Wale – Attention Defecit [album review]
As the new generation of who’s who MCs slowly drop their debuts, it’s interesting to see who’s all hype, and who’s actually got the talent and drive to back it up. Wale’s debut, Attention Deficit, cements his position in the latter category. Coming off the hype of numerous critically acclaimed mixtapes and co-signs from the likes of Mark Ronson and Jay Z, he’s definitely been on a winning streak. Attention Deficit keeps the trend alive. After years of working to “put DC on the map” it seems like Wale’s finally beginning to realize his dream. And rightfully so, Attention Deficit is one of the best albums of the year.
Wale’s already proven his ability as a writer through his previous work. But on Attention Deficit, Wale steps to a new level with lyricism, concept and quality. Even his singles, which we at Vinyl Meltdown were less than excited about, fit well in the context of the album. Tracks like “Shade” with Chrisette Michelle much like “The Kramer” openly discuss race, but this time the focus is directly on Wale’s personal struggles within the black community. Likewise the Marshia Ambrosius featuring “Diary” comes from the perspective of a young black girl and is incredible in its depth and insight. It’s not often an artist is willing to take chances on subject matter; especially an MC making a major label debut. Wale however dives in headfirst unashamed to display his versatility and skill on the mic. Wale’s flow has never been questioned, and on tracks like “Prescription,” “Triumph” and the “Mirrors” (which also features Bun B), he solidifies himself as one of the most innovative rappers, mainstream or otherwise, in music today. And given his newfound prominence and backing from Interscope, expect to be seeing his lines show up in twitter updates and facebook statuses everywhere for the next few months.
Production wise, Wale stays true to his go-go influences while also branching out to some new collaborators. While the best beats go to longtime collaborators Best Kept Secret (who hopefully won’t remain a secret for long), he made some interesting decisions with the beats that paid off pretty well. Who would have thought TV on the Radio’s Dave Sitek, would come with something as fitting and Afrobeat influenced as the album opener, Triumph. Throw some Mark Ronson, Cool & Dre, and Neptunes in the mix, and you’ve got one hell of a roster. There are definitely some concessions made in order to reach a wider audience, but Wale definitely keeps his artistic integrity in tact. All things considered this is a fantastic debut from an incredibly talented artist. This will be in heavy rotation for a while.
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