Rapper Wale hit the buzz jackpot with last year’s terrific
Mixtape About Nothing, 70-plus minutes of rhymes and samples
based on Seinfeld. On his official debut, the 25-year-old
Washington, D.C. native pairs up with some A-list guests (Pharrell,
Lady Gaga), raps a lot about things that bring him down and comes off
like a more socially conscious Kanye. It’s a winning formula, if not
exactly a totally original one. Wale opens Attention: Deficit with the line, “I ain’t trying to be politically correct,” and then
spends the next hour nodding to old-school hip-hop with Native Tongues
rhymes over blaring horns, scratchy beats and rolling percussion fills.
“I’m rapping for the scholars and the hustlers,” he says on “Mama Told
Me,” signaling both his brainy and street intentions. Thematically,
Attention: Deficit isn’t as tight as The Mixtape About
Nothing. But musically and lyrically, it’s about something way more
substantial. — Michael Gallucci
This article appears in Nov 11-17, 2009.
