiz Khalifa to discuss his hometown, "Say Yeah", his up-coming album, the Soulja Boy/Ice-T beef, the PA sound and much more.

Wiz on "Say Yeah": "I make all types of music, I have a lot of songs that can crossover and be diverse. It was nothing to really pick a cool song that was radio friendly..."

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Pittsburgh, PA isn't New York City. It's isn't Atlanta, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Chicago or Miami. This young MC isn't Jay-Z, Jeezy, Sigel, The Game, or Common but with production from The Runners and a smash single sampling a classic techno song, his differences may prove the point. A city that reps its own, there are certainly the commonalities, bomb ass Jamaican food spots like Flavors, key neighborhood studios like ID Labs down in Lawrenceville, and young hungry rappers with hits for days.

Wiz Khalifa, Wiz for Wisdom and Khalifa meaning the "successor" this phenom is ready for you to get to know him. On his terms.

Maxine Ross: What's good Wiz?

Wiz Khalifa: I'm chillin. How are you?

MR: I'm good, I'm good, glad to be talking to you. You've been doing some big things, I caught you at a show in Pittsburgh at Sound Kitchen a while back and the single "Say Yeah" is blowing up. What have you been up to?

WK: Promoting the record and promoting the album.

MR: Where have you been promoting the record and what have you been doing?

WK: Just traveling, going everywhere being everywhere, a lot of performances, I'm about to drop a mixtape this summer so look out for that, promo promo, promo, radio, high school shows and performances trying to show my face, just everywhere.

MR: What cities have you been in?

WK: Miami, LA, Portland, Oregon, Maine, Phoenix, Dallas , Austin, West Palm, couple other places, everywhere, couple spots in Ohio, Maryland, they have me all over the place.

MR: "Say Yeah" samples the Alice Deejay techno jawn, why would you choose to go with this record rather than a more street single?

WK: Say yeah is more crossover, we knew just as a business decision it would be a song that is more widespread successful. I make all types of music, I have a lot of songs that can crossover and be diverse. It was nothing to really pick a cool song that was radio friendly and we knew everybody would fall in love with and run with that versus going with a song that is more urban and one that would not automatically go at those other audiences. So we just went with "Say Yeah."

MR: Like we were talking about earlier, I chilled in the Pittsburgh scene for a minute and I was having a conversation with someone who lives there about whether or not you were the biggest Hip Hop star to pop in the city.

WK: Yeah, definitely I've reached some points in my career that a lot of other artists before me or that was grinding along side of me haven't exactly reached yet but I can't even say it's all me. That goes to my team. I've got a real big team behind me and the music was just there. I stay grinding stay on top of what I was doing. I really live my work. I wake up everyday and I go hard at my music. I'm doing interviews and shows and promoting and ring tones and all types of stuff. The hard work and the surefire grind really just paid off and it's big for me being the first one, I never thought it would be me, I was always looking for someone else like, "we need to get on" but the fact that it's me is real cool. I'm just taking it day by day to maintain my spot to make sure I'm number one.

MR: What other artists from the Burgh are you collaborating with?

WK: Other artists like Kev the Hustler, and the whole Heavy Hustle camp I work real close with them. Like you said Boaz, that's my man I work real close with all the time, we in the studio real heavily. We trying to focus on this and make it huge.

MR: What influence, if any, has the Pittsburgh sound had on your music and your style?

WK: It influenced my style because of the music I listen to and as far as my grind goes. In Pittsburgh we never had our own sound. Down in Wilkinsburg everybody love Three 6 Mafia and No Limit real big when that was heavy, and Homewood is influenced by down south stuff. Kids that represent real conscious stuff, you know that backpack rap. All types of music like West coast stuff. Growing up in Pittsburgh and seeing how diverse everybody taste in music was I had to be able to make all different types of tracks to be able appeal to everybody in my city and that has made me a more versatile artist also. I started traveling more and stuff like that. Being that we don't have our own scene it made me want to buckle down and create something on my own instead of going somewhere else or being affiliated with another artist with a big label or something like that. In Pittsburgh we don't want to be like everybody else, we want everybody to want to be like us. It made me wanna grind harder and stick to what I'm doing.

MR: So Wayne just sold a million records and everybody in the industry is taking a huge deep breath like, "How the hell did he pull this off?" Unless you're a big artist or rapper like that, no one else is really selling. What is your goal and how do you plan to sell records?

WK: My goal is to sell a million records. You gotta put in all that work that Lil Wayne did. I mean, the way I look at it is, it is possible, people is saying the record business is done, sales is down but you really gotta market yourself in all the ways to the point where people love you and want to buy CDs. That's what I'm focused on...really putting myself out there like, I got a whole bunch of music, I'm always in the studio, I'm always doing shows I'm trying to tap into a whole new fan base you know. The internet fan base, you know, YouTube, MySpace, like I mentioned, ringtones, everything to the point where people know my personality and my music. You know, so they know me. I feel that if more artists geared their careers toward to what's going on they won't have no problem selling. Why Wayne sold so much is because he had a grip on what was going on. He was the hottest thing out. He found his lane and started running in it. That's what I'm trying to do. Find my lane and then when people start getting comfortable and knowing who I am, it's gonna take off because the music is there. The music is definitely there.

MR: Ice-T has had some recent words for Soulja Boy basically saying that new artists like him are killing Hip Hop and not representing real Hip Hop music. Do you, as a new artist, feel any pressure to watch your step, so to speak, and represent real rap music?

WK: I'm not really watching my step or nothing like that because I know my musical capabilities and I know how much I enjoy music and a lot of artists like that speak about people like that, they get upset because a lot of new artists don't know too much about a lot of artists from the early 90's you know, and I did my homework. I grew up in a house where there was all types of music, you know. I do my thing. I don't feel no pressure to uphold myself to somebody else's standards. I do my thing. You know, Soulja Boy he got his lane, he getting his money, I'm doing my thing, I feel no pressure to prove myself.

MR: Where are you recording the album?

WK: I'm mostly in Pittsburgh, I've been going other places like, I was in Orlando recording a song with The Runners, LA, just traveling and seeing what music is hot in other places in general and just checking out big music. I'm coming with different subject matter and hip material in general and I'm having so much fun.

MR: What feedback have you heard?

WK: Oh man, I'm getting so much love, everybody is saying, you know, they love the single, it's creative and a lot of cats have been checking for me for a while so the new single has really got the buzz started. I've been sticking to what I've been doing and the single is just crazy. It's not easy but I'm having fun. You gotta have the complete message and the work ethic.

MR: Who is next to blow out of Pittsburgh?

WK: I mean, definitely the whole Heavy Hustle movement, but I think Boaz is the next to shine outta the Burgh. He's just incredible. Not just a lyricist but he is a great songwriter and a musician, he's just a talented dude all around.

MR: Any closing words?

WK- Yeah, check me out on YouTube and MySpace. Look out for my mixtape dropping this summer.

MR-Lastly, favorite hangout spot in Pittsburgh?

WK- I be down ID labs and in Hazelwood.