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As we've seen with many more rappers who've risen from internet notoriety to major label deals in his wake, the commercial debut often erases rappers' signature quirks and sounds, attempting to smooth everything out into a commercially-viable whole. When the official version of "Chillin" dropped, it kind of represented the larger direction Wale's career would be heading on the album. The song, "Chillin," was presented in rougher, less-mainstream form here, with many fans saying they prefer the mixtape version to this day. The most shocking of these came from Lady Gaga, who guested on a track that would later appear on Attention Deficit. With Wale's newfound clout in the game, he was able to secure production from 9th Wonder and tons of high-profile guest spots (hence the title). In the interim before that project, Attention Deficit, hit shelves, he shared another tape entitled Back to The Feature that, despite not receiving as much acclaim as its predecessor, still kept the rapper's momentum going strong. Just before The Mixtape About Nothing, Wale inked a $1.3 million deal with Interscope and promptly began recording tracks for his debut album. Self-aware, clever and funny, Wale rapped "Hip-hop heads see a new day, and I is one" on the tape, and it was hard to disagree with him at that point.
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Lyrically, this might be the best we've ever heard Wale, as he deftly addresses issues that were important to the day and age (such as illegal downloading, ringtone rap, mixtape cliches and Seinfeld actor Michael Richards' racist rant) without ever sounding too preachy. His production team Best Kept Secret, who'd also produced most of 100 Miles, were on-board again, and they kept the freestyles to a minimum this time around, instead opting for tracks that melded classic-sounding samples (many taken from Seinfeld) with go-go's live drums. Lauded for its unique concept, witty lyrics and blend of humor and socially-conscious subject matter, the tape marks Wale's true breakout moment. Just under a year later, The Mixtape About Nothing dropped. This helped Wale establish some hype in critical circles, getting featured on MTV and in The Washington Post soon thereafter, and having XXL call him "the thinking man's Lil Wayne." One of the tape's standout tracks, the go-go-ish "Breakdown," was even featured on the soundtrack of Madden NFL 09. The other artists' tracks that he chose to jump on were notable for their stylistic breadth, with instrumentals from conscious rappers like Common, The Roots and Q-Tip butting up against those from indie acts like Gorillaz, Justice and Lily Allen. EP, and it featured a mix of freestyles and tracks that still bore the influence of D.C.'s go-go scene. The first of these was 2007's 100 Miles & Running, its title inspired by an N.W.A. The first was superproducer and London native Mark Ronson, who signed him to his Allido Records label in 2006 the second was DJ and (at the time) Fader editor Nick Catchdubs, who went on to mix Wale's two most successful tapes. Here's part two, from Hate Is The New Love:īy 2007, he had made two key connections in the music world. These marathon-length tracks had him taking on a bevy of eclectic beats, switching his flow accordingly and rarely even pausing to catch his breath. Paint A Picture and 2006's Hate Is The New Love both failed to blow up, but they introduced Wale as an ambitious, highly skilled MC, especially on his two-part "A.D.D." series. for three years at that point, dropping his first in 2005.
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Although most of the national attention came in the wake of 2008's Mixtape About Nothing, Wale had been running around the mixtape circuit in D.C.