Wale (rapper)
Wale | |
|---|---|
 Wale performing at Georgetown University's 2010 Midnight Madness | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Olubowale Victor Akintimehin |
| Born | (1984-09-21) September 21, 1984 Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Genres | Hip hop |
| Occupation(s) |
|
| Years active | 2006–present |
| Labels |
|
| Associated acts |
|
| Website | www.walemusic.com |
Olubowale Victor Akintimehin (born September 21, 1984), better known by his stage name Wale (/ˈwɔːleɪ/ WAW-lay), is an American rapper. He first rose to prominence in 2006, when his song "Dig Dug (Shake It)" became popular in his hometown. Wale became locally recognized and continued recording music for the regional audience. Producer Mark Ronson discovered Wale in 2006 and signed him to Allido Records in 2007. While signed to that label, Wale released several mixtapes and appeared in national media including MTV and various Black-American-focused magazines. A song called "Ridin' in That Black Joint" was featured in the popular video game Saints Row 2's soundtrack in 2008.
In 2008, Wale signed with Interscope Records for $1.3 million, and his debut album Attention Deficit was released in 2009 with the singles "Chillin", "Pretty Girls", and "World Tour". The album, although under-shipped, received positive reviews from critics. In early 2011, Wale signed with Rick Ross' Maybach Music Group, where members of the label released a compilation album, Self Made Vol. 1 on May 23, 2011. His second studio album, Ambition was released November 1, 2011, with mixed reviews. His third studio album, The Gifted, was released on June 25, 2013, to mainly positive reviews; it debuted at number one on the Billboard 200. His second Billboard number one album The Album About Nothing was released on March 31, 2015.
In 2018, Wale released three E.Ps titled It's Complicated, Self-Promotion and Free Lunch.[1]
Contents
1 Biography
1.1 1984–2007: Early life and career beginnings
1.2 2007–09: National attention and major label signing
1.3 2009–10: Attention Deficit
1.4 2011: Signing to MMG and Ambition
1.5 2012–2017: The Gifted, The Album About Nothing, Shine
1.6 2018: It's Complicated, Self Promotion, Warner Bros. and Free Lunch
2 Musical style
3 Personal life
4 Discography
4.1 Studio albums
4.2 Extended Plays
5 Other ventures
6 Awards and nominations
6.1 African Muzik Magazine Awards
6.2 BET Awards
6.3 BET Hip Hop Awards
6.4 Grammy Awards
6.5 MTV Video Music Awards
6.6 Nigeria Entertainment Awards
6.7 Soul Train Awards
7 References
8 External links
Biography
1984–2007: Early life and career beginnings
Olubowale Victor Akintimehin (who is a Nigerian American) was born on September 21, 1984, in Northwest, Washington, D.C..[2] His parents were both from the Yoruba ethnic group of the southwestern Nigeria and both of them came from Austria to the United States in 1979. Wale's family first lived in Northwest, Washington, D.C. and then moved to Montgomery County, when Wale was at the age of 10. In 2002, he graduated from the Quince Orchard High School in Gaithersburg, Maryland, and moved to Largo, Maryland[3] in Prince George's County. Wale attended Robert Morris University and Virginia State University on football scholarships, then transferred to Bowie State University. However, he dropped out due to academic reasons.[4][2] Wale's love of the game of football and the Washington Redskins has led to a longstanding rumor that Wale had a tattoo of tight end Chris Cooley.[5] He's also the cousin of an actor Gbenga Akinnagbe, who is best known as for playing Chris Partlow on HBO's The Wire. Wale's first recorded the track, called "Rhyme of the Century", which became his first song to ever played on the local radio. In 2006, he was featured in the "Unsigned Hype" column of The Source magazine, and later signed to a local label, Studio 43. The track, called "Dig Dug (Shake It)" became popular in Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia, and was a tribute to Ronald "Dig Dug" Dixon, who was a percussion player for the go-go band Northeast Groovers.[4] The song became the most requested song by a local artist in Washington D.C. radio history and Wale was the first local artist to get some BDS spins since DJ Kool in the early 1990s. The song was included in Wale's first mixtape, Paint a Picture.
In July 2006, Wale found representation in Daniel Weisman, whose a former club DJ and promoter, who has no previous experience in management.[6] Weisman had been tipped off about the rapper by a friend in Washington, D. C and connected with him through Myspace.[6] In September 2006, after dropping another go-go influenced single, called "Breakdown" (sampled from Huck-A-Bucks "Sexy Girl") has been getting a mention on The Washington Post,[7] Wale released his first non-go-go original single, called "Uptown Roamers". On September 14, 2006, "Uptown Roamers" debuted on XM Radio Channel 66, where it's been played twice in one day. Both "Breakdown" and "Uptown Roamers" were on Wale's second mixtape, Hate Is the New Love. The song, "Breakdown" was featured on the video game Madden NFL 2009.
