Wale (rapper)
Encyclopedia
Wale Victor Folarin better known by his stage name
Stage name
A stage name, also called a showbiz name or screen name, is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers such as actors, wrestlers, comedians, and musicians.-Motivation to use a stage name:...

 Wale (ˈwɑːleɪ ), is an American rapper
Rapping
Rapping refers to "spoken or chanted rhyming lyrics". The art form can be broken down into different components, as in the book How to Rap where it is separated into “content”, “flow” , and “delivery”...

 from Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....

 Wale was born to Nigerian parents. He rose to prominence in 2006, when his song "Dig Dug (Shake It)" became popular in his hometown. Wale became locally recognized and continued recording music for the regional audience. Producer Mark Ronson
Mark Ronson
Mark Daniel Ronson is an English DJ, guitarist, music producer, artist and co-founder of Allido Records. He currently works with his band under the music alias of Mark Ronson & The Business Intl....

 discovered Wale in 2006 and signed him to Allido Records
Allido Records
Allido Records is a record label and production company. The company was started by DJ and producer Mark Ronson, and Rich Kleiman, a television, internet and music businessman. The label got its name "Allido" from the Stevie Wonder song "All I Do". Rapper Saigon was the first artist signed to...

 in 2007. While signed to that label, Wale released several mixtapes and appeared in national media including MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....

 and various urban magazines.

In 2008, Wale signed to Interscope Records
Interscope Records
Interscope Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that currently operates as one third of UMG's Interscope-Geffen-A&M label group.-History:...

 for $1.3 million, and his debut album Attention Deficit was released in 2009 with the singles "Chillin
Chillin (Wale song)
"Chillin" is a song by American rapper Wale. The song features singer Lady Gaga and serves as the lead single from his debut album, Attention: Deficit. It was officially released on June 12, 2009. A remix of the song is present on Wale's Back to the Feature mixtape, under the name "Chillin ".The...

", "Pretty Girls
Pretty Girls (Wale song)
"Pretty Girls" is the third official single from Wale's debut album, Attention Deficit and is produced by The Best Kept Secret. It features Gucci Mane and Weensey from the legendary go-go band Backyard Band. It was released to iTunes and Rhapsody on October 6, 2009. The song samples Backyard Band's...

", and "World Tour". The album, although under-shipped, received positive reviews from critics. In early 2011 Wale signed on with Rick Ross' Maybach Music Group
Maybach Music Group
Maybach Music Group is a record label founded by Rick Ross, currently distributed by Warner Bros. Records, which took over distribution following the expiration of a deal with Def Jam Recordings....

, where members of the label released a compilation album, Self Made Vol. 1
Self Made Vol. 1
MMG Presents: Self Made, Vol. 1 has received generally favorable reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 66, based on 7 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable".-Track...

on May 23, 2011. His second studio album, Ambition
Ambition (Wale album)
Ambition is the second studio album by hip hop recording artist Wale, released November 1, 2011 via Maybach Music Group and Warner Bros. Records.- Background :...

was released November 1, 2011.

Early life

Wale was born Olubowale Victor Akintimehin in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....

 on September 21, 1984. His parents are of the Yoruba
Yoruba people
The Yoruba people are one of the largest ethnic groups in West Africa. The majority of the Yoruba speak the Yoruba language...

 ethnic group of southwestern Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...

 and came to the United States from Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...

 in 1979. Wale's family first lived in Northwest Washington DC
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....

 before moving to Montgomery County
Montgomery County, Maryland
Montgomery County is a county in the U.S. state of Maryland, situated just to the north of Washington, D.C., and southwest of the city of Baltimore. It is one of the most affluent counties in the United States, and has the highest percentage of residents over 25 years of age who hold post-graduate...

 when Wale was 10. He graduated from Quince Orchard High School
Quince Orchard High School
Quince Orchard High School is a secondary school located on Quince Orchard Road in an unincorporated area of Gaithersburg in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. Quince Orchard's incoming freshmen come from Lakelands Park and Ridgeview Middle School as well as Roberto Clemente Middle School...

 in Gaithersburg, Maryland
Gaithersburg, Maryland
Gaithersburg is a city in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. The city had a population of 59,933 at the 2010 census, making it the fourth largest incorporated city in the state, behind Baltimore, Frederick, and Rockville...

 in 2001 and later moved to Largo, Maryland
Largo, Maryland
Largo is an unincorporated area and census designated place in Prince George's County, Maryland, in the United States. The population was 8,408 at the 2000 census....

. Wale attended Robert Morris University
Robert Morris University
Robert Morris University is a private, coeducational university in suburban Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1921, the school was named for Robert Morris, who signed the Declaration of Independence, and helped finance the ensuing war with the British.-History:Robert Morris...

 and Virginia State University
Virginia State University
Virginia State University is a historically black and land-grant university located north of the Appomattox River in Chesterfield, in the Richmond area. Founded on , Virginia State was the United States's first fully state-supported four-year institution of higher learning for black Americans...

 on football scholarships, then transferred to Bowie State University
Bowie State University
Bowie State University , is a public university located on 355½ acres in unincorporated Prince George's County, Maryland, United States, north of the suburban city of Bowie. Bowie State is part of the University System of Maryland...

 but dropped out. Wale's love of the game of football and the Washington Redskins
Washington Redskins
The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...

 has led to a longstanding rumor that Wale had a tattoo of tight end Chris Cooley. He is also the cousin of actor Gbenga Akinnagbe
Gbenga Akinnagbe
Gbenga Akinnagbe is an American actor, best known for his role as Chris Partlow on the HBO original series The Wire.-Early life:...

