Wiz Khalifa Defends Giving Son Birthday Punches In The Stomach After Online Backlash

Wiz Khalifa is addressing backlash after sharing a video of himself giving his son 13 “birthday licks,” or punches, saying the internet has forgotten what he considers a longtime tradition. The rapper recently posted footage of his son, Sebastian “Bash” Taylor Thomaz, celebrating his 13th birthday while leaning against a wall with his hands behind his head. Wearing a boxing glove, Wiz delivered a series of light punches to his son’s stomach—one for each year—while encouraging him to brace himself. “We still doin birthday licks in this house!” Wiz wrote alongside the video, praising his son for handling it well. The clip quickly sparked debate online, with some viewers criticizing the moment and others defending it as harmless. Wiz later responded during a livestream, expressing surprise at the reaction. “The internet has decided that they don’t remember rituals like kids getting hit 13 getting licks for their birthdays,” he said. “Everybody gets their birthday lick. He went on to explain that he grew up around similar traditions and never saw them as controversial. “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.” Wiz also compared the ritual to traditions in combat sports gyms, where fighters line up and take body shots as part of training and bonding. The birthday celebration itself included heartfelt tributes from both parents. Wiz shared a message praising his son as “kind, caring, intelligent, a great big brother and the perfect son,” while Sebastian’s mother, Amber Rose, also celebrated the milestone, calling him her “sweet angel” and reflecting on how proud she is of him. Despite the online criticism, Wiz made clear he sees the moment as a harmless family tradition rather than something deserving outrage.

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