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

Please Listen
Wale Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I just wanna get my cool on in this
Jazzy... slam
Judah just count me in

[Verse 1:]
All I need is the notepad
A bottle of remy I can jot down the prozac
I'm so intact so I stay sharp

My desire to never fall leads me to hitting walls
It's a war with the enemy
Writing verses could be a freestyle or something written in a week
Ain't finna peak yet
I just freeze 'em with the free, it's like my freestyles cleavage
And my songs when they reach they official
So unsip the bra be in awe from the nipple
It's so simple
To see things from a genius perspective when my competition ain't much
I ate lunch but the? is running in me
I'm looking at your dinner feeling like there's nothing in me
It's nothing iller, than emcees that don't come with it
Like a tongue that don't find Clinton
Go head Joe, go head ho
She ain't tryna go low go head home
And I don't think homes, I just blank out
Abuse paper run thru it 'til the inks out
Like Ashanti, hip hops bounty
Hunter, young'n in the fader like laundry
Hoes love me get blown like lawn leaves
And then I bounce like cars out in Long Beach
A far reach from them rap dudes, yeah
Them niggas spittin while I'm dishing out a typhoon
I write tunes, I'm hoping that they dig it
I break from what you hearin
Please Listen

[Chorus:]
Please
Please Listen
Yes, yes
Please Listen Man
Please listen up
Please Listen Man
Please listen up
Please Listen Man
Please listen up
Please Listen Man
Fuck it it's hip hop these niggaz don't give a damn

[Verse 2:]
Catchdubs you a motherfucka
No motherfucka dug it 'til you motherfuckin brung it to 'em

Them label motherfuckas suckin every other young'n
They swingin wood like them motherfuckas nunchucking

Overall Meaning

The opening lines of the song, "I just wanna get my cool on in this Jazzy… slam Judah just count me in," suggest that the singer is in his element, ready to do what he does best, and confident that he can deliver. The song then goes on to talk about the creative process that goes into making music. Wale talks about how he needs nothing but a notepad and a bottle of Remy to write his rhymes. He talks about the highs and lows of the creative process, how writing lyrics can either be a freestyle or something that takes weeks to write. He's confident about his lyrics and sees things from a genius's perspective. He talks about his love for the game and how he hasn't peaked yet, how he wants to be the best.

The chorus of the song, "Please listen up," is repeated multiple times throughout the song, emphasizing the singer's desire for people to hear what he has to say. He talks about how hip hop is a tough game, and people don't give a damn about what's being said. In the second verse, the singer takes aim at the commercial music industry, saying that labels are only interested in making money and will do anything to exploit young artists. He mocks the label executives, saying that they're only interested in swinging their wood around like nunchucks.

Overall, the song is a commentary on the state of the music industry and the creative process that goes into making music. The singer is confident in his abilities and wants people to listen to what he has to say, despite the tough competition and commercial pressures that exist in the industry.

Line by Line Meaning

I just wanna get my cool on in this Jazzy... slam
I want to be cool and relaxed in this jazzy atmosphere

Judah just count me in
Include me in what you are doing, Judah

All I need is the notepad
All I need to make music is a notepad

A bottle of remy I can jot down the prozac
While drinking Remy Martin, I write down my thoughts and emotions

I'm so intact so I stay sharp
I keep myself together so I can stay focused

My desire to never fall leads me to hitting walls
My drive to never fail sometimes causes me to face obstacles

It's a war with the enemy
Making music is a battle against those who doubt me

Writing verses could be a freestyle or something written in a week
My songs can come from freestyle or something I take my time on

Ain't finna peak yet
I haven't reached my full potential

I just freeze 'em with the free, it's like my freestyles cleavage
My freestyles are so impressive that they leave people in awe, like cleavage

And my songs when they reach they official
My songs are official when they are released

So unsip the bra be in awe from the nipple
When you hear my songs, you will be impressed (like removing a bra)

It's so simple
My music is straightforward and easy to understand

To see things from a genius perspective when my competition ain't much
My competitors are not at my level, so it's easy for me to seem like a genius

I ate lunch but the? is running in me
I ate lunch but I still have energy to create

I'm looking at your dinner feeling like there's nothing in me
I feel like I am more fulfilled and accomplished than those around me

It's nothing iller, than emcees that don't come with it
There's nothing worse than rappers who are not passionate about their music

Like a tongue that don't find Clinton
Like a tongue not finding anything to say, unlike Bill Clinton's charisma and eloquence

Go head Joe, go head ho
Do your thing, Joe, do your thing, ho

She ain't tryna go low go head home
If she is not interested in being with me, she can leave

And I don't think homes, I just blank out
I don't waste time thinking, I just create

Abuse paper run thru it 'til the inks out
I use paper until the ink runs out, constantly creating

Like Ashanti, hip hops bounty Hunter, young'n in the fader like laundry
Like Ashanti, I am pursuing my dreams in hip hop. I am also a young DJ like a piece of laundry in the turntable (fader)

Hoes love me get blown like lawn leaves
Women are attracted to me and will do anything for me

And then I bounce like cars out in Long Beach
I leave abruptly like cars speeding away in Long Beach

A far reach from them rap dudes, yeah
I am different from the typical rappers

Them niggas spittin while I'm dishing out a typhoon
While others are rapping normally, I am creating a wave of music (typhoon)

I write tunes, I'm hoping that they dig it
I hope people appreciate and enjoy my music

I break from what you hearin
I am doing something unique and different from what others are doing

Please Listen
I want people to pay attention to my music and hear what I am saying

Please Listen Man
Listen to me, man

Please listen up
Pay attention

Fuck it it's hip hop these niggaz don't give a damn
I don't care, it's just hip hop and these other rappers don't care about the art form

Catchdubs you a motherfucka
Catchdubs, you are amazing

No motherfucka dug it 'til you motherfuckin brung it to 'em
Nobody appreciated it until you brought it to them