"If you love substance.... you love Wale"
Posted by Matthew in music, reviews, wale
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?
