H.I.F.T Vol. 8

The long-awaited visual to the best song on Returnof4Eva....Wow



Wale: Saying Nothing Real Loud?

I was on hiphopdx and listened to an impromptu interview from Wale with Culture6 set up by Wale himself to address a lot of comments that fans and haters alike have been making about his switch to the label Maybach Music Group earlier this year. I personally think it was a very smart move. Allying himself with one of the biggest names in hip hop gives him a bigger platform than he ever got with Interscope.While listening to the interview, expecting to hear some real introspective, direct answers to some questions that a lot of people share, I was a little disappointed. Not by his cockiness/arrogance/confidence, but how he dodged questions with other hypothetical situations and proceeded to talk down to the interviewer. A couple of points stood out to me:

The first being his response to Culture 6's questions about his difference in delivery from Attention Deficit to Self Made. Wale responds saying that you need to look harder for the gems and that every record can't be deep or intellectual. True as that may be, I don't think there is anything wrong with an obvious fan asking that question. I agree with him that rappers are praised for how they say things not what they say but that is the listener's purgative.  We as fans buy records that artists put out and how we respond to their music shapes the commercial success of your career. We only know you through your music. So as you evolve as an artist into something we are not familiar with, we feel like you changed and betrayed us. Because we really think we know who you are. Unfortunate. Yes. Wale has a right to defend his craft because that is a piece of himself being an artist. But when you put it out for mass consumption, you give the public free reign to critique your work.

I didn't really have a problem with the "regular person" comment. So every person's story in the world is not interesting. Big deal. Lots of rappers make those comparisons (Kanye West) That being said, he comes off as the very thing that many of his fans and haters alike claim he is..arrogant. It didn't help that he claimed that Culture 6 contradicted himself but wouldn't tell him how. A jab at him because he's angry that someone critiqued him? He's taking himself too seriously.

Wale is a good artist that has a bright future. No one can question his ambition. He's in a great position to do amazing things in his career. And for that I applaud him. But the reality is Attention Deficit was not great not because of the content, but because the album as a whole didn't flow. The "feeling of the music" as he said was off. I agree Wale. It's all about timing. But your time came when Attention Deficit dropped and it didn't deliver like it should have. Blame that on the first single (Chillin') or no push from the label (both legitimate reasons) but the facts are the facts. I think he knows that he still has a lot to prove; hence aforementioned album name. I can only hope that its the right time for him. Maybe then he can tell us what success means to him. But remember those regular uninteresting people that you're talking about are the same ones that are going to buy that CD and ultimately decide what the commercial side of your success is.

Ambition in stores this fall. Follow @Wale on twitter.