.

Beginnings

Wale's first recording was called "Rhyme of the Century". It was his first song to ever be played on local radio. He was featured in the "Unsigned Hype" column of The Source
The Source (magazine)
The Source is a United States-based, monthly full-color magazine covering hip-hop music, politics, and culture, founded in 1988. It is the world's second longest running rap periodical, behind United Kingdom-based publication Hip Hop Connection. The Source was founded as a newsletter in 1988...

magazine in 2006. He was signed to a local label called Studio 43 in 2006. "Dig Dug (Shake It)" became popular in Washington, D.C, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...

 and Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...

 and was a tribute to Ronald "Dig Dug" Dixon, percussion player for the go-go band Northeast Groovers. The song became the most requested song by a local artist in D.C. radio history and Wale was the first local artist to get any BDS
Nielsen Broadcast Data Systems
Nielsen Broadcast Data Systems, better known as BDS, is a service that tracks monitored radio, television and internet airplay of songs based on the number of spins and detections...

 spins since DJ Kool
DJ Kool
John W. Bowman, Jr., better known by his stage name DJ Kool is a rapper who, in the late 1990s, produced several popular rap singles. Born in 1959 in Washington, D.C., his influence from his years of working the go-go and rap circuits became apparent in his music...

 in the early 1990s. The song was included in Wale's first mixtape, Paint a Picture.

In July 2006, Wale found representation in Daniel Weisman, a former club DJ and promoter who had no previous experience in management. Weisman had been tipped off about the rapper by a friend in Washington, D.C and connected with him through Myspace. In September 2006, after dropping another go-go influenced single, "Breakdown", sampled from Huck-a-Bucks "Sexy Girl" and getting a mention in The Washington Post, Wale released his first non-go-go original single, "Uptown Roamers." On September 14, 2006, "Uptown Roamers" debuted on XM Radio Channel 66 and was played twice in one day. Both "Breakdown" and "Uptown Roamers" were on Wale's second mixtape, Hate Is the New Love. Wale's song "Breakdown," was featured on the video game Madden NFL 2009.

Wale won the award for "D.C. Metro Breakthrough Artist of the Year" at WKYS
WKYS
WKYS, the "Station for Interactive Hip Hop and R&B", is an American radio station broadcasting an Urban Contemporary radio format, that serves the greater Washington metropolitan area. Its transmitter is located on the same tower as WRC-TV. The station broadcasts from a class B signal with an...

's Go-Go Awards in November 2006. On December 15, The Fader
The Fader
The FADER, or FADER, is an United States-based music/culture/fashion magazine that covers hip-hop, reggae, independent rock, pop and dance music from around the world.-Overview:...

magazine associate editor Nick "Catchdubs" Barat visited Wale for an interview and photo shoot which appeared in the March 2007 issue of The Fader. Manager Weisman told HitQuarters
HitQuarters
HitQuarters is an international music industry publication and contact database founded in 1999. It is noted for in-depth interviews with industry figures, with past subjects including Simon Cowell, Martin Kierszenbaum, Jason Flom, Diane Warren, Peter Edge, Ron Fair and RedOne, as well as its A&R...

 that the Fader feature, given the magazine's music/culture/fashion orientation, laid an important foundation for Wale to position himself as a "cool, smart, up-and-coming hip-hop artist".

In January 2007, Wale released a new single to radio called "Good Girls" produced by Gerard Thomas and Demario Bridges for TeamMusicGroup. Wale later appeared on Mark Ronson
Mark Ronson
Mark Daniel Ronson is an English DJ, guitarist, music producer, artist and co-founder of Allido Records. He currently works with his band under the music alias of Mark Ronson & The Business Intl....

's remix of Lily Allen
Lily Allen
Lily Rose Beatrice Cooper , better known as Lily Allen, is an English recording artist and fashion designer. She is the daughter of actor and musician Keith Allen and film producer Alison Owen. In her teenage years, her musical tastes evolved from glam rock to alternative...

's "Smile" and was a headliner on Ronson's UK tour that year promoting Ronson's second album Version
Version (album)
-iTunes digital edition:-Japanese CD edition:-Chart performance:-Release history:-External links:* at MetaCritic...

. In June 2007, Wale signed to a production deal with Ronson's Allido Records
Allido Records
Allido Records is a record label and production company. The company was started by DJ and producer Mark Ronson, and Rich Kleiman, a television, internet and music businessman. The label got its name "Allido" from the Stevie Wonder song "All I Do". Rapper Saigon was the first artist signed to...

.
In May 2010, Wale abruptly canceled a scheduled performance at DC Black Pride, an annual black gay pride event. In an email to the event's organizer, Wale's manager claimed he was unaware it was a gay event when he agreed to perform. However, on May 28, 2010, it was announced he would perform alongside the headliner for free.

