Wale was born to Nigerian immigrant parents in Washington, DC. He grew up on Peabody Street in Northwest DC and moved to Largo, Maryland as a teenager. He attended seven different high schools in Washington, D.C. and Maryland, finally graduating from Quince Orchard High School in 2001. He went to Robert Morris College and Virginia State University on football scholarships, and then Bowie State University but dropped out in 2004 to pursue music full-time. Before music started paying the bills, Wale worked day jobs at Sprint, Up Against The Wall and Downtown Locker Room.
Wale emerged onto the local DC hip hop scene with the help of WKYS-FM's DJ Alizay. Wale began getting radio play in 2004 with a single called "Rhyme of the Century" which got Wale in the June 2005 "Unsigned Hype" section of Source magazine and his buzz started growing.
In November 2006, a feature ran on AllHipHop.com's Breeding Ground about Wale. The day before Thanksgiving, Wale took the stage between Lil Wayne and T.I. during the Southern Invasion tour at the Verizon Center.
In early December 2006, Wale won the award for "D.C. Metro Breakthrough Artist of the Year" at WKYS' Go-Go Awards. On December 15, The Fader magazine associate editor Nick "Catchdubs" Barat visited Wale for an interview and photo shoot which appeared in the March 2007 issue of The Fader.
Wale has an upcoming promotional campaign with Remy Martin and XXL Magazine. He has also been linked to boutique streetwear brands The Hundreds, 10 Deep and Good Bully, as well as lifestyle brands Stussy and LRG.
In January 2007, Wale released a new single to radio called "Good Girls." Daniel Weisman gave the song to Mark Ronson and on February 23, 2007, Ronson began playing the song on his East Village Radio show. A week later, at Ronson's studio, Wale recorded a freestyle for Ronson and in exchange, Ronson put Wale on an unreleased remix of Lily Allen's "Smile" which appeared on a number of music blogs around the world on March 13th, 2007. In April of 2007, Ronson asked Wale to join him on a UK tour to promote the release of his newest album. In June of 2007, Wale signed to a production deal with Ronson's Allido Records.
On June 24, 2007, Wale's "Ice Cream Girl" with TCB, was featured on the show Entourage, on HBO.
Wale performed "W.A.L.E.D.A.N.C.E.", from his 100 Miles mixtape, at the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards in Las Vegas, NV.
Wale was also featured in the October 2007 issues of XXL and Rolling Stone. The Washington Post profiled Wale on the front page of the Sunday Style section in the October 21st, 2007 edition. Wale is featured on the cover of URB Magazine's 150th issue along with French electro group, Justice.
iTunes released "Nike Boots" as a free download on November 13th, 2007 as its "Single of the Week." On Christmas Day 2007, Wale debuted the "Nike Boots Remix" featuring Lil Wayne and Green Lantern on his myspace page. Wale and Lil Wayne played a Nike Boots event called DC Stand Up at Ibiza Nightclub in DC on January 15, 2008 which was sponsored by Nike and Footaction.
In the November 30th, 2007 issue of Entertainment Weekly, Wale is featured as one of 8 people to watch in 2008 along with actors Simon Pegg and Rachel McAdams.
On March 12, 2008, Wale announced on 93.9 WKYS that he had signed with Interscope.
On April 29, 2008, the new Roots album entitled Rising Down was released, featuring Wale on the final track. Wale's relationship with the Roots began when Black Thought heard a song recorded as a tribute to himself on Wale's 2007 mixtape 100 Miles & Running and contacted Wale.
In the June issue of the German Hip-Hop magazine JUICE Wale announced that his upcoming debut-album will feature production credits from Mark Ronson, Kanye West, Just Blaze, 9th Wonder and the French electronic music duo Justice.
http://www.myspace.com/wale202
Back 2 Ballin
Wale Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Bakin' on it, bakin' on it
As-salamu alaykum, homie
Got it, whip it, lost it, flip it
Now a nigga back to ballin'
Back to ballin’, back to ballin’
I ain't even playing, homie
Got it , lost it, got it, spent it
Ballin’ ballin’ ballin’ ballin’ ballin’ ballin’ ballin’
Nigga, I got it, lost it, got it, spent it
Got it, now I'm back to ballin'
Ballin’ ballin’ ballin’ ballin’ ballin’ ballin’ ballin’
Nigga, I seen her, booked her, took her to my hotel,
No that's not my problem, problem, problem, problem
'Cause I get right to the chicken,
Ain't trippin' off the bitches
Don't worry if I never call her
Call her, call her, call her (French)
Motherfucker, back to ballin'
You know my whips is foreign
Man, you niggas play the bench and you know my niggas startin'
Motherfucka, back to ballin'
I'm talking black Ferrari
Straight cash made a hundred forty stacks this mornin'
I'm talking ten chains, casino life
Red bottoms, mosquito bites
Bad batch, get your head cracked, Cee-lo dice
Motherfucka, back to ballin'
Start to finish, you start, I finish
Bottle after bottle like fuck my kidneys
You niggas serving up a bad batch, too much bakin' on it
Bakin' on it, bakin' on it
As-salamu alaykum, homie
Got it, whip it, lost it, flip it
Now a nigga back to ballin'
Back to ballin’, back to ballin’
I ain't even playing, homie
Got it , lost it, got it, spent it
Got it, now I'm back to ballin'
Ballin’ ballin’ ballin’ ballin’ ballin’ ballin’ ballin’
Nigga, I got it, lost it, got it, spent it
Got it, now I'm back to ballin'
Ballin’ ballin’ ballin’ ballin’ ballin’ ballin’ ballin’
Every time we roll up, doors go up, and them panties fallin’
Fallin’ fallin’ fallin’ fallin’ fallin’ fallin’ fallin’
Talk, all my niggas tore up from the floor up
And all those whips is foreign
Whips is foreign, whips is foreign, them whips is foreign
Nigga back to ballin'
