“I’ve learned how to persevere. I’ve grown so much as an artist and person since Attention: Deficit, and I want people to see that reflected in my music.” – Wale

Washington, DC’s Wale is a study in record industry politics, and proof positive of the lessons taught in the Old Testament of the Bible’s King James Version in the book of Ecclesiastes, chapter nine, verse 11: “I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all.” On Tuesday afternoon, I watched an artist best known for internet outbursts and witty mixtape adlibs appear like any other pop star, unusually calm and at a semi-detached level of peace with his status as 1500 rabid fans filled Lakeforest Mall in Gaithersburg, MD and nearly caused a riot.

Though tensions ran high between organizers, Wale’s suburban teenage fans and security, DC the autograph session at the Downtown Locker Room (DTLR) location Lakeforest Mall for Wale’s latest release, rap superstar Rick Ross owned Maybach Music Group compilation album Selfmade was a rousing success and a true display of the superstar potential of both the area emcee and the high powered label with which he recently has signed.

“I’m trying to shift into a new place. I’ve got a national responsibility and a responsibility to Maybach Music and Rick Ross as well. I’m still from DC, though. This is my home,” stated Wale, whose relationship with his hometown has been tenuous at best, but it appears that a younger generation has overlooked these initial tensions. “I’m happy with my output as of late. I have my label, the Board Administration, that I want to make into hip hop’s best. As a rapper? Check out “Rise” and “Renegades” on Selfmade. I’m really proud of those.”

The event, from 6-8 PM was part of an ongoing partnership between the East coast retail urban wear giant and the promotional arm of Baltimore based Unruly Records. Alongside events like the in store signing in question, Unruly handles the promotion of the Direct Drive Record Pool listening events at U Street Music Hall, involving such well respected and renowned acts as Wu Tang Clan member Raekwon, without a significant uniformed security and local police presence. When reached for comment, Unruly co-founder Shawn Caesar stated, “we’ve had a partnership with DTLR for 11 years. We’ve had events with larger artists like Monica or Fantasia in other markets that have been nearly shut down, but nothing quite like this. We met with the fire marshals and a sergeant with Montogomery County’s Police Department, and once they realized we were on their side, we were able to devise a strategy to get all of the patrons in and out of the store and safely on their way.”

Wale, flanked by members of his Board Administration label, arrived in the store through a back mall entrance at roughly 6:15 PM. Outside of the DTLR store, the crowd, which snaked through most of the southern half of the lower level of the mall, had grown boisterous and restless, and what started as rambunctious teenage energy turned into a group of people violently eager to meet the rising DC area star emcee. Pushing and shoving outside of the store led to the Montgomery County Fire Marshals to be called to the scene along with more uniformed police officers and already deployed mall security, who were attempting to prevent a riot from developing. Subsequently, the sector of the lower level where DTLR is located was shut down, only allowing stores in that area patrons for the Wale signing as customers, and the area was cordoned off until 8 PM. Those in line beyond that area were asked to leave the scene.

Maybach Music Group’s Selfmade, featuring Rick Ross and newly minted MMG rappers Meek Millz, Pill and Wale is available on iTunes and all major local music retailers.

Last Thursday, Vitamin Water and BYT kicked off it’s impressive 30 days pop up space in the U Street area with a concert by local acts done good. The Wale-headlined event also featured rising B-More artists Rye Rye, Fat Trel, XO, and an surprise appearance by Tabi Bonney. Check it.

This past Fall, Heineken staged a series of tours across the country in support of their INSPIRE campaign, which brought together influencers in the name of art, design, and music. In October, the tour stopped through the Nation’s Capital at the legendary Dream nightclub, with Wale, Rick Ross, Clipse, and surprise guest Eyrkah Badu.

The tour was held during an already busy Howard Homecoming weekend, which already brought thosands of people into the DMV. In case you missed it, however, the guys from Heineken provided this brief recap, including interviews with all of the performers. Check it.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The Heineken Inspire Tour made a stop in the Nation’s Capital on Saturday with a star-studded event held at LOVE Nightclub. As the fifth stop on the tour’s schedule, Heineken brought along a new design known as the “STR Bottle” – an upscale aluminum bottle that when viewed under the black light of a bar or club illuminates to reveal a previously hidden design. Guests in attendance also had the opportunity to take home a screen-printed tee with the Heineken inspired design of their choosing, get funky on DJ Hero, have a mock Vibe cover shoot posing as a DJ, and drink all the Heineken varieties they wanted at the low price of Free99. For the social media piece, there was the Heineken Wisdom Wall that asked “What inspires you?”. Guests were able to text their inspirations via iPad or laptop and have them displayed on the Heineken Wisdom Wall through mobile access to Facebook.