National attention and major label signing

Wale released his third mixtape
Mixtape
A Mix Tape or Mixed Tape is a compilation of songs recorded in a specific order, traditionally onto an audio Compact Cassette.A Mix Tape, which usually reflects the musical tastes of its compiler, can range from a casually selected list of favorite songs, to a conceptual mix of songs linked by a...

, 100 Miles & Running
100 Miles & Running
100 Miles & Running is a mixtape by DC rapper Wale.It was Wale's third mixtape, released on July 11, 2007. The mixtape was mixed by Nick Catchdubs and featured remixes of songs by Amy Winehouse, Lily Allen, and Justice. The mixtape also includes appearances from Daniel Merriweather, Mark Ronson,...

, on July 11, 2007 as a free download on his Myspace page. This mixtape includes features from Mark Ronson, Daniel Merriweather
Daniel Merriweather
Daniel Paul Merriweather is an Australian R&B singer-songwriter who has worked as a featured vocalist for other artists and has a solo career. His guest vocals are included on album tracks by Disco Montego, Mark Ronson and Phrase...

, Amy Winehouse
Amy Winehouse
Amy Jade Winehouse was an English singer-songwriter known for her powerful deep contralto vocals and her eclectic mix of musical genres including R&B, soul and jazz. Winehouse's 2003 debut album, Frank, was critically successful in the UK and was nominated for the Mercury Prize...

, and Lily Allen
Lily Allen
Lily Rose Beatrice Cooper , better known as Lily Allen, is an English recording artist and fashion designer. She is the daughter of actor and musician Keith Allen and film producer Alison Owen. In her teenage years, her musical tastes evolved from glam rock to alternative...

. It was released on the same day as his performance at the Highline Ballroom, in Manhattan. The Highline show was to promote the US release of Mark Ronson's album and included performances by Mark Ronson, Wale, Saigon
Saigon (rapper)
Brian Daniel Carenard, better known by his stage name Saigon, is an American rapper and occasional actor.Saigon is currently signed to Suburban Noize Records and Just Blaze's Fort Knocks Entertainment record label. After years of delay due to former record label interference, his album The Greatest...

, and Daniel Merriweather. Jay-Z, Beyonce, Kanye West, Maroon 5, Clive Davis, Eve and Danny Masterson were all in attendance. There, Wale was interviewed by MTV News
MTV News
MTV News is the news division of MTV, one of the first and most popular music television network in the U.S., as well as some of MTV's related channels around the world. MTV News began in the late 1980s with the program The Week In Rock, hosted by Kurt Loder, the first official MTV News correspondent...

 correspondent J.D. Tuminski for his first national TV feature on August 16, 2007. With Ronson, Wale performed "W.A.L.E.D.A.N.C.E.", a remix of Justice
Justice (band)
Justice is a French electronic music duo consisting of Gaspard Augé and Xavier de Rosnay . The duo is one of the most successful groups on Ed Banger Records and is managed by the label's head, Pedro Winter...

's "D.A.N.C.E.
D.A.N.C.E.
"D.A.N.C.E." is the second single by Justice, and the first from their album †. It includes an edit and extended versions of "D.A.N.C.E", a rougher mix in the style of their earlier releases, "B.E.A.T", and the track "Phantom" which was previously issued in limited quantities twice on 12" vinyl...

" from Wale's 100 Miles mixtape, at the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards
2007 MTV Video Music Awards
The 2007 MTV Video Music Awards, honoring the best music videos from the previous year, took place on September 9, in Las Vegas at The Palms. The 2007 VMAs were the smallest VMAs ever held in MTV history, eliminating 13 awards, re-naming many of the remaining awards, and having only four...

 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Washington Post profiled Wale on the front page of the Sunday Style section in the October 21, 2007 edition. Wale was featured on the cover of the 150th issue of URB along with French electro group Justice.

In March 2008, Wale signed a joint venture deal with Mark Ronson's Allido Records
Allido Records
Allido Records is a record label and production company. The company was started by DJ and producer Mark Ronson, and Rich Kleiman, a television, internet and music businessman. The label got its name "Allido" from the Stevie Wonder song "All I Do". Rapper Saigon was the first artist signed to...

 and Interscope, joining Rhymefest
Rhymefest
Che Smith , known by the stage name of Rhymefest, is an American hip hop artist from Chicago, Illinois whose first official album, Blue Collar, was released on July 11, 2006. He co-wrote Kanye West's "Jesus Walks", which won a Grammy at the 47th Grammy Awards. In October, 2010, Rhymefest announced...

 and Daniel Merriweather as Allido artists. Epic Records
Epic Records
Epic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A...

, Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...

, and Def Jam all competed to sign Wale. On May 30, Wale released his fourth mixtapeThe Mixtape About Nothing
The Mixtape About Nothing
The Mixtape About Nothing is a mixtape released on May 30, 2008 by Washington, D.C. rapper Wale and mixed by Nick Catchdubs in collaboration with New York streetwear brand 10.Deep Clothing as a free download.- Theme :...

, heavily produced by Best Kept Secret
Best Kept Secret
Best Kept Secret*Best Kept Secret Known mostly for Music by Wale *"Best Kept Secret" , a 2010 song by Didrik Solli-Tangen*Best Kept Secret , 1983...

