(Interview from www.complex.com)

A Norwegian production duo probably isn’t the first guess that would come to mind when trying to figure out who did one of the biggest rap anthems of 2010. Not because Stargate (Tor Erik Hermansen and Mikkel S. Eriksen) aren’t known.

But more because they’re known for producing pop smashes like Beyonce’s “Irreplaceable,”Rihanna’s “What’s My Name,” and Katy Perry’s “Firework.” However, for Pittsburgh’s Wiz Khalifa, they made perfect sense when it came time to find his first single. Linking up in New York last spring, they ended up working on seven songs (four of which will be on his major label debut, Rolling Papers dropping March 29) including his top five Pittsburgh Steelers-reppin’ smash, “Black And Yellow,” as well as his second single, “Roll Up.”

We caught up with Stargate earlier this week at Roc the Mic studios in Manhattan to talk about the process of working with Wiz and why they haven’t worked with more rappers in the past.

Biography

Possessing a keenness that belied his age, Pittsburgh, PA, rap lyricist Wiz Khalifa came to be a rising star over the course of the late 2000s based on his young bravado and hardcore yet charismatic execution of rhymes. Consciously building up his city's hip-hop reputation, he sought out to create a sound that was uniquely Pittsburgh, relying on his East Coast (Jay-Z, Wu-Tang Clan), Southern (Three 6 Mafia), and other (Bone Thugs-N-Harmony) hip-hop influences.

A military brat, Khalifa, whose real name is Cameron Thomaz, was born in 1987 in Minot, ND. After his parents divorced when he was about age three, he lived in various places and military bases around the world before settling in Pittsburgh. He was constantly writing during that time and soaked up a great deal of knowledge from his globetrotting experiences. His first attempt at committing lyrics to paper happened around age nine, and at 12 he was already recording and producing his own records in his father's Oklahoma studio.