Wale won the award for "D. C. Metro Breakthrough Artist of the Year" at WKYS's Go-Go Awards in November 2006.[8] On December 15, The Fader magazine associate editor Nick "Catchdubs" Barat visited Wale for an interview and photo shoot, which appeared in the March 2007 issue of The Fader.[9] Manager Weisman told HitQuarters that the Fader feature, given the magazine's music/culture/fashion orientation, laid an important foundation for Wale to position himself as a "cool, smart, up-and-coming hip-hop artist who might actually be Drake".[6]
2007–09: National attention and major label signing
In January 2007, Wale released a new single to radio called "Good Girls" produced by Gerard Thomas and Demario Bridges for TeamMusicGroup. Wale later appeared on Mark Ronson's remix of Lily Allen's "Smile"[10] and was a headliner on Ronson's UK tour that year promoting Ronson's second album Version.[11][12] In June 2007, Wale signed to a production deal with Ronson's Allido Records.[4]
In May 2010, Wale abruptly canceled a scheduled performance at DC Black Pride, an annual black gay pride event. In an email to the event's organizer, Wale's manager claimed he was unaware it was a gay event when he agreed to perform. However, on May 28, 2010, it was announced he would perform alongside the headliner for free.[13]
Wale released his third mixtape, 100 Miles & Running, on July 11, 2007, as a free download on his Myspace page. This mixtape includes features from Mark Ronson, Daniel Merriweather, Amy Winehouse, and Lily Allen. It was released on the same day as his performance at the Highline Ballroom, in Manhattan. The Highline show was to promote the US release of Mark Ronson's album and included performances by Mark Ronson, Wale, Saigon, and Daniel Merriweather. Jay-Z, Beyoncé, Kanye West, Maroon 5, Clive Davis, Eve and Danny Masterson were all in attendance. There, Wale was interviewed by MTV News correspondent J. D. Tuminski for his first national TV feature on August 16, 2007.[14] With Ronson, Wale performed "W. A. L. E. D. A. N. C. E. ", a remix of Justice's "D.A.N.C.E." from Wale's 100 Miles mixtape, at the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards in Las Vegas, Nevada.[15]The Washington Post profiled Wale on the front page of the Sunday Style section in the October 21, 2007, edition.[2] Wale was featured on the cover of the 150th issue of URB along with French electro group Justice.
In March 2008, Wale signed a joint venture deal with Mark Ronson's Allido Records and Interscope, joining Rhymefest and Daniel Merriweather as Allido artists.[16]Epic Records, Atlantic Records, and Def Jam all competed to sign Wale.[4] On May 30, Wale released his fourth mixtapeThe Mixtape About Nothing, heavily produced by Best Kept Secret.[17] Wale said that the television show Seinfeld inspired The Mixtape About Nothing: "the TV show's 'honest dialogue' mirrors his lyrical style, which frequently references pop culture and politics while avoiding gangster-rap bluster".[18]
After signing with Interscope, Wale began recording tracks for his major label debut: in a 2008 interview with Express, a newspaper published by the Washington Post Company, Wale announced that he was recording a song with Chrisette Michele called "Shades", which discusses inter-black racism.[19] Wale also appeared on Interscope label mate DJ Greg Street's single "Dope Boys" which samples Hip Hop classic T.R.O.Y. alongside Lupe Fiasco and Kardinal Offishall.[20] Rapper Young Chris of rap duo Young Gunz also began plans for a collaboration mixtape with Wale.[21]
Wale and fellow rapper Big Sean in 2009
On June 19, 2009, Wale released his fifth mixtape, Back to the Feature, on which eleven of the tracks were produced by 9th Wonder, with contributions also coming from Mark Ronson and others.[22] The album's title, a play off the name of the movie Back to the Future, referred to the fact that a lengthy list of rappers joined Wale on the songs, including K'naan, Tamere Guess, Talib Kweli, Joell Ortiz, Beanie Sigel, Curren$y, J. Cole and Bun B.[23] The mixtape received positive reviews from Vibe magazine[23] and website Pitchfork Media,[24] but Colin McGowan of Cokemachineglow commented that it represented neither "a step forward or back [for the artist] so much as shouting-in-place. "[25]
Wale did a guest performance on "Change", a song by the Australian singer-songwriter Daniel Merriweather. It was written by Merriweather and Andrew Wyatt and produced by Mark Ronson. It was released on January 30, 2009, in the United States and Canada, and February 2, 2009, in the UK (where the song peaked at no.8). The song is included on Merriweather's album Love & War.