. Wale said that the television show Seinfeld
Seinfeld
Seinfeld is an American television sitcom that originally aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, lasting nine seasons, and is now in syndication. It was created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld, the latter starring as a fictionalized version of himself...

inspired The Mixtape About Nothing: "the TV show's 'honest dialogue' mirrors his lyrical style, which frequently references pop culture and politics while avoiding gangster-rap bluster".

After signing with Interscope, Wale began recording tracks for his major label debut: in a 2008 interview with Express
Express (newspaper)
Express is a free daily newspaper distributed in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. It is in a tabloid format and is printed every weekday and distributed at Washington Metro stations and other locations throughout the Washington metropolitan area. It is owned and printed by The Washington...

, a newspaper published by the Washington Post Company, Wale announced that he was recording a song with Chrisette Michele
Chrisette Michele
Chrisette Michele Payne , known professionally as Chrisette Michele, is an American R&B and soul singer-songwriter....

 called "Shades", which discusses inter-black racism. Wale also appeared on Interscope label mate DJ Greg Street's single "Dope Boys" which samples Hip Hop classic T.R.O.Y. alongside Lupe Fiasco
Lupe Fiasco
Wasalu Muhammad Jaco , better known by his stage name Lupe Fiasco , is an American rapper, record producer, and entrepreneur. As an entrepreneur, Lupe is the CEO of 1st and 15th Entertainment. He rose to fame in 2006 following the success of his critically acclaimed debut album, Lupe Fiasco's Food...

 and Kardinal Offishall
Kardinal Offishall
Jason D. Harrow , better known by his stage name Kardinal Offishall , is a Canadian rapper and record producer. He is often credited as Canada's "hip-hop ambassador", and is best known for his distinctive reggae and dancehall-influenced style of hip-hop.-Life and career:Harrow was born in...

. Rapper Young Chris
Young Chris
Young Chris is a Grammy nominated American rapper and songwriter. A member of Philadelphia rap trio Young Gunz, formerly signed to Roc-A-Fella records through Beanie Sigel’s State Property collective, early success included the hit single "Can't Stop, Won't Stop"...

 of rap duo Young Gunz
Young Gunz
The Young Gunz is an American rap duo from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania composed of Young Chris and Neef Buck . The group is part of Beanie Sigel's State Property collective and was signed to Roc-A-Fella Records...

 also began plans for a collaboration mixtape with Wale.

On June 19, 2009, Wale released his fifth mixtape, Back to the Feature, on which eleven of the tracks were produced by 9th Wonder
9th Wonder
Patrick Douthit , better known as 9th Wonder is a hip hop record producer, record executive, DJ, professor, and lyricist from Raleigh, North Carolina, U.S.A. He began his career as the main producer for the hip hop group Little Brother, and has also worked with Mary J...

, with contributions also coming from Mark Ronson
Mark Ronson
Mark Daniel Ronson is an English DJ, guitarist, music producer, artist and co-founder of Allido Records. He currently works with his band under the music alias of Mark Ronson & The Business Intl....

 and others. The album's title, a play off the name of the movie Back to the Future
Back to the Future
Back to the Future is a 1985 American science-fiction adventure film. It was directed by Robert Zemeckis, written by Zemeckis and Bob Gale, produced by Steven Spielberg, and starred Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Crispin Glover and Thomas F. Wilson. The film tells the story of...

, referred to the fact that a lengthy list of rappers joined Wale on the songs, including K'naan
K'naan
K'naan , born Keinan Abdi Warsame in 1978, is a Somali Canadian poet, rapper, singer, songwriter and instrumentalist.-Biography:Born in Somalia, K'naan spent his childhood in Mogadishu and lived there during the Somali Civil War, which began in 1991. His aunt, Magool, was one of Somalia's most...

, Talib Kweli
Talib Kweli
Talib Kweli Greene , better known as Talib Kweli, is an American hip-hop artist and poet from Brooklyn, New York. His first name in Arabic means "student" or "seeker" ; his in Swahili means "true"...

, Joell Ortiz
Joell Ortiz
Joell Ortiz is an American rapper from Brooklyn, New York, and a member of the group Slaughterhouse.-Biography:Joell Ortiz was born to Puerto Rican parents. Ortiz grew up in the Cooper Park Houses in the East Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, New York formerly signed to Dr. Dre's Aftermath...

, Beanie Sigel
Beanie Sigel
Dwight Grant , also known as Beanie Sigel, is a American rapper from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,most recently he was in talks with 50 Cent to sign with G-Unit Records and is a former member/artist of Dame Dash Music Group and Roc-A-Fella Records where he had formed a close association with rappers...

, Curren$y, J. Cole and Bun B
Bun B
Bernard Freeman better known by his stage name Bun B, is an American rapper and was one half of the southern hip hop duo UGK . He is also a guest lecturer at Rice University located in Houston, Texas...

. The mixtape received positive reviews from Vibe magazine and website Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...

, but Colin McGowan of Cokemachineglow commented that it represented neither "a step forward or back [for the artist] so much as shouting-in-place."