Interscope artist Wale opens the performance portion of the event with “The MC” from his most recent project More About Nothing and the DMV anthem that never quite resonated ”Nike Boots”. Joining him on stage was his crooning partner in crime, Tre of UCB, who took many DMV natives and longtime residents back to 2005 with UCB’s “Sexy Lady”. The crowd was quickly taken on the musical evolution of Wale with “Dig Dug”, “Prettygirls”, and the current crowd favorite ”No Hands” featured on Wacka Flocka Flame’s debut album Flockaveli. He admitted to not knowing Wacka Flocka’s verse and freestyled over it emphatically: “I don’t know Wacka Flocka verse off top, so I’ma get into it when it get’s to my part”.

Clipse was the next act and wisely began their set with “Grindin’” and “Cot Damn” to grab the crowds attention but surprisingly went into a lesser known “Ride Around Shining” from Hell Hath No Fury. Re-up Gang member and the only remaining MC in the crew from Philly, Ab Liva was present to interject during his verses on “Cot Damn” and “Ride Around Shining”. After losing the audiences’ ear for a second, the VA Beach duo brought it all home with “I’m Good” and “Popular Demand”.

Making his third appearance in DC this past weekend was the headliner Rick Ross. The Teflon Don performed almost every hit he has had since Port of Miami but not necessarily in chronological order. The crowd was more than appreciative of his inclusion of earlier Ross cuts such as “Hustlin’” and “Boss” but rocked to Teflon Don features like “B.M.F.” and “Aston Martin Music” just the same. All throughout the event there was talk of a “special surprise guest” who was to perform that evening. Thanks to the always loved and hated social networking platform known as Twitter and a more than reliable Twitter pal mentioning her location in front of the venue, I used my noggin to figure out the special guest was none other than @fatbellybella aka Erykah Badu. The crowd was instantly set off into a frenzy when she appeared on stage. Upon her entrance and Ross’s exit, the two gave the audience a bit of “Turn Me Away (Get MuNNY)”. Badu even gave fans a small taste of “Honey” that was well-received as she made her exit from the stage shortly after.

DJs who are booked at these events provide talent that is often under-appreciated but it’s important and extremely necessary to big up a worthy mainstay in DC by way of Baltimore, MD – WKYS’s DJ Quicksilva. As the pre-show talent, Quicksilva showed much love to hip-hop and helped attendees revisit a time when being an indie rapper was really never viewed as a viable option by the masses and being considered mainstream meant you sold out. The featured DJ for the evening, D-Nice, did an excellent job of maintaining the interests of all in the crowd. He kicked the set off with a Diddy drop and implemented plenty of old school party DJ fundamentals and still moved a mostly 30 and under crowd. D-Nice’s set was a proper balance of current hip-hop and R&B favorites along with all the hip-hop songs you still unabashedly know word for word (i.e. – “I Got 5 On It”).

If ya missed it, ya missed it. Four years strong, the Heineken Experience moves on…

Wale feat K’Naan – Um Ricka (Produced by 9th Wonder)

Most of y’all already know about Wale going on tour with K’Naan. In fact, their DC date at the 9:30 Club is already sold out. We have supported both of these artists for years, and I’m glad to see that there is yet another successful hip-hop tour on the road. Check it:

4/01 Boston, MA @ House of Blues*

4/02 New Haven, CT @ Toad’s Place*

4/03 Baltimore, MD @ Ram’s Head Live*

4/04 Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club*

4/06 Philadelphia, PA @ Trocadero*

4/08 Atlanta, GA@ Center Stage*

4/09 Williamsburg, VA @ College of William & Mary

4/11 Chicago, IL @ Metro

4/13 Cleveland, OH @ House of Blues*

4/14 Columbus, OH @ Newport Music Hall*

This song can only be only be found on iTunes if you purchase Wale’s entire album. It is one of two bonus tracks.

Wale – My Sweetie (directed by tabi Bonney) from tabi Bonney on Vimeo.

This past weekend Sprite and MTV teamed up for the premiere of the Sprite Step Off, a unique competition that followed several university step teams as they competed for two $100,000 scholarships as well as the ability to become the National Step-Off Champion. The six part Docu-series premiered on MTV2 this past Sunday, and will follow several step teams has they prepare for the national completion. On board for the launch were DC’s own Wale and Ludacris, joined by step teams from across the country. Check it!

