Wale – More About Everything
I’m a little late with this, but I think it’s still a much deserved review.
About a month ago Wale, a fellow Washingtonian, released his much-anticipated sequel to his 2008 mixtape The Mixtape About Nothing. More About Nothing delivers an array of artist featured–diverse is definitely the word. I think this is probably one of Wale’s best works lyrically. The production on this album definitely superseded that of The Mixtape About Nothing. I think that Wale started off with what he knew: go-go, then once people latched onto his talent he strayed away from that and began to discover better producers.
We see a different side of Wale on this mixtape. He talks about love – something that he never really talked about in abundance on any of his other stuff. The Trip (Downtown) is by far my favorite track on the album (quite possibly because I’m a girl *blushes*). Granted, it’s not about love, but sex…another subject taboo to Wale. Most of the time sex gets inserted into a club banger in a few bars or such but this entire song is dedicated to it. When I first heard it, I definitely gave kudos to Wale. Great job at a hip hop baby-maker. Oh and who can’t LOVE a SWV sample?
Followed up by Ambitious Girl. Now, here is something that is a touchy thing for me. You know I love spoken word. I think that when Wale does it, it’s a bit hit or miss. I’m not really a big fan of his spoken word most of the time but as you saw when I posted his video for Diary, there are a few times where I feel like he hits the nail on the head. Ambitious Girl was not one of those times. I first saw the hype back in July when he leaked the track. I was a little disappointed after reading all the hype. It was typical, “hey girl…I’m not into your body…i love your mind.” The only problem I have with that is “Pretty Girls.” Nuff said. Most women were all over him because of this one…I, on the other hand, really wanted to say “negro please.”
Now to the club banger. No Hands. Now, normally I would shun Wale for ever considering to collaborate with Waka Flocka and/or Roscoe Dash. However, this joint rocks. The track is great and of course Wale gives it substance cause otherwise I would NEVER have a reason to play it in my Jeep, lol.
The one thing that I give Wale the side-eye on sometimes is when he tries to make music that has some kind of message in it. It always seems weird coming from him. Don’t get me wrong, I love music with purpose (Lupe is my favorite artist) but something about the way Wale does it that just doesn’t seem right. I think it may be consistency. One minute he’s talking about throwing money while she does it with no hands, and then the next minute he’s writing a song about the whole Tiger Woods scandal. It just doesn’t seem consistent.
The Eyes of the Tiger was an extremely well thought out piece. My first listen to this was with muted ears. I wasn’t really paying attention to what he was talking about. The whole time I was thinking “whose voice message is this at the beginning?” It wasn’t until a friend pointed out that it was the voice message that Tiger Woods left his mistress on her phone after finding out that his wife found her number. The song is thick.
And of course he wouldn’t be Wale if he didn’t have a weed song, right? The Cloud. Tiara Thomas, the young lady that’s featured on this song really makes it. I enjoyed listening to her more than I did Wale. She had a go-go band lead singer sound; real raw and uncut. I loved it.
More About Nothing gets four and half stars from me. It makes me proud to see Wale doing some great stuff and getting the respect that he deserves in the industry. I don’t think there has ever been anyone from the DC Metro area to get as far as he’s gotten. Big ups to you Mr. Folarin.
To download the mixtape Click Here.
My apologies…V.O.W.
Whoa.
It really has been two weeks since I last posted something. My deepest, sincerest apologies to my readers! Irecently got a new job and I’ve been working my butt off! I’m also in the process of moving which is taking up alot of my time as well. BUT, that Wale mixtape review is coming REAL soon.
Until then…
“When did you fall in love with hip-hop?”
I remember the first time I fell in love with hip hop. We’d had a relationship before but I had been quite fickle. I was listening to Wale‘s “Attention Deficit” for the first time and Lupe Fiasco‘s “Enemy of the State” dropped around the same time. I listened to the way Wale tackled the most complex metaphors and I envied Lupe’s word play. The song that made me fall in love with hip hop was Lupe’s version of “All the Way Turnt Up,” dually named “Turnt Up.” The song opens with one of the sickest lines I’ve heard from Lupe thus far:
“Microphone check, I make em all bounce. Every teller in Bank of America, make em all count.”
I was in love from that moment on. Any artist that could juggle words like Lupe or poetically peice together a song like Wale, ride the beat like Drake or make ANYTHING rhyme like Kanye was in my headphones. J.Cole, Jay-Z, Talib Kweli, Common, B.o.B., Asher Roth – all these and MUCH more. I was addicted. I discovered several mixtapes from Lupe and re-discovered some old Outkast, Dr. Dre and Eminem albums and had a ball!
I was inspired to perfect my craft. In a world full of Wacka Flacka Flame’s and Souljah Boy’s, it’s a breath of fresh air to turn on the radio and hear SKILL. I want that to be how people view me and my talent. Am I a good writer or am I a GREAT writer? Inspiration to be better.
When did YOU fall in love with hip hop?
