"Work Hard Play Hard" Wiz Khalifa

Early last year, Pittsburgh's Wiz Khalifa emerged as one of the rap scene's newest breakout stars, sending "Black and Yellow," a catchy ode to his hometown sports teams, all the way to the top of the charts. (It hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 following the Pirates' February Super Bowl victory.) A couple of moderate hits and gold album sales followed, but Wiz spent the rest of 2011 on a decidedly slower burn. So new single "Work Hard Play Hard," from his upcoming second studio album, O.N.I.F.C., represents a pivotal career moment: Can Khalifa cement himself as a legitimate superstar, or is he destined to join MC Hammer and Soulja Boy as a novelty footnote in music history?

With another simple, easily repeatable—and highly repetitive—refrain ("Work hard, play hard/Work hard, play hard"), Wiz certainly seems intent on following in the earworm footsteps of "Black and Yellow." And while it may not be as instantly grabbing, "Work" does have all the elements that made his previous work so appealing: propulsive, snapping beat; drawling, sing-song delivery; anthemic chorus. The result is a heavy industrial bounce that only grows more satisfying with each listen. The jury's still out on what kind of impact this one will have, but its leap to the top ten of iTunes on its first day of release ain't a bad sign. A-