K La Rock is a founding member of the First Ladies DJ collective, and her writing can be found at The Glass House DC as well as her own website. She is also joining The Couch Sessions team as an editor in 2010.

Name: Kristina aka K La Rock
Location: Silver Spring, MD
Website: www.klarock.com

Noisettes – Wild Young Hearts

Indie darlings the Noisettes got a musical make-over this year and graduated from the art-punk underground into the Brit-pop big leagues. Combining vintage soul, neo-disco beats, fuzzed-out guitars, and of course front-woman Shingai Shoniwa’s irrepressible afro-boho charm, “Wild Young Hearts” carves out a rock and roll sound all its own.

St. Vincent – Actor

Gorgeous offbeat chamber-pop from singer-songwriter/multi-instrumentalist/erstwhile Polyphonic Spree member Annie Clark. Adorned with ornate arrangements, rich storytelling, and Clark’s nimble vocals, this was my sleeper hit of the year.

Wale – Attention Defecit

Wale’s much-hyped debut may not have been the instant classic some folks were expecting. But it’s still a solid release that proves DC’s rap heir apparent is not only kicking down the doors for the rest of the DMV but for all of hip-hop. Sure, it’s uneven in places and some of the spark from his mixtapes is missing. But this joint still cranks.

Neon Indian – Psychic Chasms

This is what happens when kids born a decade too late for rave but raised on a steady diet of glitch and freak folk discover 303′s and cheap synths. Think Animal Collective-meets-MGMT stuck in a k-hole. Luckily, the lo-fi electro-skronk warbling never feels too gimmicky or pretentious. But it does manage to somehow be mind-meltingly fun in the weirdest way possible.

Dam Funk – Toeachizown

The ghosts of Roger & Zapp and all their 80′s electroboogie brethren have been reincarnated on what is possibly the year’s funkiest album. Stones Throw comes through with yet another winner thanks to LA’s Dam Funk, who mines the past while looking far, far into the future.

June 3rd, 2009. As Wale stood on stage at Washington DC’s venerable 9:30 Club, an emotional rush came over him. The 25-year old rapper went from selling CDs out of the back of his car, to selling out one of the East Coast’s largest nightclubs. And with his upcoming release of his major label album, Attention Deficit, the journey of Wale has come full circle.

But it hasn’t been all roses for the MC. His album suffered multiple date pushbacks, Internet haters seemed to never go away, and people from his own hometown (aka The DMV) haven’t given him the respect that he deserves for putting the region on the map.

But all will be settled on today, November 10th, when his major label debut, Attention Deficit, drops to the masses.

Even though DC is steeped in go-go history, and has had chart-topping artists break from the area before, (think Mya and Good Charlotte to name a few), nobody has held the DMV on his back as much as Wale. The summertime hometown concert was his return to the area after months of national and worldwide touring. “It was great man. The energy from the crowd was crazy. It was kind of emotional,” Wale says as he speaks of that night at 9:30. “I remember going up Georgia Avenue selling CDs after work, or driving around in an 89 Camry trying to record, trying to do all the things that are necessary, and now I’m selling out shows.”

That show, which also included local MCs Tabi Bonney, Phil Ade, and XO, signaled a new direction for the DMV hip-hop scene. Once considered a no-man’s land by the industry, that night signaled a change for the local hip-hop scene. DC was on the worldwide musical map.

Wale has had an interesting history. Bred into a new hip-hop era of the Internet, the MC has had more tracks in digital form then most rapper’s complete career output. As for musical tastes, the MC has rapped over everything from go-go beats to French Pop electro. “I’ve always been a fan of music, and I’ve always been a writer, so I listened to everything man, even Kris Kross when I was a little kid growing up. Basically everybody with a microphone.” Even though Wale was a fan of all hip-hop, he really too a liking to go-go. “Rare Essence, Backyard Band, Chuck Brown, all of ‘em, “he says “I was 14 years old when I found out that go-go was only a DC thing. I thought that it was all over the world.”

It was the go-go tracks “Uptown Roamers,” “1 Thing About A Playa,” and “Dig Dug,” that got Wale the most attention in the DMV scene, the latter becoming one of the most requested tracks on local radio. However it wasn’t until a meeting with UK producer Mark Ronson that his career completely took off. “He heard my music, liked what he heard, and brought me on tour shortly after,” he nonchalantly says as he run down the spots in the UK that Ronson opens doors for him. With Ronson, Wale represented the DMV all over the world, from huge festivals in Australia to the BBC Electric Proms in London.

