Posted on 03/03/2008

Wale is a rapper at a very pivotal and interesting point in his career. Undoubtedly the game's biggest unsigned hype, he's hustling hard. He's signed a production deal with Mark Ronson, got Lil' Wayne to appear on the remix of his song "Nike Boots," and just recorded with his idols The Roots. I had a chance to talk to the man himself for a few minutes and get caught up on what's going on with getting signed, why it's so hard for rappers in D.C., and what's coming next.

OKP: So give me a status update. Where does Wale stand on February 21, 2008?

Wale: Um, well my goal, right, is to make the best kind of music that I can do. And just kind of convey the message that I want, and be the person that I want to show the world, and try to bring something new to hip hop, to the culture, you know what I mean?

OKP: Yeah. So where do you see yourself fitting into the whole thing? Just being different basically?

Wale: I really can't say, you know? It could go two ways. I work hard, so I don't think it could go anyway but good. I just feel like I'm gonna fit in. I don't see myself (anywhere in particular) but I know I'm going to. There's a lot of different kind of artists with a lot of different messages, and I really can't pin point mine, or how I want to be depicted, I can only just do what I'm doing. I look at myself in the mirror and know that I'm doing the best that I can do, and hopefully making D.C., Maryland and Virginia proud.

OKP: Well we heard a rumor around our offices that you signed to Interscope? Is there any truth to that?

Wale: I heard Def Jam!

OKP: That's not for real is it?

Wale: Nah, I ain't heard nothing like that. I'm going for Inter -Atlantic Epic Jam.

OKP: So is a major label signing something you guys are working for right now? What's going on with that?

Wale: You know I'm just making music right now. I'm being a musician. My manager is the one who handles that stuff. When he finds something that looks interesting we'll cross that bridge, but right now I'm not gonna think about any deals, where I'm signing or anything like that. I think people who concentrate on the deals too much are artists that don't have the right frame of mind. Like, what, they want to show off that they've got a record deal? It doesn't validate you as an artist if you have a record deal, what validates you is if you have fans who follow you and understand what you're trying to do.

OKP: Well one more thing on the deal aspect before we move on. You've got the production deal with Mark Ronson, and while Mark is on top of the world right now, are you nervous at all given his previous track record with rappers like Saigon and Rhymefest?

Wale: Oh, you mean am I nervous about Mark's track record?

OKP: Yeah, I mean, are you at all nervous that signing with Mark might not get you at the level you want to be at, or it might not be as beneficial as you were hoping.

Wale: Nah. Because every artist is their own person, you know? That's what it comes down to.

OKP: True... So yeah, we heard you were recording with the Roots on the title track to Rising Down last week. What was that like? Were you excited to be recording with Thought, one of your heroes?

Wale: Oh man, it was amazing. Black Thought is a guy who... I mean he's the best, you know? So I definitely pushed myself. It was cool.

OKP: So I hear that the track is kind of like a go-go type thing, too?

Wale: Um... I'll let the consumer decide that. I mean, I hear why somebody that's not from D.C. or Maryland or Virginia who doesn't have that ear... I hear why they could say that. But it's got some flavor. There's a lot of energy on the record.

OKP: Well, as far as your influences and everything, I think that one of my favorite tracks from your mixtape 100 Miles and Running is "Warming Up Cane," (based on Big Daddy Kane's "Warm It Up Kane" beat). Do you feel that rappers and even listeners today still have an appreciation for legends like Kane?

Wale: Well, I think its just like anything. Things evolve, and its been diminished. It's just like sports. People don't really say "I model my game after Oscar Robertson, or Kareem Abdul Jabar, or Bob Cousy, Pete Maravich" or whoever. Or in football for that matter. You don't see any quarterbacks saying they model their game after Unitas or Namath or whoever. You don't see that, because the people that are coming in the game now are modeling their game off of Michael Vick or Payton Manning, or McNabb, you know what I mean? So if you're not searching to find on like some historian shit, you're not gonna get it, you're not gonna understand how Kane had an influence on me. Or really how Kane had an influence on your favorite rapper, you know?

So now, if you love it enough, you'll do your research. You'll know why certain things are certain ways, or why this person sounds the way he does, who this person's inspiration is... It's just like Rock and Roll. Rock and Roll people give their inspiration more credit than rappers. It's common in an interview with a rock artist for them to ask, "who's your inspiration?" "Oh, well, the Rolling Stones, or the Beatles," you know what I'm saying? Or it can even be someone who's around now like Bloc Party or whoever. But in hip hop you ask that question and everybody's like "nobody. It's all me." But subconsciously they do listen to so and so so much that they do share a very similar likeness.

OKP: So as far as your contemporaries go, you just worked with Black Thought... do you have anyone else who you would want to work with?

Wale: Well really, I already have worked with a lot of my favorite artists. You know, Bun B... I did a track with Wayne, Black Thought... You know I'd love to work with Jay. (chuckles) My conversations with Jay though never really end up being about music. We always just talk about the dumb stuff, like sports and things like that. But obviously he's someone who I really look up to a whole lot. And I've only told him that one time when I was really drunk. Haha!

But you know, also there's this dude out of L.A. His name's Blu, I love to listen to him. You know, (I'm down to work with) anybody that loves it and if they want to work with me just as much. Not anybody who doesn't have the passion for it or feels like "Ohh, Wale wants to do a song with me. I guess I'll do it." Nah, I want them to be excited about it too. For the love of it.

OKP: Well going back to D.C. for a second, and I'm sure you've been asked this before from some of the local people, but why do you think it's typically been so difficult for rappers from D.C. to be respected on a large scale and on a national level?

Wale: Self-hatred, man. I can't tell you how many times I've seen like a blog about me, and it's people like, down the street who are hating on me. That's the most discouraging thing. It's like damn, I came up with y'all. We have the same weather, we have the same schools. And now dudes is hating on me for what? And it shows you why you can never make it. Like I probably get one hate message on myspace a day. I probably get like, 300 everyday but there's always just one dude that's just like, "Fuck you, you live in Maryland" or whatever. It's just like "damn." You know?

OKP: Yeah, it's just not conducive to creating careers and getting things going then.

Wale: Yeah, there's just so much hate man. There really is. It's ridiculous.

OKP: So how did you overcome that?

Wale: I mean, they go through with it, but there's just so much going on I don't have any time to address it. For real.

OKP: Well, moving on to other D.C. aspects, being from the D.C. area myself, I was kind of curious about your use of go-go in your music. Was go-go influential in your musical development? What is its extent on your personal style and music?

Wale: It has influence on a lot of people's music. It's been around for a long time. You know, it appears in a lot of Kid n' Play's stuff, Salt n Peppa's... Like it's always been there. And I just kind of do it a different way. My way is a little bit more extreme.

OKP: Right. Well have you gotten any feedback from the local artists? Have you talked to Chuck Brown or any of the other local bands? Are they behind you?

Wale: Yeah, I've talked to the artists, I've never really talked to Chuck though. But everybody from the Backyard Band to Rare Essence to UCB, I have a pretty good relationship with all those bands.

OKP: Cool. Well then besides all of that, I understand you've got a new mixtape coming soon? When can we expect to see that?

Wale: Probably like the last week of March or something like that.

OKP: Alright, well like I said, being from D.C. myself, I'm rooting for you, so good luck with everything.

Wale: I appreciate that man. I appreciate all the love that I've been getting from everybody. Peace.

 

- Michael Drohan