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
Play Your Part
Wale Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You think you using me
Like this games new to me
But you ain't confusing me
You just want jewelry and all them fuckin' shopping sprees
But that ain't stopping me
And I ain't stopping you
See we'll be cool as long as you just play your part
Just play your part
We'll be cool as long as you just play your part
I'm incline with women who come on they time
She came over and she came a few times
From crispy futons to Christian Louboutin
Game over had her shopping in Milan
Twenty racks really that's sneaker money
Triple white Ferrari yeah that's the Easter bunny
At the Caesar in Vegas yeah I put the Visa on it
Now all she do is tell me how she used to love me
I let her decorate the real estate
And I let her spend a half the ticket give or take
A couple dollars Harry Winston stone collars
Canary yellow everything plane chartered
I spoiled her maybe 'cause I adored her
More than fly that girls a flying saucer
My Mona Lisa painting on the wall came to life
And she said the love of picture just roll the dice
[Chorus]
I try to love 'em in the physical not literal
She said that she love me but what I'm feeling is minuscule
I understand that Prada lives in her inner soul
So the devil that droves in her got in control
Anne Hathaway, and sack chasin' getting got cake up
Though my paper way thicker than model make up
But ya'll wait up my mind racing my toe slippin'
A lot of women is real some bitches Robin Givings
I never give 'em no liquid no pot to piss in
I tend to leave them quite offended if they too dependent
I'm pitchin' bitches that's dreamin' thinking I'm trickin' chicken
I'm simply fuckin' with bitches that know they whole position
That's real nigga shit
Real nigga life
I give my heart to one broad, the others get the pipe
I ain't tryna fight, I ain't tryna fuss
I trying for the money, they tryna fall in love.
[Chorus]
I say, how can they compare to you
Everything material
Trickin' shit for kids and you know I don't need no cereal
You know I was ridin' and you switched up a gear or two
So I let others shit you on dead, burial
Funeral, check my phone, reacting like its new to you
Talking what I give but never speak on what I do for you
Cabo to Jamaica every weekend honey moon and you
Like the sound and I ain't ever try tuning you
But now I'm just assuming you
Living off of hearsay
Treble like the radio 'cause everything was air play
First class herm ass
Panamera perp pass
Greed written on her face
When I bought her first bag
And I ain't really give a fuck
It was like a nigga rushed
Told my jeweler make her freeze like I was tryna stick her up
She call me daddy like a nigga puff
Just play your role and you can live it up
[Chorus]
The song is about a man who is aware that he is being used by a woman for his money, but he is okay with it as long as she plays her part. The man sings about how he spoils this woman with expensive things like designer clothes and jewelry, and how he lets her spend his money, but he knows that she only wants him for his money. The chorus tells the woman to just play her part, and they’ll be cool as long as she does.
The first verse is rapped by Meek Mill, who talks about how he attracts women who come to him on their own time. He sings about how he takes these women from cheap mattresses to expensive designer shoes, and how he spends money on them to the point of making them shop in Milan. He boasts about purchasing expensive things for her, like a Caesar in Vegas and a white Ferrari. The woman is in love with him and he lets her decorate the real estate while he spends money on her. The woman he is talking about knows what the deal is and that’s why they get along.
The second verse is rapped by Rick Ross, and it delves into the idea of giving your heart to one woman and having other women on the side. Rick Ross highlights that he is not looking for love, but these women are coming to him for that, so he settles for a physical relationship. He has no time to fuss, so the women know the score, and they get the pipe while one woman gets his heart. The song is about accepting that people have different intentions and wants and allowing them to pursue that without worrying about the little things.
