Wale is set to take the music industry by storm. The Washington D.C./Maryland native has been buzzing on the blogs for the past few years and now his buzz is taking his career to the next level. He was featured on the cover of XXL magazine as a top freshman, and he is deemed a “Rising Icon” by BET. With his debut on the way, Wale sat down with BET.com to discuss “Attention Deficit,” Gucci Mane and his relationship with Jay-Z.
BET.com: Why did you title the album “Attention Deficit?”
Wale: Everything that I’m doing for the album should not be anything that people should expect. That’s why it’s called “Attention Deficit.” There’s a method to all of the madness that I am creating. The record with Lady Gaga (“Chillin”) is essentially that. It’s fun for the summertime and something to party to.
BET.com: So you are saying that you set out to achieve something different with this album?
Wale: There’s nothing normal about the album. My first single I had to go left. My second single I have to go right. It’s gotta be so drastic so everyone can wake up. If I do a record with someone that everyone can see me with – like if I did a record with Dwele who is one of the dopest singers that I have ever heard – it will be like, “oh yeah, I can see that.” There’s a certain barrier in music that a lot of us are trying to break. Jay-Z and Kanye West both did a song with Coldplay, Kanye did a song sampling Daft Punk; these are the things that are going to make hip-hop interesting again. That’s what I’m trying to do. I’m trying to wake the people up. I understand that the attention span of the consumer is very, very low. I’m trying to do things that you will pay attention to - for better or for worse. When “Attention Deficit” comes, everyone will be paying attention. I have a lot to say.
BET.com: Is the album finished?
Wale: The album is completely done. I have very few hip-hop features. I’ve got a lot of soul on there. There’s Chrisette Michele, Melanie Fiona, Marsha Ambrosius and Jazmine Sullivan.
BET.com: How did it feel to be a part of the XXL Freshman class?
Wale: As far as the XXL Freshmen, I’m really proud of everybody. We don’t really talk, but we all keep up with each other. I’ve done shows with B.O.B. and Kid Cudi. Curren$y and I talk on a daily basis. I’m just proud. Everybody is trying to prove that they are worthy of being on the cover of a prestigious hip-hop magazine. It’s very competitive. The other day I said on Twitter that I have the best live performance.
BET.com: Really? So what is a Wale show like?
Wale: With my live show I like to demand the people to take their cool off and leave the bourgeois stuff at home. When you attend a Wale and UCB show, we need all of your energy. We won’t stand for nothing less. We deserve it and we will give it to you back. We did 40 cities and sometimes three shows in one day. We gave it to them every time.
BET.com: You turned the internet upside down with your Gucci Mane collaboration for “Pretty Girls.” How did that song come about?
Wale: The Gucci Mane collaboration is one of those situations where – I have a record called “Artistic Integrity” and in that record I’m basically saying that I have to do what my heart tells me to do. People think that because you make a specific type of music that you have to work with specific artists. I grew up in D.C. and Maryland and I used to go to Go-Gos all the time. I remember going to see UCB and Scarface performed with them. The South has shown D.C. so much love for all of these years.
BET.com: What is your relationship with Jay-Z like?
Wale: My relationship with Jay-Z is a unique one. He’s been nothing but supportive with all I’ve done. Even the people I do business with. The “Pretty Girls” record I put out, he gave me feedback on it and I tweaked it a little bit. He listened to my whole album and he’s been nothing but supportive. He’s just one of those dudes. He’s my favorite rapper of all time. It’s odd that I’m in business with him, but it works out.