In addition to touring the world with Ronson, doors were opened for Wale and his band, UCB to tour the nation as well, spreading the go-go sound from Minnesota to California. “we hit 40 cities and the response was pretty good. But it’s not just the Wale sound, it’s the go-go sound, so I’m just contributing to the DC culture.” Highlights of the tour included a NYC date which was attended by his Roc Nation boss Jay-Z as well as Leonardo DiCaprio. The sold out show was a great moment for the DMV.

But with all of Wale’s success there are the haters. Ever since his career took off he’s had naysayers. They doubt his authenticity, as a dude from the suburbs trying to represent the inner city. They hate on his rejection of the “typical” DMV channels. And most people they are just downright jealous that Wale was given the baton instead of them. “Forget the haters man,” Wale says as he tries to dismiss the situation. Even though he was nonchalant in his interview, his anger and frustration about the lack of hometown love, from his lack of local radio airplay (and a stunt by WKYS mocking him), to the constant barrage of people hoping for his demise. “It’s all good,” he says.

After a career that spans almost 5 years and multiple major label quality mixtapes under his belt, it all comes down to his November 10th release, Attention Deficit. The album, which brings in everybody from Gucci Mane to Somali/Canadian rapper K’Naan, is the highlight of the rapper’s career. From the jump, Wale tried to craft an album that brought together his DMV roots with the mainstream production that gets radio airplay and wins awards. “I’m all about what sounds good, and if I like the sound its just a no-brainer,” he says about his album. As rappers like Jay-Z, Em, and Nas enter their 40s, the industry is looking to Wale to be the new torch bearer for the new hip-hop generation.

Attention Deficit drops today and whether you love him or hate him, you have to respect the fact that this is a great look for the DC area. He has brought the culture of the DMV from the back alleys of Georgia Avenue to iPods in Sweden. I’ll be copping multiple copies of his album. Will you?

Wale
Attention Deficit

Washington, DC’s Wale was crowned a champion without even winning a fight. Sure, he’s survived battles, and has trained well, and definitely is in condition to be a top notch contributor in the hip hop community. However, the intense pressure surrounding his debut album Attention: Deficit didn’t create a diamond out of coal, instead, it just crushed coal into, well, more coal, with a diamond hopeful to surface. This album is a success in that by its release, Wale ascends to the throne as the official representative of the nation’s capital in hip hop. This album doesn’t put DC on par with New York, or LA, or anywhere else for that matter. Instead, by being, well, terribly generic and expected in many places, has Wale being yet another voice in a filling fray of fresh new hip hop talent for the millennium and beyond. But at least the “DMV” is at the table, as this album eases open a door that had been slammed shut repeatedly on this city for the last 30 years.

Wale’s debut album could have easily been a “best of” mixtape. Five legendary creations, with guest features from everyone from Lil Wayne and Bun B to UCB’s local go go flavor, and productions that ranged from Justice’s electro winner of 2007 “D.A.N.C.E.” to an entire collection of mixes done by mid 90s legend 9th Wonder. Moving Wale’s career ahead to album and major recording deal with Roc Nation status may have been a necessary move, but in removing the creative freedoms of the mixtape, Wale becomes another in a line of lyrically talented and slightly reflective emcees, instead of a wunderkind that can infuse a track with levity and verbal superiority.

Attention: Deficit clocks in at 54 minutes and 14 tracks that leave a listener a fan of Wale, his status as an extreme aficionado and lover of all things athletic, self-aggrandizing name dropping and constant proclamations of his own superstardom for sure, but not really quite aware of his direction or style as an artist. There’s the underwhelming radio lead single “Chillin,” a track that dominates the album as, well, upon listening to the other 13 tracks by comparison, it’s quite clear that a record company executive somewhere really felt quite positive that a track from Cool and Dre with a lush Steam sample from “(Na Na Hey Hey) Kiss Him Goodbye” and Lady Gaga on the hook would be the best way to introduce Wale to a mainstream audience on a single. The budget for this track in itself obviously trumps three or four other tracks combined, and “Chillin’,” instead of standing out on the album for being a hit single, stands out for being a cluster, a prepackaged attempt to re-image Wale that fails, and leaves Wale as an artist with a giant single of renown that in no way defines who and what he truly is as an artist.

