Wale

I feel my love for Chicago rappers has been well documented throughout the history of this blog. Kanye, Common, Rhymefest, Lupe Fiasco; these MCs have helped define the sound coming out of the Third Coast for the past decade where conscious rap and smooth flows have combined with soul samples and hip hop beats to create a powerful and moving style. It's a sound that has had its share of both club hits and critically acclaimed songs, and the next prince of Chicago Rap appears as if he's ready to emerge. Only one problem...he's from D.C.

Wale has been the buzz of the music community for a couple years now as everyone waits for him to bust out. I had heard the name many times before but had remained unimpressed for a long time until I finally took the time to actually listen to a couple of his mix tapes. Wow, "this kid is the next disciple of Kanye and Lupe" was my thought. Maybe its the fact that D.C. isn't known for its hip hop, but Wale definitely sounds more Chicago than east coast.

His latest mix tape, The Mixtape About Nothing, is a solid mix of songs that really demonstrate not only his MC skills but an ear for catchy beats and hooks. Yes it's a mixtape, so it must be taken with a grain of salt, but if these little glimpses of his skills are any indication of what is to come, I think there is plenty of reason to be hopeful. And with that, Wale is finally working on an actual album having signed originally with Track Nine favorite Mark Ronson's label "Allido" and now onto Interscope. The album is tentativley scheduled for a March 09 release, but til then we'll just have to get by with a couple mix tapes.

So what set Wale apart from other rappers? Well the most obvious thing when listening to TMTAB is his love for Seinfeld, which he makes very apparent with his incorporation of several audio clips from the show and even a shout out from Julia Louis Dreyfus. But he goes beyond that, also incorporating the clip from Michael Richards' infamous racist tantrum as an introduction for a song analyzing the various uses and stigmas of the use of the N-word.

Check out a couple of these songs from Wale and get an early taste of his writing and rhyming skills. And if you like what you hear just get on "the google" and look for his mix tapes to hear more. Chicago style is alive and well... on the East Coast.

The first two tracks are from TMTAN and really feature Wale's rhyming skills laced over some simple but strong beats. The last is his remix of the Justice classic "D.A.N.C.E."

Wale - The Perfect Plan

Wale - The Manipulation

Wale - W.A.L.E.D.A.N.C.E.


Enjoy

-Alec