Nigerian-American emcee, Wale, first hit the scene in 2006, making noise locally in the D.C. area with a pair of go-go club hits, “Dig Dug (Shake It)” and “Breakdown”, respectively. With “Dig Dug”, he became the first local artist to chart on Neilson’s Broadcast Data System since DJ Kool in the nineties. Shortly thereafter, Wale began to release a series of mixtapes, until he was noticed by Mark Ronson, who eventually asked him to appear on a remix of Lily Allen’s “Smile”. He later signed with Ronson’s Allido Records, and would soon share the cover to URB’s 150th issue with J.U.S.T.I.C.E. (not to mention kill a remix of their global hit “D.A.N.C.E.”).
One might question whether or not someone who essentially began as a go-go artist had the chops to pull off a full-length release in the major label world. Granted, nobody wants to hear a full-length from DJ Kool, but we don’t mind him as a hype man. Thankfully, Wale quickly dissolved any notions of being pigeonholed as this type of artist through a series of five mix CD’s that preceded the release of this album. But still, while these mixes showed that he could definitely rhyme, would he be able to cut it in the big leagues, or be another Saigon, forever banished to crappy CD-R’s and Zshare links?
Attention Deficit manages to defeat any preconceived notions about Wale, and actually surprise with an incredibly solid debut album. Wale seems to have all of the bases covered here, with songs that will please the backpack set, the club goers, and even his longtime local followers. We see an obvious homage to A Tribe Called Quest on “World Tour”, an inspirational, piano driven collaboration with Jazmine Sullivan, as Wale delivers a “Touch The Sky”-esque narrative about his life in the industry thus far. He taps into his Nigerian roots a bit on reggae influenced tracks like “Triumph”, “TV In The Radio” (feat. K’Naan), and the especially saucy “Mirrors”, which fulfills the fantasy of what Bun B might sound like on a Mark Ronson beat.
Meanwhile, the excellent “Pretty Girls” features a show-stopping verse from Gucci Mane, suggesting that the Gooch might come off as a decent rapper if he had better production. While this is beside the point, “Pretty Girls” is one of the album’s best tracks, as Wale sounds right at home remaining the Backyard Band’s DC go-go cover of the Whatnots classic. Producer Best Kept Secret keeps the go-go drums in tact in other parts of the album as well, on both “Prescription” and “Shades” (feat. Chrisette Michelle).
“Shades” actually offers one of the album’s best lyrical moments, as Wale introspectively examines his own behaviors and prejudices towards lighter skinned Black folks, coming to the conclusion that all colors are beautiful. We find him playing amateur psychologist on a few other places in the album, dissecting what makes people tick – whether it be the struggling waitress/actress (“90210″) or the lost soul (“Diary”). On the lighter side of things, we have this year’s certified club-banger “Chillin’” (feat. Lady Gaga), and the always-bouncing-back Neptunes produced “Let It Loose”, featuring a hypnotic hook from Pharrell.
An able lyricist, a deep thinker, and someone that’s not afraid to have fun, Wale has no problem carving out his identity with Attention Deficit. While not a perfect album (peppered with a little too much R&B towards the end), Attention Deficit sets the stage for a long career and defines Wale as an artist, not just another rapper. - DJ Pizzo
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