Wale did a guest performance on "Change
Change (Daniel Merriweather song)
"Change" is a song by the Australian singer/songwriter Daniel Merriweather featuring a rap verse from rapper Wale. It was written by Merriweather and Andrew Wyatt and produced by Mark Ronson. It was released on 30 January 2009 in the United States and Canada, and 2 February 2009 in the UK .The song...

", a song by the Australian singer/songwriter Daniel Merriweather
Daniel Merriweather
Daniel Paul Merriweather is an Australian R&B singer-songwriter who has worked as a featured vocalist for other artists and has a solo career. His guest vocals are included on album tracks by Disco Montego, Mark Ronson and Phrase...

. It was written by Merriweather and Andrew Wyatt
Andrew Wyatt
Andrew Wyatt is an American musician and producer. Born and raised in Manhattan, he has played in New York bands such as The A.M., and is currently vocalist in the electronic pop band Miike Snow...

 and produced by Jayceon Dolinh and Mark Ronson. It was released on January 30, 2009, in the United States and Canada, and February 2, 2009, in the UK (where the song peaked at no.8). The song is included on Merriweather's album Love & War.

On September 13, Wale, alongside the DC-based musicians of UCB (Uncalled 4 Band)- The Board Administration artists, served as the official house band for the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards
2009 MTV Video Music Awards
The 2009 MTV Video Music Awards took place on September 13, 2009, at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, honoring the best music videos from June 19, 2008, to June 29, 2009. Comedian Russell Brand hosted the event for the second time in a row. The awards were held a few months after Michael...

.

Attention: Deficit (2009)

On November 10, 2009 Wale's debut album, Attention Deficit, had primarily positive reception. It debuted at the number 21 spot on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...

 and sold 28,000 copies in its first week. Interscope claimed that the LP was undershipped and that was the reason for the low sales numbers. Daniel Weisman, Wale's manager, claimed that Interscope didn't ship enough copies of the album. The first single off Attention Deficit was "Chillin
Chillin (Wale song)
"Chillin" is a song by American rapper Wale. The song features singer Lady Gaga and serves as the lead single from his debut album, Attention: Deficit. It was officially released on June 12, 2009. A remix of the song is present on Wale's Back to the Feature mixtape, under the name "Chillin ".The...

", featuring Lady Gaga
Lady GaGa
Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta , better known by her stage name Lady Gaga, is an American singer and songwriter. Born and raised in New York City, she primarily studied at the Convent of the Sacred Heart and briefly attended New York University's Tisch School of the Arts before withdrawing to...

, followed by "Pretty Girls" featuring Gucci Mane
Gucci Mane
Radric Davis , better known by his stage name Gucci Mane, is an American rapper. He debuted in 2005 with Trap House and followed with albums such as Hard to Kill in 2006, Trap-A-Thon and Back to the Trap House in 2007. In 2009, his second studio album The State vs. Radric Davis was released...

 and Weensey and "World Tour" featuring Jazmine Sullivan
Jazmine Sullivan
Jazmine Marie Sullivan is an American recording artist from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She is also the protégé of rapper Missy Elliott. Her debut single "Need U Bad" reached number one on Billboards Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, while her second single, "Bust Your Windows" peaked at number four...

. Other guest artists on the album included Pharrell; Bun B
Bun B
Bernard Freeman better known by his stage name Bun B, is an American rapper and was one half of the southern hip hop duo UGK . He is also a guest lecturer at Rice University located in Houston, Texas...

; Chrisette Michele
Chrisette Michele
Chrisette Michele Payne , known professionally as Chrisette Michele, is an American R&B and soul singer-songwriter....

; K'Naan
K'naan
K'naan , born Keinan Abdi Warsame in 1978, is a Somali Canadian poet, rapper, singer, songwriter and instrumentalist.-Biography:Born in Somalia, K'naan spent his childhood in Mogadishu and lived there during the Somali Civil War, which began in 1991. His aunt, Magool, was one of Somalia's most...

; Marsha Ambrosius
Marsha Ambrosius
Marsha Ambrosius or Marsha is an English singer/songwriter. A former member of the English Soul/R&B duo Floetry, she released her first solo album Late Nights & Early Mornings on March 1, 2011.-Early career with Floetry:...

; J. Cole; and Melanie Fiona
Melanie Fiona
Melanie Fiona Hallim is a Canadian R&B and Grammy-nominated recording artist from Toronto, Ontario. She was born to Guyanese immigrant parents of African, Indian, and Portuguese descent and grew up in the inner city of Toronto. Living in a music filled household, Fiona says she always knew music...

.

In March 2010, Rapper Wale announced he and K'Naan
K'naan
K'naan , born Keinan Abdi Warsame in 1978, is a Somali Canadian poet, rapper, singer, songwriter and instrumentalist.-Biography:Born in Somalia, K'naan spent his childhood in Mogadishu and lived there during the Somali Civil War, which began in 1991. His aunt, Magool, was one of Somalia's most...

 would kick off a short co-headlining tour across the east coast of the US, beginning at the end of March in New York City. According to Wale, he is in the studio with Gucci Mane
Gucci Mane
Radric Davis , better known by his stage name Gucci Mane, is an American rapper. He debuted in 2005 with Trap House and followed with albums such as Hard to Kill in 2006, Trap-A-Thon and Back to the Trap House in 2007. In 2009, his second studio album The State vs. Radric Davis was released...

