Celebrity3 min(s) read
Wiz Khalifa explains why he punched son 13 times in video after huge backlash
Wiz Khalifa has found himself at the center of a social media firestorm after sharing a video of what he calls a long-running family tradition — and the internet has plenty to say about it.
The Pittsburgh native, 38, posted footage of himself celebrating his son Sebastian 'Bash' Taylor Thomaz’s 13th birthday in a way that instantly divided viewers. But according to Wiz, this is nothing new — and definitely nothing controversial.
Wiz Khalifa’s ‘Birthday Licks’ Tradition Divides The Internet
In the now-viral clip, the 'See You Again' artist — whose full name is Cameron Jibril Thomaz — is seen standing in front of his son, who leans against a wall with his hands behind his head.
Wearing boxing gloves, Wiz prepares to deliver 13 ceremonial punches — one for each year of Bash’s life.
“Ready - thirteen - here we go ... take it like a G, you're 13 years old,” Wiz says before beginning the ritual.
He instructs his son to tense up and breathe out as he takes the hits, delivering a series of light body shots.
He wraps it up by adding: “Here we go, one for good luck.”
Alongside the clip, Khalifa wrote: “We still doin birthday licks in this house!” and in a separate caption added: “We still doin' birthday licks in this house. Took it like a g tho.”
The moment quickly ignited fierce debate online.
Some viewers slammed the ritual as inappropriate, while others brushed it off as harmless fun.
Wiz, however, seemed genuinely surprised by the backlash.
“The internet has decided that they don’t remember rituals like kids getting hit 13 getting licks for their birthdays,” he said during a livestream.
“Everybody gets their birthday lick.”
He doubled down on his stance, explaining that he grew up around similar traditions and never viewed them as problematic.
“It’s not a big deal to lightly tap somebody in the stomach on their birthday,” Wiz said.
“Like when I put the video up, I didn’t even think that nobody would even have a problem with it.”
The rapper even compared the tradition to bonding rituals in combat sports gyms, where fighters line up to take body shots as part of training and camaraderie.
Despite the criticism, Wiz made it clear he sees the tradition as harmless and not something deserving outrage.
Inside Sebastian’s 13th Birthday Party
While the 'birthday licks' clip grabbed headlines, the rest of Sebastian’s celebration was filled with heartfelt moments.
Later that evening, Wiz delivered an emotional speech at the party, thanking everyone who showed up to celebrate his son’s milestone.
Text displayed on a clip from the gathering read: “Bash’s party turned out amazing thank you everyone who came out and I hope you all guys all made it home safe,” he said.
He continued addressing partygoers directly: “Thank everybody for coming out,” the Black and Yellow rapper.
“We’re just gonna keep it short man we all love Bash – make some noise real quick - anyway, we love you.”
Turning his attention to his son, he added: “We appreciate you - you’re so cool, you’re so kind, you treat everybody nice and we’re proud of you.
“And we’re just happy that you’re a teen - and some of y’all might be teens already, but he’s officially a teen today.”
Khalifa continued with a message filled with pride: “So we’re proud of you and we love you; you got all your family all your friends here.”
He then rallied the crowd one final time: “One more time for the legend Bash.”
Sebastian was seen posing with friends and partygoers — including Ray J — in clips shared from the celebration.