Wale

1,173,136 plays
796 SHARES
336 FAVS
227 fans

albums

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- Attention Deficit (Parental Advisory)
- Released 2009

- Nike Boots (Single)
- Released 2009

- Scion A/V Remix Project: 45 King Vs. Wale, Part 1 (4-Track Maxi-Single)
- Released 2008

- Attention Deficit (Edited)
- Released 2009

biography

The self-proclaimed "Ambassador of Rap for the Capital," Washington, D.C.-based rapper Wale (pronounced "wah-lay") was able to transcend his local sensation status and become a national rap contender using go-go-inspired hip-hop as the vehicle for his lyricism and clever wordplay. Olubowale Victor Akintimehin was born in D.C. in 1984 to Nigerian immigrants who first arrived to America five years prior. Moving to Maryland at age ten, however, Wale was mostly raised in suburban D.C. He attended both Robert Morris College and Virginia State University on football scholarships, but then transferred a third time to Bowie State. The music bug already had bit him hard, and soon he quit Bowie State to turn towards a recording career.

Wale got his first airplay circa 2003-2004 with "Rhyme of the Century," thanks to the help of a local radio DJ who believed in his potential. This landed him in the "Unsigned Hype" column in Source magazine the following year. In 2006, Wale signed to local start-up imprint Studio 43, owned by a former VP of Roc-a-Fella Records, and enjoyed a string of hits in the D.C.-Maryland-Virginia area that year. Many of those records sampled from '80s go-go, a more raw, percussion-driven offshoot of disco originating in D.C., like the popular "Dig Dug," a tribute to Ronald "Dig Dug" Dixon of go-go band the Northeast Groovers. The use of the Internet and MySpace were big factors for his success, which is how British über-producer and DJ Mark Ronson (Amy Winehouse, Christina Aguilera, Rhymefest) caught wind of the go-go MC in 2007. Wale then struck a production deal with Ronson's Allido imprint and released the 100 Miles and Running mixtape that summer. Despite not being signed to any major label yet, tons of press, ranging from XXL magazine to The New York Times, started to cover the D.C. sensation in 2007 and 2008. After a bidding war that included Epic, Atlantic, and Def Jam, Interscope finally grabbed Wale for its roster in early 2008. The full-length Attention Deficit followed in 2009. ~ Cyril Cordor, All Music Guide

news

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- - WaleDC: back to the feature..
  - - 6/25/2009
    - |
    - 1:31 AM
    - |
    - Twitter / WaleDC
  - WaleDC: back to the feature..

- - WaleDC: Support Walemusic.com
  - - 6/23/2009
    - |
    - 10:48 PM
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    - Twitter / WaleDC
  - WaleDC: Support Walemusic.com

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comments

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- - DC repping
  - - By MrMan42
    - 11/13/2009 05:42:24
  - that dude Wale is putting DC on the map
  - 1 out of 1 people
  - think this is useful

- - wale rep D.C
  - - By n0li
    - 11/10/2009 21:46:53
  - wale killed the mixtape game listening to the new album now
  - 1 out of 1 people
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- - Nothin Better than the Flow
  - - By Stellar Skater
    - 7/5/2009 05:20:52
  - If there is one thing Wale's got it's "FLOW" dude is nothin Rawness his mixtapes r the illest u can get them off his myspace if ya'll r lookin for more and if ya can't i got plenty of Wale Sh!t to go around lol
  - 1 out of 1 people
  - think this is useful

- - D.C. Loves U Wale!
  - - By dcHellcat
    - 7/4/2009 03:14:29
  - I'm def. ur #1 fan... love ya!
  - 0 out of 1 people
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- - Mr. Never Wear The Same Thing
  - - By lezak21
    - 6/30/2009 19:27:10
  - You the man dude, that song ''Penthouse Anthem'' that's some real trunk material, those 2 mixtapes are classics to me !! thank you man
  - 1 out of 1 people
  - think this is useful