, Waka Flocka Flame
Waka Flocka Flame
Juaquin Malphurs , better known by his stage name Waka Flocka Flame, is an American rapper signed to 1017 Brick Squad and Warner Bros. He is a Southern hip hop artist best known for his singles "O Let's Do It", "Hard in da Paint" & "No Hands", along with his debut album, Flockaveli...

, Roscoe Dash
Roscoe Dash
Jeffery Johnson Jr. , better known by his stage name Roscoe Dash, is an American rapper from Atlanta, Georgia.- Major label success :...

, Sean Garrett
Sean Garrett
Garrett Hamler, better known by his stage name Sean Garrett is an American singer-songwriter, rapper, and record producer. He has produced fifteen number one singles in only seven years of producing music. That number puts him in fifth place on the Billboard list of producers with the most number...

, and Drumma Boy
Drumma Boy
Christopher James Gholson, better known by his stage name Drumma Boy, is a multi-platinum award winning record producer and rapper from Memphis, Tennessee.-Early life:...

.

On August 3, 2010, Wale released sixth mixtape, More About Nothing hosted by DJ Omega a follow-up to his critically acclaimed The Mixtape About Nothing
The Mixtape About Nothing
The Mixtape About Nothing is a mixtape released on May 30, 2008 by Washington, D.C. rapper Wale and mixed by Nick Catchdubs in collaboration with New York streetwear brand 10.Deep Clothing as a free download.- Theme :...

under The Board Administration
The Board Administration
The Board Administration is a DC based record label founded by Marketing Executive Le’Greg O. Harrison and Roc Nation-Maybach Music Group artist Wale Folarin....

 - an independent label co founded with Marketing Executive Le'Greg O. Harrison. More About Nothing took the internet by storm resulting in 100,000 plus downloads in 90 minutes. More About Nothing creatively integrates sitcom material with rhyme and wordplay to present Wale's frustrations on his plight to reach mainstream acceptance and success. Features include Wiz Khalifa
Wiz Khalifa
Cameron Jibril Thomaz , better known by the stage name Wiz Khalifa , is an American rapper. He released his debut album, Show and Prove, in 2006, and signed to Warner Bros. Records in 2007...

, Waka Flocka, Daniel Merriweather
Daniel Merriweather
Daniel Paul Merriweather is an Australian R&B singer-songwriter who has worked as a featured vocalist for other artists and has a solo career. His guest vocals are included on album tracks by Disco Montego, Mark Ronson and Phrase...

, UCB, Board Administration Artists' Tiara Thomas, Black Cobain, Fat Trel, and NBA Player and DC Native Kevin Durant
Kevin Durant
Kevin Wayne Durant is an American professional basketball player for the Oklahoma City Thunder of the National Basketball Association . A 6'9" small forward/shooting guard who is also capable of playing power forward, Durant was the consensus 2007 National College Player of the Year and the...

.

In the last half of 2010, inspired by Kanye West
Kanye West
Kanye Omari West is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. West first rose to fame as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and...

's G.O.O.D. Fridays
G.O.O.D. Fridays
G.O.O.D. Fridays was a weekly free music giveaway started by rapper Kanye West. The name originates from the name of his label, G.O.O.D. Music, and is also a reference to the Friday before Easter, which is known as Good Friday. Every Friday, beginning on August 20, 2010, Kanye planned on releasing...

 project, Wale started re-release a track from one of his previous mixtapes for free-download on his own website every Thursday, calling this enterprise "Throwback Thursday". From then, guests on those tracks included Bun B
Bun B
Bernard Freeman better known by his stage name Bun B, is an American rapper and was one half of the southern hip hop duo UGK . He is also a guest lecturer at Rice University located in Houston, Texas...

, Pusha T
Pusha T
Terrence Thornton better known by his stage name Pusha T is an American recording artist, occasional actor and one half of the critically acclaimed hip hop duo Clipse. He is also the co-founder and co-chief executive officer of Re-Up Records along with his brother Gene 'Malice' Thornton...

, John Mayer
John Mayer
John Clayton Mayer is an American pop rock and blues rock musician, singer-songwriter, recording artist, and music producer. Born in Bridgeport, Connecticut and raised in Fairfield, Connecticut, he attended Berklee College of Music in Boston. He moved to Atlanta in 1997, where he refined his...

, Lil Wayne
Lil Wayne
Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr. , better known by his stage name Lil Wayne, is an American rapper. At the age of nine, Lil Wayne joined Cash Money Records as the youngest member of the label, and half of the duo, The B.G.'z, with B.G.. In 1997, Lil Wayne joined the group Hot Boys, which also included...

 and K'Naan
K'naan
K'naan , born Keinan Abdi Warsame in 1978, is a Somali Canadian poet, rapper, singer, songwriter and instrumentalist.-Biography:Born in Somalia, K'naan spent his childhood in Mogadishu and lived there during the Somali Civil War, which began in 1991. His aunt, Magool, was one of Somalia's most...

.

