Life & family
Wiz Khalifa is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and actor. He has been a member of hip-hop supergroup TGOD Mafia, with Juicy J, TM88, and Ty Dolla Sign.
Wiz is the son of Katie Maureen “Peachie” Wimbush and Laurence Thomaz, who were in the U.S. military. Due to their careers, he was raised in Germany, the U.K., and Japan, and then Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where his mother had been born. His stage name, Wiz, is short for “wisdom.” The name Khalifa is an Arabic word, meaning “successor.”
He has a son with his former wife, hip hop model, hip hop artist, and fashion designer Amber Rose.
A DNA test whose results were displayed on the show Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr. (2026) stated that Wiz’s genetic ancestry consists of:
*93% African
——–*20% Nigeria
——–*17% Mali
——–*15% Western Bantu Peoples
——–*10% Ivory Coast & Ghana
——–*10% Cameroon
——–*9% Benin & Togo
——–*5% Senegal
——–*3% Yorubaland
——–*2% Central Nigeria
——–*1% Central West Africa
——–*1% Nigerian Woodlands
*7% European
——–*4% Wales
——–*2% Germanic Europe
——–*1% Portugal
Genetically, he was found to have a common ancestor with filmmaker Ava DuVernay, through his mother’s side.
Wiz’s maternal grandfather was Barney Gabriel Wimbush (the son of Willie Wimbush, Jr. and Clara Ogletree). Barney was born in Barnesville, Georgia. Willie was born in Barnesville.
Wiz’s maternal grandmother was named Jessica Louise Brantley (the daughter of Jessie Mary Maddox). Jessie was the daughter of Willie Williamson. Willie’s grandfather, Howard Williamson, was born into slavery in Georgia.