Olubowale Victor Akintimehin Folarin (born September 21, 1984 in Washington… Read Full Bio ↴Olubowale Victor Akintimehin Folarin (born September 21, 1984 in Washington, D.C.), better known by his stage name Wale, is an American rapper and producer. Fusing DC's homegrown go-go genre with a streetwise Northern hip-hop sensibility, he takes samples from all genres and blends them together with lyrical dexterity. In 2005 he released his debut mixtape, Paint a Picture, and has since released four more. His debut album, released by Interscope, Attention Deficit, was released November 10, 2009. He has since then released three more albums, with Rick Ross's MMG label, Ambition (2011), The Gifted (2013), and The Album About Nothing (2015), based on his 2008 mixtape, The Mixtape About Nothing.

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

Debbie
Wale Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Half the corny niggas in the world can't dance
You know what I'm sayin'?
So just it's like boom, we get rid of the dusty, dusty
We get into some motherfuckin' soul

Yo, I'm sayin' I don't got the best moves and shit
But we don't got nothin' to lose and shit
Ayy, yeah, yuh

Money on the wheels, woo, leggo
Mmm, yeah, soul clap now

Dance with me, yeah, it's so hard to fall in love
I know you need, yeah, a man that can play his part
I need your body to follow
I ain't gonna be the one that'll break your heart
God made a goddess, grab my arm and know that I got you, yeah
Dance with me, yeah, it's so hard to fall in love
I know you need, yeah, a man that can play his part
I need your body to follow
I ain't gonna be the one that'll break your heart
God made a goddess, grab my arm and know that I got you, yeah

You remember you my old love, girl
Back in school, my soror' love, girl
And I know it's been a minute though, girl
But I still think the world of you, girl
Used to be D1, party wild, DR
Used to take eight classes, get your ski wee on
Went and got yo' masters, something you slaved over
Used to be high yellow, forever pink green though
I see you, girl

It's been a long time, don't let us pass it up twice
January one five, I believe you so Debbie Allen to me

Dance with me, yeah, it's so hard to fall in love
I know you need, yeah, a man that can play his part
I need your body to follow
I ain't gonna be the one that'll break your heart
God made a goddess, grab my arm and know that I got you, yeah
Dance with me, yeah, it's so hard to fall in love
I know you need, yeah, a man that can play his part
I need your body to follow

I ain't gonna be the one that'll break your heart
God made a goddess, grab my arm and know that I got you, yeah

Overall Meaning

In "Debbie," Wale talks about his admiration for a woman he calls a "goddess" and asks her to dance with him. He acknowledges that many men are unable to dance and suggests that they instead embrace their soulful side. Wale emphasizes the importance of finding someone who can play their part in a relationship and promises not to be the one to break their heart.

The verse that reads, "You remember you my old love, girl/Back in school, my soror' love, girl," suggests that Wale has a history with this woman, dating back to their college days. He compliments her accomplishments, including obtaining a master's degree, and reminisces about her partying days. Despite the time that has passed since they were last together, Wale expresses a deep connection to her and hopes that they don't miss their chance to reconnect.

Overall, the lyrics of "Debbie" explore the themes of love, admiration, and nostalgia. It's a romantic, soulful track that celebrates the beauty of women and encourages listeners to embrace their inner rhythms.

Line by Line Meaning

Half the corny niggas in the world can't dance
A lot of people don't have the rhythm to move their bodies to music

You know what I'm sayin'?
Do you understand what I mean?

So just it's like boom, we get rid of the dusty, dusty
Let's forget about the unappealing people and things and move on to something better

We get into some motherfuckin' soul
Let's listen to some truly soulful music

Yo, I'm sayin' I don't got the best moves and shit
I'm not the best dancer out there

But we don't got nothin' to lose and shit
We have nothing to lose by trying to dance together

Ayy, yeah, yuh
An approving, excited expression

Money on the wheels, woo, leggo
The music is so good that it's worth gambling money on it

Mmm, yeah, soul clap now
Let's express our appreciation for the music with some soul clapping

Dance with me, yeah, it's so hard to fall in love
Dancing with someone can make it hard not to fall in love with them

I know you need, yeah, a man that can play his part
You're looking for someone who can fulfill their role in a romantic relationship

I need your body to follow
I want you to dance with me and follow my lead

I ain't gonna be the one that'll break your heart
I won't hurt you in a romantic relationship

God made a goddess, grab my arm and know that I got you, yeah
You're a beautiful woman and I'll take care of you

You remember you my old love, girl
You were my old love from back in the day

Back in school, my soror' love, girl
We were involved in a sorority together back in school

And I know it's been a minute though, girl
It's been a while since we've seen each other

But I still think the world of you, girl
I still have a high opinion of you

Used to be D1, party wild, DR
You used to be a college athlete and a wild party-goer

Used to take eight classes, get your ski wee on
You used to take many classes and enjoy skiing

Went and got yo' masters, something you slaved over
You worked hard to get your master's degree

Used to be high yellow, forever pink green though
You used to have a lighter skin complexion, but you still embrace your cultural identity

I see you, girl
I can see who you are and what you've become

It's been a long time, don't let us pass it up twice
We haven't seen each other in a while, so let's not miss another opportunity to connect

January one five, I believe you so Debbie Allen to me
I think you're as talented and impressive as Debbie Allen, a famous dancer and actress

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Norva Denton, Olubowale Victor Akintimehin

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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