On February 5, 2011, during Super Bowl XVL festivities he announced his signing to artist Rick Ross, Maybach Music Group. He states that he will still continue to be able to put out the music that he believes in behind the support of Rick Ross. Wale currently since 2009 has been signed to Jay-Z’s Roc Nation for management along with other artists such as J. Cole, Mark Ronson
Mark Ronson
Mark Daniel Ronson is an English DJ, guitarist, music producer, artist and co-founder of Allido Records. He currently works with his band under the music alias of Mark Ronson & The Business Intl....

, Melanie Fiona
Melanie Fiona
Melanie Fiona Hallim is a Canadian R&B and Grammy-nominated recording artist from Toronto, Ontario. She was born to Guyanese immigrant parents of African, Indian, and Portuguese descent and grew up in the inner city of Toronto. Living in a music filled household, Fiona says she always knew music...

 and Rihanna
Rihanna
Robyn Rihanna Fenty , better known as simply Rihanna, is a Barbadian recording artist. Born in Saint Michael, Barbados, Rihanna moved to the United States at the age of 16 to pursue a recording career under the guidance of record producer Evan Rogers...

.

Ambition (2011)

May 6, 2011, Wale shared plans with MTV Networks
MTV Networks
MTV Networks is a division of media conglomerate Viacom that oversees the operations of many television channels and Internet brands, including the original MTV channel in the United States...

 regarding the potential release of two albums in 2011. Later the same month, he confirmed Pre Production efforts for Ambition his second album slated for Fall 2011 release under Maybach and Warner Music Groups. Production for Ambition took place at ZAC Recording, in Atlanta, Georgia with The Board Administration Producer Tone P. Anticipation for Ambition was incited through the release and heavy viral promotion of Mixtape, The Eleven One Eleven Theory done under Wale's label, The Board Administration
The Board Administration
The Board Administration is a DC based record label founded by Marketing Executive Le’Greg O. Harrison and Roc Nation-Maybach Music Group artist Wale Folarin....

. The Eleven One Eleven Theory debuted August 17 2011 on Life and Times
Life and Times
Life and Times was a series of biographical documentary films broadcast by CBC Television, CBC Country Canada and CBC Newsworld. It was hosted by Ann-Marie MacDonald and first appeared in 1996, ending in 2007....

 in honor of Wale's Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...

 milestone of reaching one million followers and was purposefully made with the intent to build widespread anticipation for November 1, 2011 the scheduled release date of Ambition. This marketing strategy was the brainchild
Brainchild
Brainchild may refer to:* Brainchild , a local supergroup from Youngstown, Ohio, 1969–1972* Brainchild , 1996* Brainchild , 1994* Fictional comic characters in the Marvel Universe:...

 of The Board Administration CEO Greg Harrison and was executed through savvy social media integration resulting in the first shut down of renowned file sharing site Hulkshare in the first 4 seconds of posting the link. Wale is the first mainstream artist to officially crash Hulkshare.

September 7, 2011 Wale announced plans for a 32-city domestic tour titled The Ambition Tour, which initiated October 2, 2011 in Minneapolis Minnesota and has dates through December 2011.
The Board Administration artist Black Cobain is the official opening act for each date and is followed by a rotation of various artists in select markets which include: Rick Ross
Rick Ross
Rick, Ricky or Richard Ross may also refer to:* Rick Ross , American rapper* Richard J. Ross, a Massachusetts State Senator* Richard Ross , an American photographer...

, Meek Mill, Pusha T
Pusha T
Terrence Thornton better known by his stage name Pusha T is an American recording artist, occasional actor and one half of the critically acclaimed hip hop duo Clipse. He is also the co-founder and co-chief executive officer of Re-Up Records along with his brother Gene 'Malice' Thornton...

, J. Cole, Big Sean
Big Sean
Sean Michael Anderson , better known by his stage name Big Sean, is an American rapper. Big Sean signed with Kanye West's G.O.O.D...

, Miguel
Miguel (singer)
Miguel Jontel Pimentel, who performs under the mononym Miguel, is an American recording artist, songwriter and producer. Signed to Jive Records in 2007, Miguel released his debut album, All I Want Is You, in November 2010. The album was preceded by the release of the single "All I Want Is You",...

, and more.

September 28, 2011, Wale revealed Ambition was complete and released single "Lotus Flower Bomb", featuring Miguel on Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...

. September 29, 2011, Funk Master Flex debuted Wale's song "Tats On My Arms", featuring Rick Ross. The next day Wale released the album cover for Ambition. October 14, 2011, Wale released single "Focused", featuring Kid Cudi
Kid Cudi
Scott Ramon Seguro Mescudi , better known by his stage name Kid Cudi , sometimes stylized KiD CuDi, is an American rapper, singer and actor. He first gained major attention after the release of his debut mixtape A Kid Named Cudi. In 2009, his single "Day 'n' Nite" reached the top five of the...

. The official Ambition track listing includes 15 songs.

