by Jason Lipshutz, N.Y. |
July 17, 2009 2:31 EDT
After building an underground fan base with a string of popular mixtapes, the Washington, D.C., rapper Wale is primed to bring his offbeat charm to the mainstream. "Chillin'," his club-ready single featuring Lady GaGa, rises to No. 32 this week on Billboard's Rhythmic Top 40 chart. With its bouncy hook and slick verses, the track is the perfect precursor to Wale's long-awaited debut, "Attention: Deficit," due Sept. 22 on Interscope/Allido Records.
The album is the culmination of Wale's steady rise from small beginnings. The son of a D.C. cab driver, Wale dreamed of becoming an MC in spite of hip-hop's local perception. "When I told girls I wanted to be a rapper, they told me to get a life," he says. "It was the ultimate turnoff because everyone thought it was unrealistic. I didn't do it to get famous or put D.C. on the map though; I was rapping because I loved the art."
After a series of tracks started receiving airplay in the D.C. area, the producer Mark Ronson stumbled upon a demo and played the mixtape jam "Good Girls" on his East Village Radio show in March 2007. Wale signed a joint deal with Ronson's Allido imprint and Interscope in March 2008, and soon after he released "The Mixtape About Nothing," an acclaimed 19-track concept album based on the sitcom "Seinfeld."
Wale says the TV show's "honest dialogue" mirrors his lyrical style, which frequently references pop culture and politics while avoiding gangster-rap bluster. "My reality is the same as a lot of people's," he says. "Chances are that you know more about my lifestyle than that of a gangster—I buy regular cars and try to meet nice girls. I'm trying to make music a large group can relate to."
"Back to the Feature," a new mixtape released last month, ups the ante by featuring a varied list of guest stars, including Duffy, Memphis Bleek and Peter Bjorn and John. The assorted field of collaborators previews the sonic diversity of "Attention: Deficit," which features production by Ronson, Cool and Dre, and TV on the Radio's Dave Sitek.
"The reason Wale's been successful in the mixtape game is because he's well-rounded," his product manager Andrew Flad says. "He collaborates with people who he respects and doesn't shy away from a challenge. We'll see that on 'Attention: Deficit' but in a more refined way."
"Chillin' " is the first glimpse of the polished product, and its Chris Robinson-directed music video was recently added to BET's rotation. Wale also performed on "Late Night With Jimmy Fallon" July 14 and has a run of East Coast shows leading up to the album's release.
While the wait between his signing and album release has been long, Wale feels the patience has paid off. "I could have had an album out five months after I signed, but that's not what I wanted. It's about solidifying a brand," he says. "I might not go platinum at first, but I connect with people and can slowly make that impact."
The album is the culmination of Wale's steady rise from small beginnings. The son of a D.C. cab driver, Wale dreamed of becoming an MC in spite of hip-hop's local perception. "When I told girls I wanted to be a rapper, they told me to get a life," he says. "It was the ultimate turnoff because everyone thought it was unrealistic. I didn't do it to get famous or put D.C. on the map though; I was rapping because I loved the art."
After a series of tracks started receiving airplay in the D.C. area, the producer Mark Ronson stumbled upon a demo and played the mixtape jam "Good Girls" on his East Village Radio show in March 2007. Wale signed a joint deal with Ronson's Allido imprint and Interscope in March 2008, and soon after he released "The Mixtape About Nothing," an acclaimed 19-track concept album based on the sitcom "Seinfeld."
Wale says the TV show's "honest dialogue" mirrors his lyrical style, which frequently references pop culture and politics while avoiding gangster-rap bluster. "My reality is the same as a lot of people's," he says. "Chances are that you know more about my lifestyle than that of a gangster—I buy regular cars and try to meet nice girls. I'm trying to make music a large group can relate to."
"Back to the Feature," a new mixtape released last month, ups the ante by featuring a varied list of guest stars, including Duffy, Memphis Bleek and Peter Bjorn and John. The assorted field of collaborators previews the sonic diversity of "Attention: Deficit," which features production by Ronson, Cool and Dre, and TV on the Radio's Dave Sitek.
"The reason Wale's been successful in the mixtape game is because he's well-rounded," his product manager Andrew Flad says. "He collaborates with people who he respects and doesn't shy away from a challenge. We'll see that on 'Attention: Deficit' but in a more refined way."
"Chillin' " is the first glimpse of the polished product, and its Chris Robinson-directed music video was recently added to BET's rotation. Wale also performed on "Late Night With Jimmy Fallon" July 14 and has a run of East Coast shows leading up to the album's release.
While the wait between his signing and album release has been long, Wale feels the patience has paid off. "I could have had an album out five months after I signed, but that's not what I wanted. It's about solidifying a brand," he says. "I might not go platinum at first, but I connect with people and can slowly make that impact."
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