On September 13, Wale, alongside the DC-based musicians of UCB (Uncalled 4 Band)- The Board Administration artists, served as the official house band for the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards.[26]
2009–10: Attention Deficit
On November 10, 2009 Wale's debut album, Attention Deficit, had primarily positive reception. Metacritic, which assigns a standardized score out of 100, rated the album 77 based on 21 reviews.[27] It debuted at the number 21 spot on the Billboard 200 and sold 28,000 copies in its first week. Interscope claimed that the LP was undershipped and that was the reason for the low sales numbers. Daniel Weisman, Wale's manager, claimed that Interscope didn't ship enough copies of the album.[28] The first single off Attention Deficit was "Chillin", featuring Lady Gaga, followed by "Pretty Girls" featuring Gucci Mane and Weensey and "World Tour" featuring Jazmine Sullivan. Other guest artists on the album included Pharrell; Bun B; Chrisette Michele; K'Naan; Marsha Ambrosius; J. Cole; and Melanie Fiona.[29]
In March 2010, Rapper Wale announced he and K'Naan would kick off a short co-headlining tour across the east coast of the US, beginning at the end of March in New York City.[30] According to Wale, he is in the studio with Gucci Mane, Waka Flocka Flame, Roscoe Dash, Sean Garrett, and Drumma Boy.
On August 3, 2010, Wale released his sixth mixtape, More About Nothing hosted by DJ Omega a follow-up to his critically acclaimed The Mixtape About Nothing under The Board Administration[31] – an independent label co-founded with Marketing Executive Le'Greg O. Harrison. More About Nothing took the internet by storm resulting in 100,000 plus downloads in 90 minutes.[32]More About Nothing creatively integrates sitcom material with rhyme and wordplay to present Wale's frustrations on his plight to reach mainstream acceptance and success. Features include Wiz Khalifa, Waka Flocka, Daniel Merriweather, UCB, Board Administration Artists' Tiara Thomas, Black Cobain, Fat Trel, and NBA Player and DC Native Kevin Durant.
In the last half of 2010, inspired by Kanye West's G.O.O.D. Fridays project, Wale re-released a track from one of his previous mixtapes for free-download on his own website every Thursday, calling this enterprise "Throwback Thursday". Guests on those tracks included Bun B, Pusha T, John Mayer, Lil Wayne and K'Naan.
2011: Signing to MMG and Ambition
Wale performs with Black Cobain in his hometown of Washington, D.C. in 2011.
On February 5, 2011, during Super Bowl XLV festivities he announced his signing to artist Rick Ross' Maybach Music Group.[33] He states that he will still continue to be able to put out the music that he believes in, with the support of Rick Ross. Since 2009, Wale has been signed to Jay-Z’s Roc Nation for management along with other artists such as J. Cole, Mark Ronson, Melanie Fiona and Rihanna. On May 6, 2011, Wale shared plans with MTV Networks regarding the potential release of two albums in 2011. Later the same month, he confirmed pre-production efforts for Ambition, his second album, slated for a fall 2011 release under Maybach and Warner Music Groups. Production for Ambition took place at ZAC Recording in Atlanta, Georgia with The Board Administration Producer Tone P. Anticipation for Ambition was incited through the release and heavy viral promotion of mixtape, The Eleven One Eleven Theory done under Wale's label, The Board Administration. The Eleven One Eleven Theory debuted August 17, 2011, on Life and Times in honor of Wale's Twitter milestone of reaching one million followers and was purposefully made with the intent to build widespread anticipation for the November 1, 2011, scheduled release date of Ambition.[34] This marketing strategy was the brainchild of The Board Administration CEO Le'Greg O. Harrison and was executed through savvy social media integration, resulting in the first shut down of renowned file sharing site Hulkshare in the first 4 seconds of posting the link.[35] Wale is the first mainstream artist to officially crash Hulkshare.[36]
On September 7, 2011, Wale announced plans for a 32-city domestic tour titled The Ambition Tour, which initiated October 2, 2011, in Minneapolis Minnesota and has dates through December 2011.[37]
The Board Administration Artist Black Cobain is the official opening act for each date and is followed by a rotation of various artists in select markets which include: Rick Ross, Meek Mill, Pusha T, J. Cole, Big Sean, Miguel, and more.[37] The tour was booked by NUE Agency.[38]
