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.
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Diary
Wale Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You think I'm try'na holla at you,
And maybe I am but,
You wouldn't hear me out anyways would you? ,
Rather lose love than to move on never knowing what it feel like,
Short days, long nights,
By the phone, no call,
Need a clear mind 'cause I been blind,got me goin' down that road,
Far away from home,
Black woman you cold,
Every problem you ever had with another man I gotta face,
Started off on thin ice,
I'm still here but I can't skate,
Slow sink, can't breath, no remorse, don't think,
Listen to your friend get another man for a minute then repeat,
Queen, you deserve the title
But she rejects what I give,
While she nurse the wounds by them,
Tried them, didn't work,
Got impossible standards,
Nothing I'm a do is gon' work,
Diary of a black girl,
I wonder why I sit and cry,
Wish I could shed all these tears,
I'm down and out,
I'll keep on moving and tryna get out,
I don't know how to move on,
Where I went wrong,
I wish I could live with no fear,
So down and out,
I'll keep it moving and tryna get out,
Somehow,
Raised by a momma who, who,
Hates her baby father so, so
She don't have a problem with, with,
Saying fuck a nigga Quick, quick,
I'm just tryna be the one who never run,
But you run away from me,
Girlfriends man cheat, cheat,
Why not me the same thing,
She can't see in me, what I see in her,
This pain she inherit can't be reversed,
I can't even stay living in the shade
Of all the motherfuckers who played you,
The irony in that is that I ain't even that,
But you put in these pages,
Wife, you deserve the label
But, but, you been hurt before so you don't feel your able,
Tried them didn't work, got impossible standards,
Nothing that I ever do works,
Diary of a black girl,
I wonder why I sit and cry,
Wish I could shed all these tears,
I'm down and out,
I'll keep on moving and tryna get out,
I don't know how to move on,
Where I went wrong,
I wish I could live with no fear,
So down and out,
I'll keep it moving and tryna get out,
Somehow,
See all I wanna do is be relevant,
Just tell me that I ever meant anything more,
That you could ever see me and you in another light,
But its like the dark women indoors in the darkest nights by the wrong man,
See all of them have made you incapable of a first impression,
What it do is I channel my aggression with no cable or antenna,
Just intentions to impress you if capable,
Hoping that the material possessions can materialize to a better you,
Cars, nothing I drive can drive you out of this frame of mind,
For such an ugly picture and,
Money, nothing I buy can buy more time
For your ears to tell your heart to listen to it,
Diamonds, a girl's best friend is what they say
But believe me with the right allegiance shorty you gonna shine anyways,
And everyday that goes by is a couple more lines in her diary,
The day before is better than the present,
So anyone presented in her presence endures these life sentences,
There's no key for release,
No reason to be around,
Her minds in the clouds,
She writes it all down,
In her diary,
I wonder why I sit and cry,
Wish I could shed all these tears,
I'm down and out,
I'll keep on moving and tryna get out,
I don't know how to move on,
Where I went wrong,
I wish I could live with no fear,
So down and out,
I'll keep it moving and tryna get out,
Somehow,
The song "Diary" by Wale talks about a man's attempts to communicate with a woman who he believes to be special to him. He fears that the woman may not listen to him even if he attempts to talk to her. The man is willing to risk losing her love instead of giving up on the relationship without putting forth any efforts to make things work. The song mentions the struggles and difficulties that they face in their relationship. The woman has had problems with other men in the past, and the man is trying to prove himself. However, the woman's trust and confidence in men have taken a hit, making her doubt any potential relationship that comes her way.
Wale talks about how this woman writes in her diary, which highlights her insecurities and doubts. The song takes a turn when the man introspects and speaks about his attempts to impress the woman. He believes that if he could just show her that he is different from other men, she might be willing to give him a chance. However, the man realizes that it is not easy to impress this woman. She has been hurt before, and she has set impossible standards for herself, which he cannot seem to meet.
Overall, "Diary" by Wale talks about the struggles faced by two individuals in a relationship. It highlights the importance of communication and how doubt and insecurity can erode even the strongest of relationships.