This album’s success comes when Wale is himself. He’s an insecure suburbanite with the ability to create insightful and often witty takes on the universe. He’s quiet, measured and thoughtful, and the winners on his debut display that wonderfully. Mark Ronson, with whom Wale has collaborated with successfully so many times, gives Wale a boost toward mainstream credibility with “90210,” a tale of Wale’s take on the hollow existence of celebrity groupies, while material that has been tread upon before a million times, the quiet and hollow synths of Ronson’s production allow Wale’s wisdom to really stand out and take grasp of the soul. Other winners include “Mama Told Me,” “Diary” with the wondrous voice of ex-Floetry member Marsha Ambrosious, as well as the wonderful tale of colorstruck, dark brown skin angst, “Shades.” In both of these, namely “Shades” and “Mama Told Me,” which looses the genius of Craig B. and Tone P. (DC’s Best Kept Secret) and their go-go based productions on the world, the downtempo and less aggressive productions once again allow Wale to really shine as a master storyteller and wordsmith, crafting fully fleshed out and completely realized stories of his life, a suburban griot with a thought provoking story to tell.

But the album rests at a halt on the radio singles. Wale’s ability to create potent adlibs is his weakest calling card on a mainstream stage. When compared to other unsigned artists, Wale is a savant. When compared to the artists he has as guests on his own debut, he’s merely a cosigned little brother. On “Mirrors,” featuring Wale’s mentor Bun B, he’s clearly outclassed, as Wale, who worked his tail off on this album, throws 16 bars with beads of sweat on his forehead, while Bun B drops science as though he were taking out the garbage. Killer rhymes, dropped perfectly, another day at the office. And the same goes for every other guest appearance here as well. Wale seems to legitimately enjoy the fact that on his debut he got the chance to record with so many artists that inspired him and that he sees as legends. But where say, someone like Kanye West hopped on tracks with name brand artists and held his own and created himself as a hip hop staple, Wale gets stapled to the surface as creepin’ on a come up, but maybe a few albums away.

“World Tour” with Jasmine Sullivan, the current single, suffers by taking the hook from A Tribe Called Quest’s iconic “Award Tour,” and blending it with another laconic, expected Cool and Dre track that holds back pretty much anything the Philly diva and the DC rhyme spitter can do on it to elevate the single. “Let it Loose” a clear Neptunes banger with Pharrell on this hook is smartly executed, but nothing about Wale, or his multitudes of witty adlibs and quick rhyming can overcome the magic of Pharrell on the track.

The album’s true winner, “Pretty Girls,” featuring the ubiquitous Gucci Mane and vocalist Weensey from DC go go legends the Backyard Band is a success because of pretty much everything but Wale. Sure he’s exemplary as usual, but the song’s hook, “Pretty girls, I ask em do they smoke?/Ask em what do they know?/Ask em can we go?/ Pretty girls/Sunshine in the air/perfume everywhere/Girls are everywhere” is enormously fantastic, the type of hook that evokes a mood, a time, a place and feeling that we all know, and we all love. When Gucci jumps on the track, he feels completely at home with the subject matter, sadly moreso than Wale who’s been cultivating this track as his own for the last three years. And the handclap break? “Ugly girls be quiet (quiet), pretty girls clap like this/Ugly girls be quiet (quiet), pretty girls clap(clap) like this”? Well, that’s just fun. But again, as with most of this album, it puts Wale in the background, and the magic of music in the forefront.

In final, Attention: Deficit in what is certain to be a long career for Wale, will be a bittersweet memory. Hamstrung and nerve wracked by the constraints and pressures of the music industry, he did not succeed. However, everything will succeed because of this album. DC, go go, DMV hip hop, Ben’s Chili Bowl, the whole gamut of what DC has to offer is now in play. The key now for Wale is to hopefully take the things that do succeed on an album bearing his name, and attempt to engender enough positive support to eventually assert the creative freedom he truly needs to be the artist he wants desperately to be.

Wayna feat Wale – Billyclub (Remix)

As most of y’all know, Grammy-nominated R&B artist Wayna was detained at the Houston airport during South By Southwest last year for carrying a prop for her single Billyclub, which ironically talks about police brutality. The Ethopian born, DC based was held for 12 hours in jail and released on $5,000 bond, but eventually the charges were droppped. The song itself is powerful but took on a new dimension after this experience. This month, Wayna also got fellow DC artist Wale to spot some bars, and the track is now nominated for a Grammy for best Rap/Sung collaboration. Check it.

Also, check her interview where she describes the experience.