On September 28, 2011, Wale revealed that Ambition was complete and released the single "Lotus Flower Bomb", featuring Miguel on Twitter.[39] On September 29, 2011, Funk Master Flex debuted Wale's song "Tats on my Arms", featuring Rick Ross.[40] The next day, Wale released the album cover for Ambition.[41] On October 14, 2011, Wale released the single "Focused", featuring Kid Cudi.[42] The official Ambition track listing includes 15 songs.[43] The Board Administration launched a robust social media campaign integrating never-seen-before social media strategy and savvy to virally promote Ambition. The promotional campaign included a five-part "making of" documentary, a Twitter campaign centered on a hashtag blitz–aptly named #Ambition, daily new music and video releases from Wale, and promotional materials for purchase through Warner Music Group and Maybach Music Group such as Ambition wristbands and graphic tees.[44] These efforts were also supported by televised "making of" episodes through networks such as MTV that hosted Sucker Free Road to Release.[45] The never-seen-before element of Wale’s Ambition promo blitz included a partnership formed between the current most popular file sharing site Hulkshare and The Board Administration.[44] Greater than 3 million people frequent Hulkshare daily, and through this collaboration could view banner ads on practically every Hulkshare download page flanked with Wale’s profile and a clock counting down the days, hours, minutes, and seconds until the album released.[44]
On October 27, 2011, Wale unveiled an Ambition snippet sampler on YouTube for people to preview the album.[46] Later the same day, a private Ambition media listening event, held at the Gansevoort Hotel of Chelsea New York, was attended by music executives, bloggers, various artists, and hip hop heads.[46]
On November 2, 2011, Myspace and Hot 97 presented a complimentary Wale and friends midnight Ambition release show at The Highline Ballroom in New York City. The event was hosted by Miss Info and featured special guest DJ Funkmaster Flex.[47]
The album debuted number two on the Billboard 200, selling 162,600 copies in its first week.[48] The album initially received mixed reviews, including a negative one in Wale's local Washington City Paper.[49] However, the album currently holds a 69/100 score on Metacritic, signifying "generally favorable reviews. "[50]
2012–2017: The Gifted, The Album About Nothing, Shine
On November 25, 2011, shortly after the release of Ambition, Wale announced on Twitter that he has already begun working on his third album.[51] In an interview with UpVenue in January 2012, Wale confirmed the third album and the focus will be about his growth as a person.[52] He was featured on Maybach Music Group's second studio album Self Made II. Wale released the mixtape Folarin on December 24, 2012, which is hosted by DJ Clark Kent.[53] He released a trailer for Folarin on December 6, 2012.[54] He has also started working on his third studio album which is to be released in 2013. The mixtape features guest spots Rick Ross, 2 Chainz, Scarface, Nipsey Hussle, French Montana, Tiara Thomas, Lightshow, and Trinidad James among others. Production comes from Hit-Boy, Jake One, Cardo, Diplo, Beat Billionaire and Rico Love among others.[54]
When speaking of his third studio album Wale would say, "it's going to have one sound, very, very soulful" and said the first single, "Bad" is a pretty good indication of the direction I'm going for this project." The album is set to release on June 25, 2013, and with his fourth album is coming a couple months after that.[55] Wale announced he was collaborating with Jerry Seinfeld on his fourth studio album to be titled The Album About Nothing.[56] He later said he was also collaborating with producer No I.D. on the album. He also said he would release a collaboration mixtape with Meek Mill during 2013.[57]
In December 2012, Wale had announced he was planning on releasing a Go-go album: "I wanna do the album for me. This is the second time I’m announcing it, but I’m doing a Go-Go album after my album. And when I say Go-Go I don’t mean like cheesy Go-Go. It’s gonna be sequenced. It’s gonna be me probably rapping only 40-percent on the album, but getting the sound out."[58]
To build hype for The Gifted, Wale released "Sight of the Sun," a remix of the Fun. song of the same name.[59] This was similar to the songs "Bittersweet" and "Fly Away," which he released prior to Attention: Deficit.
On September 9, 2014 Wale released the first single from the album The Album About Nothing titled "The Body" featuring American singer Jeremih.[60] On November 17, 2014, Wale announced a 31-date US tour entitled the Simply Nothing Tour. The tour is in support of his upcoming 2015 album, The Album About Nothing.[61] On December 24, 2014, Wale released the mixtape Festivus heavily themed by the Seinfeld holiday. Features on the mixtape included Chance The Rapper, A$AP Ferg, and Pusha T, among others.