The Board Administration launched a robust social media campaign integrating never-seen-before social media strategy and savvy to virally promote Ambition. The promotional campaign included a five-part making of documentary; a Twitter campaign centered on a hashtag blitz–aptly named #Ambition and daily new music and video releases from Wale; and promotional materials for purchase through Warner Music Group
Warner Music Group
Warner Music Group is the third largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry, making it one of the big four record companies...

 and Maybach Music Group
Maybach Music Group
Maybach Music Group is a record label founded by Rick Ross, currently distributed by Warner Bros. Records, which took over distribution following the expiration of a deal with Def Jam Recordings....

 such as Ambition wristbands and graphic tees. .These efforts were also supported through televised making of episodes through networks such as MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....

 that hosted Sucker Free Road to Release.

The never-seen-before element of Wale’s Ambition promo blitz included a partnership formed between the current most popular file sharing site Hulkshare and The Board Administration
The Board Administration
The Board Administration is a DC based record label founded by Marketing Executive Le’Greg O. Harrison and Roc Nation-Maybach Music Group artist Wale Folarin....

.. Greater than 3 million footsteps frequent Hulkshare daily in pursuit of the hottest new music, and through this collaboration could view banner ads on practically every Hulkshare download page, each rectangular space flanked with Wale’s profile and a clock counting down the days, hours, minutes, and seconds until the album comes out.

October 27, 2011 Wale unveiled an Ambition snippet sampler on Youtube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....

 for people to preview the album. Later the same day, a private Ambition media listening event, held at the Gansevoort Hotel of Chelsea New York, was attended by music executives, bloggers, various artists, and hip hop heads.

On November 2, 2011, Myspace
Myspace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....

 and Hot 97
Hot 97
Hot 97 could refer to:* KBCQ-FM, a radio station licensed to Roswell, New Mexico* WQHT, a radio station licensed to New York, New York...

 will presented a complimentary Wale and friends midnight Ambition release show at The Highline Ballroom in New York City. The event was hosted by Miss Info
Miss Info
Minya Oh, known by the stage name Miss Info, is a radio presenter.Formerly a writer and reporter for BET, Miss Info is currently an on-air radio personality at the New York hip hop and R&B station Hot 97. She is also a journalist who has worked for the notable hip hop industry publication The Source...

 and featured special guest DJ Funk Master Flex.

The album debuted number two on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...

 selling 162,600 copies in its first week. The album received mixed reviews, including a negative one in Wale's local Washington City Paper
Washington City Paper
The Washington City Paper is a U.S. alternative weekly newspaper serving the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area.Founded in 1981, and published for its first year under the masthead 1981, taking the City Paper name in volume 2, by Russ Smith, it shared ownership with the Chicago Reader from 1982...

.

Musical style

In an interview with Flavorwire, Wale said that he incorporates elements of go-go in his music. Cyril Cordor of allmusic described go-go as "a more raw, percussion-driven offshoot of disco" that originated in the Washington, D.C. area. Wale's early singles that were played primarily in his local metropolitan area heavily sampled 1990s go-go records. Reviewing Attention Deficit, David Jeffries of allmusic remarked that Wale had a "post-Kanye, post-Lil Wayne, alternative-meets-hardcore style" and commented that Wale's single "Chillin'", which featured Lady Gaga, "crafts an instant floor-filler out of a sample from the '70s hit 'Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye'".

Discography

Studio
  • Attention Deficit (2009)
  • Ambition
    Ambition (Wale album)
    Ambition is the second studio album by hip hop recording artist Wale, released November 1, 2011 via Maybach Music Group and Warner Bros. Records.- Background :...

    (2011)


Collaborations
  • Self Made Vol. 1
    Self Made Vol. 1
    MMG Presents: Self Made, Vol. 1 has received generally favorable reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 66, based on 7 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable".-Track...

    (2011)


Mixtapes
  • Paint a Picture (2005)
  • Hate is the New Love
    Hate is the New Love
    Hate is New Love is the 2nd mixtape by Washington D.C. rapper Wale where he rhymed over many other artists beats. A.D.D. 2 is similar in style to The Game's "300 Bars and Runnin'" in which the beat changes several times throughout the song....

    (2006)
  • 100 Miles & Running
    100 Miles & Running
    100 Miles & Running is a mixtape by DC rapper Wale.It was Wale's third mixtape, released on July 11, 2007. The mixtape was mixed by Nick Catchdubs and featured remixes of songs by Amy Winehouse, Lily Allen, and Justice. The mixtape also includes appearances from Daniel Merriweather, Mark Ronson,...

    (2007)
  • The Mixtape About Nothing
    The Mixtape About Nothing
    The Mixtape About Nothing is a mixtape released on May 30, 2008 by Washington, D.C. rapper Wale and mixed by Nick Catchdubs in collaboration with New York streetwear brand 10.Deep Clothing as a free download.- Theme :...

    (2008)
  • Back to the Feature (2009)
  • More About Nothing (2010)
  • The Eleven One Eleven Theory (2011)

BET Hip Hop Awards

|-
| 2010
| Wale
| Best New Artist
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2011
| rowspan="2" | "No Hands
No Hands
"No Hands" is a song performed by American rapper Waka Flocka Flame featuring Roscoe Dash and Wale from his debut album Flockaveli. The song features Roscoe Dash on the chorus and a verse from both Wale and Roscoe Dash. It was produced by Drumma Boy. It was leaked in May 2010 before it was...

"
| Best Collaboration
|
|-
| Best Club Banger
|

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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