Image via Hero Entertainment
Wiz Khalifa is ready to build his film résumé.
The rapper is starring in Spinning Gold, out now in theaters, as the iconic George Clinton, who was known for leading the influential funk group Parliament-Funkadelic during the 1970s.
“I love movies that tell the story behind the hits and the classics that we love,” Khalifa tells Complex. “To be able to have the opportunity to play another legend, somebody I look up to and who has paved the way for a lot of artists in the game … I was really excited.”
The film illustrates the life and career of record producer and Casablanca Records founder Neil Bogart (played by Jeremy Jordan), who helped discover many iconic musicians like Donna Summer, Kiss, and Village People, as well as worked with other superstars like Clinton, Gladys Knight & the Pips, and the Isley Brothers.
Bogart’s son, Timothy Scott Bogart—who experienced his music producer father’s trajectory firsthand—directed, wrote, and produced the film. He wanted to keep it all in the family and invited Clinton’s children and grandchildren to be part of the film and assist Khalifa in his portrayal by being part of his character’s band in the movie. While Clinton didn’t have a say when it came to casting, he approved of the team’s choice and was familiar with Khalifa’s work—particularly his love for weed.
“When I met [Wiz], I could see the person that I was in was true,” Clinton tells Complex. “I was comfortable with what he was doing. Not only that, the people that were making the film are Neil’s kids. I knew them when they were babies so I’m pretty much trusting everybody that had a hand in it. Everybody had a good reason to see it through.”
The film is about artists played by artists and also stars Jason Derulo, Jay Pharoah, Tayla Parx, Michelle Monaghan, Dan Fogler, and Sebastian Maniscalco. Check out Complex’s conversation with Wiz Khalifa and George Clinton about their involvement in Spinning Gold, how they feel about each other, rappers-turned-actors, and more.
Wiz, can you talk about when you first found out that you landed this role and the conversations that you had with George about portraying him in this movie?
Wiz Khalifa: Yeah. I was really excited to get this movie. Just being a musician myself and always being inspired by music. I love movies that tell the story behind the hits and the classics that we love. And just through my music and what I’ve built with my fan base, to be able to have the opportunity to play another legend, somebody who I look up to and who has paved the way for a lot of artists in the game and one of the most sampled artists in the freaking world. Somebody whose legacy is going to be here forever and ever. It was a lot for me to find out that I was going to be in the movie. But I was really excited.
I actually didn’t get a chance to talk to George beforehand. He’s a busy dude. He’s on tour. He’s doing so much. But we met directly afterward. I was on set with his grandkids and kids. So it was a really family-oriented vibe, and it was the real thing. I had to deliver lines, but we had a really great time just talking about what it really meant to be around or what it really means to be of that cloth. And it was fun. I had a great time.
For you, George, what did it feel like to see a part of your story being told and to see an artist like Wiz take on the role?
George Clinton: Well, I depended on my kids and my grandkids who played in the band with him. And accepting the role, which I was already comfortable with because I knew of his career, you know, with the weed. I knew from that point, I was kind of down with him already. [Laughs.] But when they said, “Oh, he did the da da da. He did it good. It came out good and the vibes were right,” it was really easy.
When I met him, I could see the person that I was in was true. So I was comfortable with what he was doing. Not only that, the people that were making the film are Neil’s kids. I knew them when they were babies so I’m pretty much trusting everybody that had a hand in it. Everybody had a good reason to see it through. I had no doubt that he was going to do it. He had that good weed.
Wiz, when you came onscreen, you instantly caught my attention. You just commanded the screen right away. Can you talk about your preparation for this role?
WK: Well, first of all, I got super-duper stoned. [Laughs.] But no, I really tried to watch George, his mannerisms, and just think about things that he was saying or doing at the time. And acting is supposed to be a professional job, but that wasn’t the vibe back then, being professional. We were on point about our craft, but it wasn’t, you know, we weren’t suits. We were the creative ones. So I wanted to bring that energy and let that side of George be known, that he is a fun dude. He is about his business. He knows what he wants. He knows the people around him. And the shit’s going to work when he says it. The things that he says, everybody began to believe. So I wanted to be that believable character as well.
What did you learn about George while playing him that you didn’t know before the movie? Or about his music?
WK: I learned so much that his band was created together but they were created to be separate as well. They were the same thing but they were two different bands. I learned how many superstars were spawned from his band or just being around his band and being on tour with his band.