On March 31, 2015 Wale released his fourth studio album The Album About Nothing, which featured Jerry Seinfeld, J. Cole, Usher, and SZA among others.[62] It became his second #1 album in the United States.[63] It was revealed that Wale would next serve as the Executive Producer for Maybach Music Group's next collaborative album Self Made 4.[64]
Wale also recorded the original music theme for the popular ESPN sports talk show First Take, which features journalists/panelists Stephen A. Smith, Max Kellerman and moderator/host Molly Qerim. The two-hour show, which airs twice daily at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. on ESPN, features Wale's theme at the beginning of the show.
Wale's fifth studio album, Shine was released on April 28, 2017, selling 28,000 units in its first week.
2018: It's Complicated, Self Promotion, Warner Bros. and Free Lunch
After parting ways with Atlantic Records in February,[65] Wale released a surprise 4-Track E.P titled It's Complicated on March 13, 2018.[66][67] Two months later, he release a 2nd E.P titled Self Promotion on May 8, 2018.[68][69] The 4-Track EP had a single guest feature in R&B singer, Jacquees. On May 16, 2018, it was announced that Wale had been signed to Warner Bros. Records.[70] Then on September 14, 2018, he released a 3rd E.P titled Free Lunch, with guest appearances from long time friend and collaborator, J. Cole and Eric Bellinger.[71][72]
On December 20, & 21, 2018 Wale released two singles Winter Wars and Poledancer.
Musical style
In an interview with Flavorwire, Wale said that he incorporates elements of go-go in his music.[73] Cyril Cordor of allmusic described go-go as "a more raw, percussion-driven offshoot of disco" that originated in the Washington, D. C. area. Wale's early singles that were played primarily in his local metropolitan area heavily sampled 1990s go-go records.[4] Reviewing Attention Deficit, David Jeffries of allmusic remarked that Wale had a "post-Kanye, post-Lil Wayne, alternative-meets-hardcore style" and commented that Wale's single "Chillin'", which featured Lady Gaga, "crafts an instant floor-filler out of a sample from the 1969 hit 'Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye'".[74]
Personal life
An avid professional wrestling fan, Wale has made several wrestling references on his songs.[75] Wale hosts the annual WaleMania during WrestleMania weekend. He's also made several appearances on WWE television where he hosted a rap battle between The New Day and The Usos on the 4th of July episode of Smackdown Live in 2017 and was the guest commentator during Noam Dar and TJP's match on 205 Live in 2018.[76][77]
Discography
Studio albums
Attention Deficit (2009)
Ambition (2011)
The Gifted (2013)
The Album About Nothing (2015)
Shine (2017)
Extended Plays
It's Complicated (2018)
Self Promotion (2018)
Free Lunch (2018)
Other ventures
Wale teamed up with Philadelphia retailer Ruvilla, and ASICS for a product called "Bottle Rocket" Asics Gel Lyte III in 2015.[78] In 2016, he teamed with ASICS again with a product that features gold and shades of black and blue.[78]
Awards and nominations
African Muzik Magazine Awards
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Wale | Best Male Diaspora[79] | Nominated |
BET Awards
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | "Lotus Flower Bomb" | Viewer's Choice | Nominated[citation needed] |
| Best Collaboration | Won[80] | ||
2014 | "LoveHate Thing" | Centric Award | Nominated[81] |
BET Hip Hop Awards
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Wale | Best New Artist | Nominated[82] |
| 2011 | "No Hands" | Best Collaboration | Nominated |
| Best Club Banger | Won[83] | ||
| 2012 | "Lotus Flower Bomb" | Best Hip-Hop Video | Nominated[84] |
| Perfect Combo | Nominated[85] | ||
| 2013 | Wale | Album Of The Year | Nominated[86] |
| Lyricist Of The Year | Nominated[87] | ||
| 2015 | The Album About Nothing | Album of the Year | Nominated |
Grammy Awards
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
2013 | "Lotus Flower Bomb" | Best Rap Song | Nominated |
MTV Video Music Awards
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
2015 | "The White Shoes" | Best Video with a Social Message | Nominated |
Nigeria Entertainment Awards
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Himself | Best International Artist | Won[88] |
2014 | Diaspora Artist of the Year | Nominated |
Soul Train Awards
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Wale | Best New Artist | Nominated |
| 2012 | "Lotus Flower Bomb" | Best Hip-Hop Song | Nominated |
| 2012 | "Lotus Flower Bomb" | Song of the Year | Nominated |
| 2013 | Bad (Feat. Tiara Thomas) | Best Hip Hop Song Of The Year | Won |
References
^ "Folarin Season: Are We Entering A Wale Renaissance?". Vibe. 2018-09-17. Retrieved 2019-01-14..mw-parser-output cite.citationfont-style:inherit.mw-parser-output .citation qquotes:"""""""'""'".mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-free abackground:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-registration abackground:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-subscription abackground:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registrationcolor:#555.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration spanborder-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon abackground:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg/12px-Wikisource-logo.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center.mw-parser-output code.cs1-codecolor:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-errordisplay:none;font-size:100%.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-errorfont-size:100%.mw-parser-output .cs1-maintdisplay:none;color:#33aa33;margin-left:0.3em.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-formatfont-size:95%.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-leftpadding-left:0.2em.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-rightpadding-right:0.2em
^ abc Wiltz, Teresa (October 21, 2007). "The Great Rap Hope". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 25, 2009.
