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Wiz Khalifa was shocked to learn that his distant relative lived as an enslaved person in the late 1800s.
In a recent installment of PBS' "Finding Your Roots," the Pittsburgh native sat down with host Henry Louis Gates Jr. to find out more about his fifth great-grandfather, Howard Williamson. The host revealed that Williamson lived in Alabama, next door to the white family who owned him. Gates showed him documentation from the slave owner, Thomas J. Williamson, who included his relative on a list known as a “slave schedule." The seasoned rapper called the experience a "reality check."
“I think I’m programmed to feel a little bit p*ssed,” Wiz replied when he found out about his great-grandfather's owner. “But just him owning my family just sounds crazy. That sounds wild. I feel some type of way about that.”
“It’s crazy to see him as a nameless person on a grid,” he continued. “And to know how valuable that property is because it’s a life and it’s not actually property, it’s a person. No name, just a color and an age and what sex you are.”
The good news is Williamson's life didn't end as a slave. He was able to gain his freedom and work as a farmer. He also registered to vote during the Reconstruction era following the Civil War, which was a courageous move for any person of color at that time. Of course, he was able to grow his family. Wiz also learned about his grandfather Willie Wimbush Jr., who traveled from the South to Pittsburgh around 1955 during the Great Migration. Wimbush brought his family to Pittsburgh’s Hill District, which determined the trajectory of Wiz's life.
“Even I feel all of them around me. I just don’t know who they are. So now I’m able to say their name. So that just makes it even better,” he explained. “It’s really good to learn it.. Just to know, just to feel Papa Bush’s ambition through his story. That’s what I could feel.”
Wiz's segment on "Finding Your Roots" debuted before he dropped his latest album Khaotic. The album contains 11 songs including collaborations with Max B, rmr, Hoodrich Pablo Juan, 2 Chainz, Juicy J, Dave East and Skilla Baby.