Lil bit like Patrick Johnson
Never sold much dope, but I know
Some nights I heard that trap was callin'
Nigga, back to ballin'
KD, Rondo, and Lebronin'
Found life is about chasing dreams
Don't worry how I got these commas
Comas, commas, I'm a, rider
Lot of, ganja, e-z rider
But I paid five stacks for the garment
Leave the cherry up and a high set
Hugo boss be the outfit
And the pants are never coming off shit
You niggas serving up a bad batch, too much bakin' on it
Bakin' on it, bakin' on it
As-salamu alaykum, homie
Got it, whip it, lost it, flip it
Now a nigga back to ballin'
Back to ballin’, back to ballin’
I ain't even playing, homie
Got it , lost it, got it, spent it
Got it, now I'm back to ballin'
Ballin’ ballin’ ballin’ ballin’ ballin’ ballin’ ballin’
Nigga, I got it, lost it, got it, spent it
Got it, now I'm back to ballin'
Ballin’ ballin’ ballin’ ballin’ ballin’ ballin’ ballin’
The lyrics of Wale's "Back to Ballin'" featuring French Montana talks about how the rapper has been able to make money through his drug-selling business, which he uses to sustain his luxurious lifestyle. The song is divided into three verses with Wale and French Montana going back and forth. In the first verse, Wale talks about how other drug dealers serve up "a bad batch" of drugs because they put too much "bakin'" on it, meaning they cut the drugs with too many chemicals resulting in a less potent product. Despite this, Wale was able to whip it, lose it, flip it, and now he's "back to ballin'." In the second verse, French Montana talks about booking a woman to his hotel, not worrying if he ever calls her back because he's all about getting to the chicken (money). Finally, in the last verse, Wale talks about how he's been able to make money through drugs, chasing his dreams and never looking back.
Line by Line Meaning
You niggas serving up a bad batch, too much bakin' on it
You drug dealers are selling poor quality drugs with too many additives
Bakin' on it, bakin' on it
Adding more and more harmful ingredients to the drugs
As-salamu alaykum, homie
A greeting meaning peace be upon you
Got it, whip it, lost it, flip it
Buying the drugs, making it into crack cocaine, losing it and selling it again
Now a nigga back to ballin'
With the money from drug sales, he is once again able to live a luxurious lifestyle
Back to ballin’, back to ballin’
Living luxuriously again
I ain't even playing, homie
Serious about making money and living big
Got it , lost it, got it, spent it
Making, losing, and then making money again only to spend it all
Ballin’ ballin’ ballin’ ballin’ ballin’ ballin’ ballin’
Enjoying the luxurious lifestyle
Nigga, I seen her, booked her, took her to my hotel,
Having sex with a woman he met, possibly a prostitute, at his hotel
No that's not my problem, problem, problem, problem
Not worrying about the consequences or any problems that may arise from his actions
'Cause I get right to the chicken,
Focusing on making money
Ain't trippin' off the bitches
Not caring about women or relationships, only focused on making money
Don't worry if I never call her
Not concerned about the feelings of the women he has sex with
Call her, call her, call her (French)
Repeating the word 'call her' in French for emphasis
Motherfucker, back to ballin'
Enjoying a luxurious lifestyle again, despite any previous setbacks
You know my whips is foreign
His cars are expensive and from other countries
Man, you niggas play the bench and you know my niggas startin'
His crew is successful and active, while others are not
I'm talking black Ferrari
Referring to his expensive car
Straight cash made a hundred forty stacks this mornin'
Made a lot of money in a short amount of time
I'm talking ten chains, casino life
Wearing expensive jewelry and enjoying the lifestyle of a high roller
Red bottoms, mosquito bites
Wearing expensive Christian Louboutin shoes but getting bitten by mosquitos due to his expensive lifestyle
Bad batch, get your head cracked, Cee-lo dice
Warning others to stay away from bad drugs, or face dangerous consequences
Start to finish, you start, I finish
He will always outshine and surpass others, from beginning to end
Bottle after bottle like fuck my kidneys
Drinking excessively and ignoring the harmful consequences
Every time we roll up, doors go up, and them panties fallin’
Impressing women with his expensive cars and causing them to be more attracted to him
Talk, all my niggas tore up from the floor up
His crew is still successful and active despite their past struggles
And all those whips is foreign
All of their expensive cars are from other countries
Lil bit like Patrick Johnson
A reference to former NFL player Patrick Johnson, implying that they are both successful despite being underestimated
Never sold much dope, but I know
He may not have sold drugs for very long, but he knows how to make money
Some nights I heard that trap was callin'
He was tempted to return to selling drugs
KD, Rondo, and Lebronin'
Referring to successful NBA players as a metaphor for his success
Found life is about chasing dreams
Believing that one can achieve success by following their dreams
Don't worry how I got these commas
Not needing to explain how he made his fortune
Comas, commas, I'm a, rider
Making money is his chosen profession
Lot of, ganja, e-z rider
Smoking weed and living an easy, lavish lifestyle
But I paid five stacks for the garment
Spending a lot of money on clothing
Leave the cherry up and a high set
Leaving the top down on his car and living a carefree lifestyle
Hugo boss be the outfit
Wearing expensive Hugo Boss clothing
And the pants are never coming off shit
Possibly referring to his sexual prowess or enjoying the luxurious clothing on his body
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind