Ambition is What This Society Lacks, But Are You Going to Change the Fact?

This post is a dedication to the D.C., Maryland native Wale. I’ve followed the dude since his first radio single “Dig Dug, Shake It” and his mixtape 100 Miles and Running (I’m aware this wasn’t his first mixtape). Wale’s first album, “Attention Deficit” barely sold 100,000 records. To put it into everyday terms, his album flopped. I know this hurt the dude because I watched his “First 48″ vlog documenting that whole process. But the dude hung in there and put out a moving piece of art two years later with Ambition. If you can get past the heavy drums & snares and sift through to his lyrics, you’ll see that Wale is a changed man. A man destined to change hip-hop, uplift his community and sell more than 66,000 records.

In my opinion, the reason Wale’s album flopped was because he wasn’t mainstream enough, he didn’t do enough marketing, he didn’t have the typical rapper’s look, he didn’t sell-out and talk about basic things like money & broads and he didn’t have enough BDS (broadcast data service, i.e., singles that were played on the Illuminati’s radio waves) plays. The result? No one bought his album. But that didn’t mean his album wasn’t good. It just meant a bunch of dumb asses weren’t paying attention, hence Attention Deficit.

But Wale could have given up there. He could have said “forget it” and moved onto something new. He could have sold out, he could have fallen into alcoholism and become addicted to marijuana. He could have given up on his faith in hip-hop and let the corporate owners of the profession get the best of him. He could have sat back and watched people like Kreayshawn and Soldier Boy represent hip-hop, but he didn’t. Wale had this little ambiguous thing called ambition though.

The definition of ambition is: An earnest desire for some type of achievement or distinction, as power, honor, fame, power or wealth, and the willingness to strive for its attainment. Without Wale’s willingness to strive for something everyone said he couldn’t do, he wouldn’t be in this position of power now. Now Wale gets to call the shots, producers want him to represent their beats (remember when Kanye dissed the dude?) and he can feel good about it because he never sold himself out. He showed the music industry that intelligence, a little bit of swag and passion can get you where you need to in life.

Now that Wale’s Ambition is destined for success, the same people who said his first album was weak because it didn’t sell enough are saying that he sold out in order to get the amount of downloads and purchases Ambition has now. But making your own lane is not about leaving an asphalt path for the masses to follow, it’s about leaving those clues and breadcrumbs behind for the hungry and ambitious to follow. Then they can eventually learn make their own path for others to follow, just as they once did.

Wale’s ambition was to change the culture of hip-hop back to what it used to be: a young, talented and passionate group of lyricists who spoke about the injustices of life, the triumph through all of  life’s trials and the code of the streets; To take hip-hop back from the grips of corporate America. If you don’t believe that’s what rap is about, just listen to Wale’s “DC or Nothing” or “No Days Off” off of the Ambition album. Matter of fact, listen to hip-hop before 2000.

Wale has proven that you don’t need to sell your soul to become influential in anything. Many people today have the mentality of “if you can’t beat them, join them.” In this life, we have so many opportunities to practice our ambition, but pressure from those in power makes us afraid of the criticism and character assassinations that occur when we create our own paths. It’s like this life we live in is about being a follower and getting paid millions to do so. But what about your soul? What about your individuality?

When historians look at the past, followers are reserved a place into the How-It-Shouldn’t-Be-Done Hall of Shame (see Chingy).The hall of fame is only reserved for those who created their own path when the whole world  put effort into making sure they would fail. The harder you try, the more ambitious your nature and the more you stay faithful to yourself, the harder the world will try to keep you from your dreams. They feel as though if they can’t live their dreams, why should they allow anyone else to? Well, they try, but those who try don’t have ambition because if they did, they would have turned Wale’s album into dust.

As Wale said, making money is easy, but he’s trying to be legendary. Let’s try and change the world in a meaningful way. Hoarding millions of dollars to yourself might make you feel good for the moment, but who really wants to be a Kardashian (I probably shouldn’t have asked that)?

Wale-ington D.C.

Wale-More About Nothing

He’s the ambassador of the District. I’m not sure what that means because when it comes to the rap game, D.C. is usually overlooked. D.C., the forgotten city when it comes to popular culture. Wale, the forgotten rapper who plans on reviving hip-hop.

Wale has been changing the rap game with fresh and local Go-Go sounds, but still get’s no credit from most critics who claim his sound is too “niche,” he’s not “hood” enough, or he’s just like “Lupe” and “Kanye.” Is that why the big man from Chi-town decided not to assist Wale in his first album, “Attention Deficit?” Mind you, the title of his album refers to the listeners of hip-hop that just want to hear ignorant, misguided, young, black males rap about bling, hoes, “big ass chains,” the celebrity life, and crack sales over the top of tracks with enough bass to make your booty shake (and you’re standing still).

Wale’s new mixtape, “More About Nothing” still doesn’t get a lot of respect from people, but that’s expected. Wale, the kid that grew up in Maryland and went to high school in Northwest D.C., is well aware of the mountains that lay ahead of him. So, Wale’s newest mixtape is taking a different route being produced by DJ Omega, a slightly more hip and mainstream sound that can be heard on songs like “the Get Away” that sounds familiar to Jay-Z’s “Forever Young.”

Wale has had to go back to his roots: the gritty sounds of Maryland and the immediate D.C. area. The sound of this mixtape will surely win back the hearts of those who like the sound of songs like “The Posse Cut (Who Don’t)” with a UGK-esque sound and a Lil’ Wayne hook that fits well over the bass line. The mixtape reminds me of “Nike Boots” and I think this is where Wale feels most comfortable.

Wale definitely has that Jay-Z type of swag and he’ll be the first to tell you how much he admire Mr. Carter. If you don’t believe it, check out his freestyle over Jay-Z’s “Thank You” from the Blueprint 3. His style of the hype-man that was made famous from a lot of Go-Go jams might be a turn-off to a lot, but when paired with upbeat tracks like “Thank You,” Wale showcases where his style considers home. With some of the best wordplay (next to Curren$y) many have never heard of, it’s no wonder why listeners don’t want to give him a chance, they can’t understand him.

Many of his freestyles are over 9th Wonder beats and Jay-Z’s sound. Wale is trying to say something to his listeners: He’s been hurt by getting rejected by Kanye and Jay-Z while other freshmen class rappers like Drake, Kid Cudi, J. Cole, and Jay Electronica have been featured on songs by some of the greatest. Wale won’t stop there though because he knows the industry is a bitch when it comes to giving the mic to rappers who really feel passionate about hip-hop.

Though he might not have slung dope or even toted gats, Wale makes it clear that that is a result of his own choosing. He still has his roots in D.C. and he loves to hang with the goons that make up his entourage while remaining true to who he is. His music will continue to do well because he’s the type that will always feel as if his work is never good enough. Doing good for yourself doesn’t make you any less black and just because you hang around some goons doesn’t make you any more black; A concept that many listeners will still have trouble understanding.