 "Photo: Interscope/Allido")
If some thought there was no hope for hip-hop, especially with the new school, they have someone to place their bets on.
Hailing from Washington, D.C. with proud African roots, Olu-bowale Folarin, better known to the masses as “Wale,” blesses the microphone with a distinctive flow and sense of style.
Though Wale’s latest project, Attention Deficit, suffered from constant push-backs and label distribution problems, it was surely worth the wait.
The album features collaborations from Lady Gaga, K’naan, J.Cole, Bun B and more.
Several producers contribute, such as Mark Ronson, Cool & Dre, The Neptunes, The Sleepwalker and more.
Opening up with “Fela Kuti,” the horns and drums successfully represent the bold Nigerian side of his hip-hop essence.
A live orchestra band backed up with go-go bongo drums gives listeners a taste of this capital rapper.
As he hooks up with southern legend Bun B, the albums retro-soul is felt in “Mirror.”
This track picks up the tempo a bit while keeping lyricism along with the catchy hook.
Returning to his mixtape style Wale combines D.C’s go-go and hip-hop in a melting pot, by linking up with the legendary Back Yard Band for the go-go sampled version of Diana Ross’ “Love Hangover.”
“90210”, addresses, Hollywood girls and the trials of stardom over a video game infused tune. The flow on this track is Kid Cudi-esce.
On “Shades”, Wale gets some vocal help from Chrisette Michelle as he gives his personal tip on black-on-black racism.
Featuring Roc-Nation affiliates, Wale gets fellow new comers, Melanie Fiona and J.Cole,to help express the feelings of a gorgeous day on “Beautiful Bliss”.
Someone who has followed Wale from his previous mixtape series may be a bit bored when it comes to the style of beats he chose to rap on.
There aren’t many party jams to choose from. He couldn’t have done better because this is truly a lovely “hip-hop” album.
It appears that he has dumbed down his rhymes for a mainstream audience and it’s a little misleading.
So as GaGa sings in “Chillin”, “Get em’ all, get em’ all, pack em’ all up”… hello new hip-hop fans, hip-hop is back!
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