A string of mixtapes found the rapper grappling with morality in both everyday life and early stardom-most notably on 2008's Seinfeld-inspired The Mixtape About Nothing-and earned him a diehard fanbase ahead of his 2009 debut album, Attention Deficit. With an itch for making songs heavily infused with go-go, the District's official sound, he dropped out of college to pursue music full-time, eventually landing a deal with producer Mark Ronson's Allido Records in 2007 and Interscope Records a year later. Born Olubowale Victor Akintimehin in 1984, Wale, the son of Nigerian immigrants, was raised in the Washington D.C. Wale delivers lyrics you can live by-bolstered by witty punchlines, thoughtful concepts, and painfully earnest introspection.
