Attention Deficit
After three mixtapes-- highlighted by 2008's triumphant and savvy The Mixtape About Nothing-- Wale finally issues his debut LP.
Underground hip-hop reveres A Tribe Called Quest, but in a post-Kanye West world, there’s no longer any shame in both blowing up and going pop. Take Washington D.C.’s Wale, for example. After building a serious buzz through mixtapes like 100 Miles & Running and the vaguely Seinfeld-themed The Mixtape About Nothing—and…
A quick-witted and diverse rapper able to deliver punch lines at breakneck speed, Washington, D.C.'s Wale debuted and then thrived in the underground mixtape world, releasing a handful of well-received full-lengths before getting to work on his official major-label debut.
Attention Deficit may be one of the best rap releases of the year, even while it lacks the focus of a central persona.
Wale - Attention Deficit review: A successful, albeit uneven major label debut.