^ Everett, John Burgess (August 12, 2009). "The DMV (District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia) finds its voice". The Gazette. Retrieved November 26, 2009.
^ abcde Cordor, Cyril. "Wale > Biography". allmusic. Retrieved November 26, 2009.
^ He was affiliated with the Richmond's local group Pearl University, who consisted of him Sidwonder and AK.Terl, Matt (December 2, 2009). "Fast Facts About Hip=Hop Star Wale and the Redskins". The Official Washington Redskins Blog. Retrieved December 23, 2009.
^ abc "Interview With Daniel Weisman (part 1)". HitQuarters. November 21, 2011. Retrieved November 25, 2011.
^ Hahn, Fritz; Anderson, Rhome; Malitz, David (August 31, 2006). "Nightlife Agenda". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 19, 2009.
^ Smith-Barrow, Delece (November 30, 2006). "Go-Go Shines for a Night as District Luminaries Honor Its Stars". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 19, 2009.
^ "New slang: raised on Reaganomics, go-go, and the neverending pursuit of freshness, Wale and Tabi Bonney rap for the capitol". The Fader. March 2007. Retrieved December 19, 2009.
[dead link]
^ "DC to LDN: Wale's Lily Allen Remix". The Fader. March 12, 2007. Retrieved December 19, 2009.
^ Kayser, Brian (April 27, 2007). "Wale Touring Overseas With Mark Ronson". HipHopGame. Retrieved December 19, 2009.
^ "Wale's Manager Explains Rapper's Affiliation With Roc Nation". XXL. May 26, 2009. Archived from the original on September 1, 2009. Retrieved December 20, 2009.
^ "Wale Faces the Music". May 28, 2010.
^ Tuminski, J. D. (August 16, 2007). "Mark Ronson Calls Protege Wale A Cross Between Lil Wayne, Lupe Fiasco And Nas". MTV News. Retrieved December 23, 2009.
^ "Mark Ronson – "D. A. N. C. E. (Live)"". 2007 VMA: The Entire 2007 MTV Video Music Awards On-Demand. MTV. September 9, 2007. Retrieved December 19, 2009.
^ Burgess, Omar (March 13, 2008). "Wale Signs With Interscope". HipHopDX. Retrieved December 19, 2009.
^ Daniels, Adam (June 2, 2008). "Wale releases Seinfeld-themed mixtape? Get out!". Paste. Retrieved December 19, 2009.
^ Lipshutz, Jason (July 17, 2009). "Rapper Wale 'Chillin Out on the Charts". Billboard. Retrieved January 23, 2010.
^ "Home Grown: Wale". Express. July 24, 2008. Archived from the original on October 19, 2009. Retrieved December 20, 2009.
^ "DJ Greg Street ft. Lupe Fiasco, Wale & Kardinal Offishall – Dope Boys (Remix)". DJBooth.net. Archived from the original on June 3, 2009. Retrieved December 19, 2009.
^ "Exclusive elitaste.com Young Chris Interview". elitaste.com. July 29, 2008. Archived from the original on January 22, 2009. Retrieved December 19, 2009.
^ Paine, Jake (June 17, 2009). "Wale Discusses Back to the Feature, 9th Wonder". HipHopDX. Retrieved December 19, 2009.
^ ab Blanco, Alvin (June 24, 2009). "Wale, "Back to the Feature"". Vibe. Archived from the original on August 30, 2009. Retrieved December 19, 2009.
^ "Album Reviews: Wale: Back to the Feature". Pitchfork. July 8, 2009. Retrieved 2010-03-11.
^ McGowan, Colin (July 10, 2009). "Wale: Back to the Feature". cokemachineglow. Retrieved December 19, 2009.
^ Roberts, Steven (August 31, 2009). "Wale Talks About Following DJ AM, Travis Barker As VMA House Band". MTV News. Retrieved December 19, 2009.