Line by Line Meaning
If I told you I wanted to talk to you,
If I expressed my desire to communicate with you,
You think I'm try'na holla at you,
You assume that I am trying to hit on you,
And maybe I am but,
Perhaps I am, but
You wouldn't hear me out anyways would you?
You wouldn't listen to me anyway, would you?
Rather lose love than to move on never knowing what it feel like,
I would rather lose love than not know what it feels like to move on,
Short days, long nights,
Days are brief, but nights are long
By the phone, no call,
Waiting by the phone, but no one is calling
Need a clear mind 'cause I been blind,got me goin' down that road,
I need a clear mind because I have been blind and it got me headed down the wrong path
Heart made of stone,
Having a heart that is hard and unresponsive
Far away from home,
Being distant from my roots and origins
Black woman you cold,
You, a black woman, are emotionally detached
Every problem you ever had with another man I gotta face,
I have to confront every issue you have ever had with another man
Started off on thin ice,
We began our relationship in a precarious position
I'm still here but I can't skate,
I'm still around, but I'm unable to move forward
Slow sink, can't breath, no remorse, don't think,
I'm slowly sinking, unable to breathe, and feeling no remorse or concern
Listen to your friend get another man for a minute then repeat,
You listen to your friend who has a new man in her life, then you repeat the same pattern
Queen, you deserve the title
You, as a woman of value and importance, deserve to be called a queen
But she rejects what I give,
However, you refuse to accept what I offer
While she nurse the wounds by them,
You tend to your emotional wounds with the help of others
Tried them, didn't work,
You've tried relationships in the past, but they didn't succeed
Got impossible standards,
You have unrealistic expectations
Nothing I'm a do is gon' work,
Nothing I do will be successful
I wonder why I sit and cry,
I wonder why I'm feeling emotional pain and tears
Wish I could shed all these tears,
I wish I could stop shedding tears
I'm down and out,
I am feeling sad and discouraged
I'll keep on moving and tryna get out,
I will persist and attempt to overcome my difficulties
I don't know how to move on,
I don't know how to progress beyond my present situation
Where I went wrong,
I am uncertain where I made mistakes
I wish I could live with no fear,
I yearn to live without fear
See all I wanna do is be relevant,
All I desire is to matter or be important
Just tell me that I ever meant anything more,
Just inform me that I had more significance in your life
But its like the dark women indoors in the darkest nights by the wrong man,
It's like dark-skinned women who struggle with their emotions in the evenings by the side of the wrong man
That you could ever see me and you in another light,
That you could ever envisage me and you differently
She can't see in me, what I see in her,
She cannot envision me in the same way that I see her
This pain she inherit can't be reversed,
This pain that she has taken on cannot be undone
I can't even stay living in the shade
I cannot even remain in the shadow or darkness
Of all the motherfuckers who played you,
Of all the people who have mistreated you
Wife, you deserve the label
You, as a wife, deserve that designation
But, but, you been hurt before so you don't feel your able,
But you have been wounded in the past, so you doubt your capability
See all of them have made you incapable of a first impression,
All of them have rendered you unable to make a good first impression
Cars, nothing I drive can drive you out of this frame of mind,
No car I drive can take you out of this negative state of mind
Money, nothing I buy can buy more time
No amount of money I spend can buy more time for us
Diamonds, a girl's best friend is what they say
They say that diamonds are a girl's best friend
But believe me with the right allegiance shorty you gonna shine anyways,
But believe me, with the proper loyalty, you will shine regardless
And everyday that goes by is a couple more lines in her diary,
Every day that passes results in additional entries in her diary
The day before is better than the present,
Yesterday was preferable to today
So anyone presented in her presence endures these life sentences,
Anyone who is present with her suffers through these long-lasting difficulties
There's no key for release,
There is no way to escape
No reason to be around,
There is no justification to remain
Her minds in the clouds,
Her mind is lost in daydreams
She writes it all down,
She records all of her thoughts and feelings
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: OLUBOWALE VICTOR AKINTIMEHIN, MARSHA AMBROSIUS, CHRISTINE OTT, LUDOVIC MORILLON, MARC ROGER SENS, STEPHANIE J. BOUVIER, YANN PIERRE TIERSEN, JAMES GUFFEY, MATT BANG, MATTHEW KIPPER
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