Wiz Khalifa joins Pittsburgh Knights as strategic partner

Pittsburgh-based rapper Wiz Khalifa – real name Cameron Jibril Thomaz – has officially partnered with esports organisation Pittsburgh Knights.

The Knights brand themselves as Pittsburgh's local team, and this claim is only bolstered by the support they get from the NFL's Pittsburgh Steelers, who they partnered with in 2018.

“The Knights are pushing the boundaries in the esports space with an experienced team. Being based in Pittsburgh, my hometown, a city known for bringing home champions, I am pumped to be a part of this moment in history kicking off another winning team for the city,” Khalifa said of the new move.

Knights presidents James O'Connor said, "Wiz is definitely a visionary. He’s always ahead of the curve; he’s creative and savvy and we admire him and his team for their work ethic. We’re really happy to welcome him into the Knights’ family.”

In an interview with Forbes, Khalifa spoke about making the move into esports.

"Music has been involved in sports as long as I can remember. Whether it’s entrance music for a player or to pump a team up before a game music has always been there. When "Black & Yellow" came out we saw how it helped push the Steelers to the Super Bowl and with the fans, it became that much more real... I have always tried to be at the forefront of technology and I think this is another amazing moment in history. I am happy to be a part of it."

Wiz Khalifa joins the ever-growing list of rappers and other celebrities getting involved in esports; Drake with 100 Thieves, Tory Lanez with Luminosity Gaming, and Lil Yachty becoming an "official member" of FaZe Clan.

The space is only growing, with literally hundreds of millions being invested each year – Khalifa's entry is almost unsurprising as his peers are moving in droves into the esports landscape.