^ "Attention Deficit Reviews – Metacritic". Metacritic. Retrieved 29 October 2013.
^ "Update: Wale Sells 28K in First Week, Manager Claims LP Was Under Shipped". XXL. November 18, 2009. Archived from the original on December 20, 2009. Retrieved December 20, 2009.
^ "Wale: Don't Call me Wale!". Blue and Soul. Retrieved June 25, 2011.
^ "K'naan, Wale Set To Kick Off East Coast Tour This Week". idiomag. Retrieved 2010-03-29.
^ "Wale Presents The Board Administration". The Washington Post. Katharine Weymouth. Retrieved June 4, 2011.
^ Wale (September 1, 2010). "Wale On MTV's Mixtape Daily". Roc4Life. Retrieved June 25, 2011.
[permanent dead link]
^ Jason (December 14, 2010). "Rick Ross Confirms Signing Talks With Wale". Rap Basement. Retrieved June 25, 2011.
^ Admin (August 17, 2011). "New Mixtape: Wale – "The Eleven One Eleven Theory". Wale's Official Blog. Wale Music. Retrieved August 18, 2011.
^ "Wale Prepares for His Sophomore Effort; "Ambition" Album to Be Released 11/1/11; "The Eleven One Eleven Theory" Mixtape Crashes Hulkshare Server; "That Way" Featuring Jeremih and Rick Ross No. 1 Add at Urban Mainstream; Reaches 1 Million+ Twitter Followers – World News Report". Einnews.com. Archived from the original on July 29, 2012. Retrieved March 30, 2012.
^ "Wale Crashes Hulkshare With 'Eleven One Eleven' Mixtape Release". Vibe. August 24, 2011. Retrieved 2012-03-30.
^ ab "Wale Announces Ambition Tour". Rap Radar. September 7, 2011. Retrieved 2012-03-30.
^ "Wale "Ambition" Tour 2011 NUE Agency". Nueagency.com. November 1, 2011. Archived from the original on April 17, 2012. Retrieved March 30, 2012.
^ "New Music: Wale f/ Miguel – 'Lotus Flower Bomb'". Rap-Up.com. September 28, 2011. Retrieved 2012-03-30.
^ "Wale ft. Rick Ross – Tats on my Arm". Nah Right. September 29, 2011. Retrieved 2012-03-30.
^ "Wale – Ambition (Cover)". Rap-Up.com. September 30, 2011. Retrieved September 30, 2011.
^ "Listen: Wale f/ Kid Cudi "Focused" (CDQ)". Complex. October 14, 2011. Retrieved 2012-03-30.
^ "Update: Wale – Ambition (Tracklist + Production Credit)". The Source. Archived from the original on April 4, 2012. Retrieved March 30, 2012.
^ abc Galil, Leor (October 28, 2011). "A Look at Wale's Promotional Campaign For His New Album, Ambition". Forbes.
^ "Sucker Free Road To Release: Wale Reveals Who'll Be Featured On 'Ambition'". MTV. October 28, 2011.
^ ab Presha, Alex (October 28, 2011). "Wale Unveils New Album, Ambition, in NYC". NBC New York. NBCUniversal. Retrieved October 31, 2011.
^ "Free Wale Concert In NYC on 11/2 – News Detail – Wale". Ralphfolarin.com. March 25, 2012. Retrieved 2012-03-30.
^ "Wale's Ambition debuts at No. 2 with 162,660 sold". Fashionably Early. November 8, 2011. Retrieved November 8, 2011.
^ "#Waleflail". Washington City Paper. November 8, 2011. Retrieved November 8, 2011.
^ "Critic Reviews for Ambition". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved November 11, 2011.
^ Horowitz, Steven (November 27, 2011). "Wale Begins Recording Third Album". HipHop DX. Cheri Media Group. Retrieved December 13, 2011.
^ "Interview With Wale".
^ "Wale Announces New Mixtape "Folarin" | Get The Latest Hip Hop News, Rap News & Hip Hop Album Sales | HipHop DX". Retrieved 15 November 2012.
^ ab Horowitz, Steven J. (2012-12-24). "Wale "Folarin" Mixtape Download & Stream". HipHop DX. Retrieved 2013-04-05.
^ Meara, Paul (2013-03-04). "Wale Says He's Working On The "Nothing" Project, Talks New LP". HipHop DX. Retrieved 2013-04-05.
^ Horowitz, Steven J. (2013-01-18). "Wale Reportedly Working With Jerry Seinfeld On "The Album About Nothing"". HipHop DX. Retrieved 2013-04-05.
