So I posted a while back about one of my favorite rappers Wale and his last mix tape " 100 Miles and Running". And I guess I am a little late to the party cause he seems to be more popular than I thought ( Pitchfork was on him in July). But that won't stop me, no way, no how.
I must admit that whenever I am listening to new hip hop I don't pay much attention to lyrical content. I guess it's kind of the way people approach most music; take it at face value then from there dig a bit deeper. My apologies to all of you who really key on lyrical content first and foremost. It was Wale's flow that really caught my attention; smooth with an deft ability to ride his beats and melodies confidently. But the thing that really brings him to another level is the substance behind that flow.
On his newest mix tape " The Mixtape about Nothing" ( Thank God for the proliferation of free music via the internet) he takes on daunting subjects such as race, the state of hip-hop and today's culture while keeping his lyrics poignant and efficient without any sense of heavy-handedness. It is a fine line to walk when you are trying to talk about loaded subjects like these because there is always the risk of sounding preachy or cliche'. He manages to handle these subjects well while injecting a good amount of humor throughout the mix. Did I mention that the mix tape centers around his obsession for the show Seinfeld?
In the first track "The Opening Title Sequence" we hear Wale use Jerry Seinfeld's classic opening comedic phrase " What's the deal with...?" as a jump-off to rant about seemingly random topics such as Eddie Murphy's love life and the DMV. Seems a bit unfocused but it actually makes the record a lot of fun. It's that kind of content and unconventional approach that keeps you interested. This definitely isn't run of the mill cliche bling rap. There's even a little cameo from Julia Louis-Dreyfus on "The Vacation from Ourselves" proclaiming her love for Wale.
Most of the production is handled by fellow DC residents
Best Kept Secret who have worked with Talib Kweli, Pusha T, Rhymefest, and more. Mark Ronson lends his hand on a couple of tracks as well.
Anyways my advice is watch out for Wale to break soon and in the meantime download his sweet ass mixtape.
