Artist Watch: Wale

Wale has really been around the rap scene for a long time. Well, for a new hip-hop artist in the age of free internet mixtapes at least. His first mixtape dropped way back in 2005. Wale then floated around the hip-hop universe as an independent artist, releasing three well received mixtapes, until 2008 when he signed with Interscope. Later that year, The Mixtape About Nothing was released to wide spread critical praise, Pitchfork calling it "one of 2008's best rap albums." The self-aware tape and 2009's Back to the Feature built up hype for his long awaited debut album, Attention Deficit, which came out this past Tuesday (11-10-09). After one listen to the album, I can happily say that it retains the qualities that have kept Wale around this long. It's catchy, but not a ringtone catchy way; original; and lyrically substantial. Favorite song so far, "Mirrors." If you're a UVa student, definitely check the album out, as our beloved UPC has scheduled the DC emcee to play at the Student Activities Building on December 4th.


And as a bonus, check out "Letter," which Wale recorded with John Mayer and released for free early in November. It shows off many of the same qualities mentioned above, and it's John Mayer on a hip-hop hook. Tell me you're not curious to hear how that works out.