^ Horowitz, Steven J. (2013-02-14). "Meek Mill & Wale Hint At Collaborative Mixtape To Release This Summer". HipHop DX. Retrieved 2013-04-05.
^ Harling, Danielle (December 24, 2012). "Wale Says "Folarin" Is A Culmination Of All His Mixtapes, Talks Go-Go Album". HipHopDX. Cheri Media Group. Retrieved December 24, 2012.
^ "Wale – "Sight Of The Sun" (feat. Fun.)". thatsthatish.com.
^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on January 14, 2015. Retrieved September 9, 2015.CS1 maint: Archived copy as title (link)
^ Homie, Big. "WALE 'SIMPLY NOTHING' TOUR DATES". Rap Radar. FH. Retrieved 11 January 2015.
^ "iTunes – Music – The Album About Nothing by Wale". iTunes. Retrieved August 15, 2015.
^ "Wale Rules With Second No. 1 Album, 'Furious 7' Soundtrack Drives to No. 2 – Billboard". Billboard. Retrieved August 15, 2015.
^ "Wale Is Executive Producing MMG's 'Self Made 4' Album". XXL. Retrieved August 15, 2015.
^ Zisook, Brian "Z". "Source: Wale Is No Longer Signed to Atlantic Records". DJBooth. Retrieved 2019-01-14.
^ "Wale Releases Surprise EP "It's Complicated"". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved 2019-01-14.
^ "Wale Releases Surprise 4-Track EP 'It's Complicated'". Billboard. Retrieved 2019-01-14.
^ "Wale Drops New EP 'Self Promotion'". Complex. Retrieved 2019-01-14.
^ White, Roman (2018-05-09). "Wale Drops Surprise 4-Track EP 'Self Promotion' with Maybach Music". The Source. Retrieved 2019-01-14.
^ Halperin, Shirley; Halperin, Shirley (2018-05-16). "Rapper Wale Signs With Warner Bros. Records". Variety. Retrieved 2019-01-14.
^ "Wale Feeds Fans With His New EP 'Free Lunch' Featuring J. Cole and Eric Bellinger". Billboard. Retrieved 2019-01-14.
^ Orubo, Daniel (2018-09-14). "Wale Drops New 5-Track EP, 'Free Lunch' — Featuring J. Cole". Konbini Nigeria. Retrieved 2019-01-14.
^ Dvorkin, Eli (January 26, 2009). "Exclusive: Wale on the Real DC, TVOTR, and Balancing Content and Flow". Flavorwire. Retrieved December 23, 2009.
^ "Attention Deficit: Review". allmusic. November 10, 2009. Retrieved December 23, 2009.
^ Rathod, Nikita. "25 Professional Wrestling References in Hip Hop". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved 27 August 2018.
^ Pappolla, Ryan. "The New Day def. The Usos in the Rap Battle, hosted by Wale". WWE.com. Retrieved 27 August 2018.
^ "Noam Dar def. TJP". WWE.com. Retrieved 27 August 2018.
^ ab Rooney, Kyle (May 26, 2016). "Wale collaborates Asiscs". Hotnewhiphop. Retrieved May 26, 2016.
^ "See Nominees for the African Muzik Magazine Awards (AFRIMMA) 2014". Bellanaija. 9 June 2014. Retrieved 28 July 2014.
^ "Best Collaboration". BET Awards. Retrieved July 2, 2012.
^ "Beyonce & Jay Z Lead 2014 BET Awards". Billboard. 2014-01-26. Retrieved 2014-05-14.
^ "Best New Artist". BET Awards. Retrieved August 15, 2011.
^ "BET Hip Hop Awards 2011: Big Winners". 106 KMEL. October 3, 2011. Archived from the original on April 2, 2012. Retrieved October 31, 2011.
^ "Kanye West Leads BET Hip-Hop Awards 2012 Nominees With 17". MTV. September 13, 2012. Retrieved September 13, 2012.
^ "BET Hip-Hop Awards Nominees 2012: Kanye West, 2 Chainz & Drake Lead". The Boombox. September 13, 2012. Retrieved September 13, 2011.
^ http://www.gossipcop.com/bet-hip-hop-awards-2013-nominees-list-nominations-date-october-15-performers/. Retrieved 7 February 2014. Missing or empty|title=(help)
^ "Bet Hip Hop Awards Nominations". Retrieved 7 February 2014.
^ "PAST WINNERS". Nigerian Entertainment Awards. Archived from the original on August 10, 2013. Retrieved 30 October 2013.
External links
 | Wikimedia Commons has media related to Wale (rapper). |
Official website
- Wale Band
Authority control  |
|
|---|
