My piece on Wale’s unsuccessful debut somehow found its way to the man himself. He was receptive to the analysis, but he also had some reservations. Many of you seem to agree with the first 6 points I raised. Others noted that this doesn’t necessarily spell the end a career. I agree. I don’t expect Wale to bury his face in his hand and walk away. In fact, he can rebound from this loss and go on to have a long and lucrative career if he plays his cards right. In order to do that, he’ll probably need to relinquish any ambition of becoming a supa dupa pop artist and focus on what he does best. The rest will take care of itself.

For a while, it seemed as if Wale was destined to soar for an eternity. With all the planetary bodies aligned in his favor, his buzz would surely catapult him to unfathomable heights. His mixtape was the talk of the town. MTV tapped him to provide the musical backdrop for the 2009 VMAs. Jay-Z signed him to a Roc Nation management deal and made him an opening act on his Blueprint 3 Tour. The most popular pop artist in America graced his first single. He amassed 125,000 followers on Twitter (as of this writing). Simply put, Wale was coasting with no sign of slowing down. Until now. Despite the heavy promotion and media blitz, Wale’s eagerly awaited debut, Attention Deficit (Allido/Interscope), only managed a measly 28,000 units sold in its first week. What went wrong? Read the rest of this entry »

Wale (Feat. Pharrell) – Inhibitions [mp3]
Oh hi, it’s another leak from Attention Deficit. Skateboard P dusts off his rhyme book and kicks a mean 16 on this one. Overall, it sounds like a grower. Ask me again in 2 weeks.

[Blame it on: Ill Roots]

I haven’t heard Wale’s Attention Deficit yet. However, if the early verdict is anything to go by, the man who gave us 2008’s best mixtape may be in for a long winter. Peep Rolling Stone’s take on the eagerly awaited album.
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I hate when an album drops and you discover that a few songs have been radically altered (read: shittier) because some numbnut decided to sabotage the sampling and copyright process. I vividly remember the first time I heard Kanye’s College Dropout and found out that Lauryn Hill had been replaced by Syleena Johnson on “All Falls Down” because they couldn’t clear the sample. As much as I love Ms. Johnson that last-minute change ruined the entire song for me. Sorry. Read the rest of this entry »

My best friend just dropped a new joint on Twitter! I’m feelin’ this one like Mac Dre is feelin’ his-self! Wale – My Sweetie (unfinished)

Last night, I realized that there is really nothing new about these guys anymore. When you consider mixtapes, touring before you have a single, and (yes, Freeway) the blogosphere, your average rapper who is getting any kind of play can stop using the term freshmen after just a few months. But since the summer is here, that means that the school year is officially over, and when we come back in the fall, you’re in class with the big boys. So go ahead and drop your album on the same day as Hov and 50; you’re not a freshmen anymore.

That being said, let’s not start making our way for the new class just yet, because there is just a little more hazing to do. Let’s give out the year-end awards for the first-year (or so) standouts who actually passed a test or two this year, then maybe we can stop calling these people freshmen.

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After numerous delays Wale finally dropped his new tape, Back to the Feature, a collaboration with 9th Wonder last Friday. So does it match or surpass his critically acclaimed Mixtape About Nothing? Wale stans can stop reading right now. Otherwise, follow J to the AAP after the jump to see his Back to the Feature review and Nike Boots rating.
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