The Pittsburgh Knights have announced a partnership with Cameron Jibril Thomaz, also known as Wiz Khalifa. The North American esports organization will work with the Grammy Award-nominated music artist, who also happens to be a Pittsburgh native. Wiz Khalifa will join as a strategic partner and help improve Pittsburgh Knights’ “creative direction, marketing, live events, and entertainment” efforts.
Knights x @WizKhalifa
A business and entertainment partnership as only #Pittsburgh can do it.
Exclusive launch tee: https://t.co/aO68lO7XjZ pic.twitter.com/P2niFKp634
— Knights (@KnightsGG) July 19, 2019
Pittsburgh Knights
In 2019, the Pittsburgh Knights received investment from the NFL franchise Pittsburgh Steelers. With so much of their operations based in Steel City, partnering with Wiz Khalifa was a no brainer. The Pittsburgh Knights currently compete in games like Smite, Paladins, PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, Apex Legends, Madden, Super Smash Bros., and Gwent.
“It is awesome to partner with the Knights, alongside the Pittsburgh Steelers, on this exciting endeavor. The Knights are pushing the boundaries in the esports space with an experienced team,” said Wiz Khalifa. “ Being based in Pittsburgh, my hometown, a city known for bringing home championships, I am pumped to be a part of this moment in history kicking off another winning team for the city.”
Wiz Khalifa’s partnership
James O’Connor, the president for the Knights, said that he thinks “[Wiz Khalifa] is definitely a visionary”. He also spoke about how he admires him and his team’s “work ethic” and is happy that he has joined “the Knights’ family”. With this partnership, the Knights have also released a jersey as part of their merch with Wiz Khalifa’s name.
This announcement is similar to many other music artists entering the esports industry. For example, 100 Thieves currently lists Drake as a co-owner. Luminosity Gaming also has Tory Lanez and The Weeknd as investors.
Outside of music, Wiz Khalifa founded Taylor Gang Entertainment in 2011. It acts as a record label and management company with music artists like Juicy J, Ty Dolla $ign, and TM88. Wiz has also created his own venture in the legalized marijuana space with Khalifa Kush.
What do you think Wiz Khalifa will do in the future with this Pittsburgh Knights partnership? One of his hit songs, “Black and Yellow”, was made for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Let us know your thoughts in the comments, and keep up with all of the latest esports news and content here at Daily Esports.