Line by Line Meaning
You think you using me
You believe that you have control over me
Like this games new to me
As if I'm not familiar with these types of games
But you ain't confusing me
But I'm not being fooled
You just want jewelry and all them fuckin' shopping sprees
You only want materialistic things like jewelry and shopping sprees
But that ain't stopping me
But that won't stop me
And I ain't stopping you
And I'm not trying to stop you
See we'll be cool as long as you just play your part
We can have a good relationship as long as you stick to your role
Just play your part
Just do what you're supposed to do
Just play your part
Just do what you're supposed to do
We'll be cool as long as you just play your part
We can have a good relationship if you fulfill your duties
I'm incline with women who come on they time
I prefer women who take things slow
She came over and she came a few times
She visited me several times
From crispy futons to Christian Louboutin
From cheap beds to expensive shoes
Game over had her shopping in Milan
She was impressed and we went shopping together in Milan
Twenty racks really that's sneaker money
Twenty thousand dollars is pocket change for me
Triple white Ferrari yeah that's the Easter bunny
I have a white Ferrari like the Easter bunny
At the Caesar in Vegas yeah I put the Visa on it
I paid for our stay in Vegas with my credit card
Now all she do is tell me how she used to love me
Now all she does is talk about how she used to love me
I let her decorate the real estate
I allowed her to decorate my property
And I let her spend a half the ticket give or take
I let her spend about half of the money for our trip
A couple dollars Harry Winston stone collars
I spent a few thousand dollars on Harry Winston jewelry
Canary yellow everything plane chartered
We rented a private plane and everything was yellow
I spoiled her maybe 'cause I adored her
Maybe I spoiled her because I loved her
More than fly that girls a flying saucer
She's incredibly beautiful
My Mona Lisa painting on the wall came to life
She's like the Mona Lisa painting, alive and beautiful
And she said the love of picture just roll the dice
She's willing to take a chance on our relationship
I try to love 'em in the physical not literal
I try to love them for who they are, not just their appearance
She said that she love me but what I'm feeling is minuscule
She says she loves me, but what I feel is insignificant
I understand that Prada lives in her inner soul
She values luxury brands like Prada above all else
So the devil that droves in her got in control
The desire for materialistic things has taken over her personality
Anne Hathaway, and sack chasin' getting got cake up
She's chasing money and fame, like Anne Hathaway
Though my paper way thicker than model make up
Even though I have more money than a makeup model
But ya'll wait up my mind racing my toe slippin'
My mind is always racing, but I need to be careful
A lot of women is real some bitches Robin Givings
Some women are genuine, but others are like Robin Givings
I never give 'em no liquid no pot to piss in
I don't give them any money or resources to depend on me
I tend to leave them quite offended if they too dependent
If they rely on me too much, I tend to leave them feeling hurt
I'm pitchin' bitches that's dreamin' thinking I'm trickin' chicken
I'm convincing them to follow their dreams, not just chasing after money
I'm simply fuckin' with bitches that know they whole position
I'm involved with women who understand their role in our relationship
That's real nigga shit
That's what being a real man is about
Real nigga life
That's how real men live
I give my heart to one broad, the others get the pipe
I only truly love one woman, the others are just for fun
I ain't tryna fight, I ain't tryna fuss
I don't want to argue or fight about anything
I trying for the money, they tryna fall in love
I'm chasing money, they're trying to fall in love
I say, how can they compare to you
I think no one compares to you
Everything material
Everything else is just materialistic
Trickin' shit for kids and you know I don't need no cereal
I don't need materialistic things like cereal toys
You know I was ridin' and you switched up a gear or two
You changed the course of our relationship
So I let others shit you on dead, burial
So I let other people deal with you and our relationship
Funeral, check my phone, reacting like its new to you
I'm not surprised that our relationship has ended
Talking what I give but never speak on what I do for you
You only talk about what you receive, not what I do for you
Cabo to Jamaica every weekend honey moon and you
We went on extravagant trips together
Like the sound and I ain't ever try tuning you
You enjoyed our relationship, and I never tried to change you
But now I'm just assuming you
But now I'm just guessing what you're thinking
Living off of hearsay
You're living your life based on what other people say
Treble like the radio 'cause everything was air play
You're always changing your mind like the radio channels
First class herm ass
We traveled in first class
Panamera perp pass
We drove a Porsche Panamera
Greed written on her face
You're clearly motivated by greed
When I bought her first bag
When I bought you your first designer bag
And I ain't really give a fuck
I didn't really care
It was like a nigga rushed
It felt like I was in a hurry
Told my jeweler make her freeze like I was tryna stick her up
I had my jeweler make you some jewelry as if I was robbing you
She call me daddy like a nigga puff
You call me 'daddy' like Puff Daddy
Just play your role and you can live it up
Just stick to your part in our relationship and enjoy the benefits
Just play your part
Just do what you're supposed to do
Just play your part
Just do what you're supposed to do
We'll be cool as long as you just play your part
We can have a good relationship if you fulfill your duties
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, D RANGER PUBLISHING
Written by: DAVID WALLACH, LEIGH ELLIOT, OLUBOWALE VICTOR AKINTIMEHIN, ROBERT WILLIAMS, WILLIAM ROBERTS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@B_Brandon
You a real one if you searched for this one
@nicolemunoz3680
YOU BETTER KNOW IT
@ErikPowery
i did kid!
@yawslim4559
The chorus is 💯
@BigBankBrooks
2024 and this track still AMAZING
@TREDAMAYOR
White boy murdered the hook!!!
@houseofmatrix6174
Tr3DaMayor hell yeah
@bigdraco3282
Tr3DaMayor Lmaoo on baby 🔥
@donaldtiyanani9724
Approved
@LynetteSheriff
big draco on folk an nem 😂😂😂