I learned how much of a musical genius he actually is, orchestrating it, putting things in the place of how they’re supposed to sound. You know how much in control he actually was of the sound and the look of everything back then. A lot of that really, really inspired me and still does inspire me.
For sure. George, I know you mentioned that your grandchildren and your children are part of the band in the movie. What did it feel for you for Timothy to bring them in to be part of this movie?
GC: Well, they’re already in my band now on the road. We’ve been on tour for probably the last five or six years. They’ve been part of the band. Some of them for even longer. So they were already doing that and also my boy Ice Cube does that with his son. And I realized that’s what it is. The people that grew up around it, that know it, would make it really the right age for the relevancy that’s needed with Wiz. So they made a nice match with him. They looked like the group for real. And I depend on kids to tell me what to do next. You know what I’m saying. I watch them a lot.
You mentioned this earlier, Wiz. Movies about the music industry are so important, because there are a lot of things that fans don’t know about what happens behind the scenes, how a superstar is created, or how a hit record is made, or the workings of record labels. What do you hope that audiences, especially younger musicians, learn from this movie?
WK: Yeah. I hope it just sparks a whole new interest for younger musicians. I had the blessing of growing up in a musical household where my parents exposed me to Parliament-Funkadelic. Or my aunties or whomever it was I was around at the time. So I was blessed with that, but we’re older and it’s our job to educate the kids younger than us and even kids my son’s age. He’s 10 years old. These hits will never die. These classics will never die.
So movies like this with people who enjoy me as well, if they’re into it because I’m in it, then hopefully it spawns their going and digging in and listening to the catalog and developing their own musical tastes based off of the knowledge that they get from this movie. So we’re just continuing the legacy and spreading the knowledge of the greatness of what these guys did. And we’re really appreciative of it.
George, a lot of musical legends like yourself don’t get the chance to see these movies come to life and they don’t get to be part of these movies or they don’t have a say, really. What does it mean for you to be able to experience this?
GC: Well, it actually is the beginning of a very long story. This was Neil Bogart’s story. And he had a much longer story than they told in the finale. They told [the story of] when KISS, Donna, and ourselves came together with Casablanca. It came to a peak right there. He had one hell of a story prior to that, leading up to the Gladys Knight, the Isley Brothers. With Buddha Records, he was king of bubblegum. He was a phenomenal promotion man. So was Cecil Holmes, who was his partner.
By the time they got to Casablanca, we knew we were at the right place. That’s why I could ask for a million-dollar spaceship because I knew he knew what to do with my request. He could get hit records. They made hit records. They promoted records unlike anybody. So that story was peaking by the time we did our part of it. We have a whole lot more to tell. I’m going to do my story, my version of it. There’ll be a whole lot more to tell.
Wiz, you have to get ready for part two.
WK: Oh, exactly. I’m ready. Man, we locked in.
I’ve noticed that there’s a pattern of rappers who turned actors. Wiz, from your experience, do you feel like it’s a natural progression for a rapper to go to Hollywood and do his thing there?
WK: Yeah, definitely. I think naturally we’re inspired by film and we have a lot of different visions that we want to get out there that we might not necessarily be able to do through music. So becoming another character or finding a way of presenting ourselves where you are still getting our personalities that you love from music but you see it onscreen. And even personally, I have goals of just building a catalog of movies or things that I’ve been in the same way that I have my catalog of music. So it’s goal-driven, it’s culture driven, and it is lifestyle driven as well.
What kind of roles do you see yourself playing in the future, aside from this one?
WK: I got tons of different movies that I want to do. I want to do a kids' movie for sure because I love kids. I want to do an animated movie because I love doing voiceovers. I want to do a story, not similar to this one because this is their story, but that shows the grind and the hustle of music and that incorporates things that I’ve been through. But not necessarily my life. But it’s just relevant to how people would grind or hustle these days. So those are just a couple of ideas that I have. Being able to do soundtracks and incorporate the music with it, it just makes it more of an experience for everybody around. And the fans, they remember it forever. And in the end, that’s really what it’s all about.
Wiz, what are you hoping that people feel when they see this movie in theaters?
WK: I hope that people understand what it really means to be an artist and what it really means to be an icon and build a legacy. George is 81 years old watching the younger cats do their thing. And that’s really the goal of all of this is to not only get your creativity out there but to create something that lasts forever and that inspires people forever. And not a lot of people can say that. Not everybody can say that, especially the people from this time and era. For some of them, the music outlasted them. And he’s still here to tell his story and to still build on it. That’s a lot to look up to, and I hope that people realize that and recognize it.
Spinning Gold is now in theaters.