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
The White Shoes
Wale Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
If they're gonna judge you for life
Say we can't always be fly
We gon' be good long as them sneakers white
You'll be alright
Said you'll be alright
Gucci iced out, whole hood had 'em
Being forreal, yo try being Pharrell
When your black ass in a back class, the fronting was real
No Lauren London, we was on a budget
You know, sharin' Old Navy so the army could be fresh in public
Where the sneaker stores and laundromats get all the money
Cause it ain't 'bout what you're doin', 'bout how you're lookin'
When they love you for your status and your catalog
And everybody got a jersey to play along
Back then the hoes checkin' for your zapatos
So even dirty niggas had the foams
Take this good advice
If they're gonna judge you for life
Say we can't always be fly
We gon' be good long as them sneakers white
You'll be alright
Said you'll be alright
Biotech trainers on the way to work
And we would quietly complain while Eric would lurk
That was the PG Plaza manager, managin' us
Yeah I'm standin' in Lucky 7s but slingin' them Lugz
Still have them Js for the low, low, and I could get 'em early
But I'm not without a conscience, I see people out there hurtin'
Got 'em for Penny Foams that was bought at this very store
And I think that was my shift, then again I'm not very sure
And that's a lot that can get to ya
When you're not sellin' drugs but the outcome is similar
Cause out come them niggas with pistols, tellin' you give 'em up
Now out come the moms with tissues cause you ain't give a fuck
Free lunch for everyone, income was very uh
On the second and 16th everyone would have every 1
And Reebok would carry pump, and that's not the scary part
These niggas love white shoes so much they'd be buried in them
You'll be alright
Take this good advice
If they're gonna judge you for life
Say we can't always be fly
We gon' be good long as them sneakers white
You'll be alright
Said you'll be alright
No matter how good or lavish us niggas got it
We just a bunch of ravenous addicts living for fancy haberdashery
In The White Shoes, Wale reflects on his past experiences and the struggles he faced while growing up. The song speaks to the importance of appearance in the black community and the pressure to conform to societal expectations. Throughout the lyrics, Wale paints a vivid picture of the challenges he faced and encourages listeners to not worry about material possessions but rather to focus on personal growth.
The first verse speaks to the desire for status symbols in the black community, specifically in terms of fashion. Wale reflects on the fact that even when you can't afford designer clothes or the latest trends, as long as your white sneakers are clean, you can still be perceived as one of the cool kids. This is a commentary on the idea that appearances matter more than the substance of the individual.
The second verse is a reflection on Wale's time working at a shoe store. He speaks to the struggles of not having a lot of money and trying to keep up appearances. Wale also alludes to the dangers of being in a low-income community, where violence and crime can be a part of everyday life. The song ends with the message that one can rise above their struggles and come out alright as long as they focus on what's truly important.
Overall, The White Shoes is a poignant examination of the pressures put on individuals to conform to societal expectations and the importance of looking beneath the surface of individuals to truly understand them.
Line by Line Meaning
Take this good advice
Listen carefully
If they're gonna judge you for life
If people are going to judge you forever
Say we can't always be fly
Admit that we can't always be fashionable
We gon' be good long as them sneakers white
We're going to be okay as long as we have clean white shoes
You'll be alright
You will be okay
Said you'll be alright
I'm telling you that you will be okay
Gucci iced out, whole hood had 'em
Everyone wanted and had the latest Gucci gear
Ice cream 'fore the hypebeasts that's into fashion
We knew about Ice Cream shoes before the mainstream fashion enthusiasts
Being forreal, yo try being Pharrell
Being honest, it's hard to be as successful as Pharrell
When your black ass in a back class, the fronting was real
When you're black and in a lower-level class, the pretending was intense
No Lauren London, we was on a budget
We didn't have the luxury of being dressed by a famous stylist like Lauren London
You know, sharin' Old Navy so the army could be fresh in public
We shared clothes from Old Navy, so we all looked good in public
Where the sneaker stores and laundromats get all the money
The money goes to sneaker stores and laundromats
Cause it ain't 'bout what you're doin', 'bout how you're lookin'
It's not about what you're doing, it's about how you look while doing it
When they love you for your status and your catalog
When people love you for your fame and achievements
And everybody got a jersey to play along
Everyone has to have the latest jersey to fit in
Back then the hoes checkin' for your zapatos
Back then, girls were checking out guys' shoes
So even dirty niggas had the foams
Even people who didn't have much still had the Foamposite shoes
Biotech trainers on the way to work
Wearing Biotech shoes to work
And we would quietly complain while Eric would lurk
We would complain quietly while Eric was watching
That was the PG Plaza manager, managin' us
Eric was the manager at PG Plaza
Yeah I'm standin' in Lucky 7s but slingin' them Lugz
I worked at Lucky 7s but sold Lugz shoes
Still have them Js for the low, low, and I could get 'em early
I still had Jordans shoes for a low price, and I could get them before they hit the market
But I'm not without a conscience, I see people out there hurtin'
But I had a conscience and saw people struggling
Got 'em for Penny Foams that was bought at this very store
I got those shoes for Penny Foamposites that were bought at the store I worked at
And that's a lot that can get to ya
And that can weigh heavy on you
When you're not sellin' drugs but the outcome is similar
When you're not selling drugs, but the danger is just as real
Cause out come them niggas with pistols, tellin' you give 'em up
Because people with guns would come and demand that you give them the shoes
Now out come the moms with tissues cause you ain't give a fuck
Now mothers are crying because you didn't care
Free lunch for everyone, income was very uh
Free lunch was for everyone, indicating that people didn't have much money
On the second and 16th everyone would have every 1
On the 2nd and 16th of the month, everyone had everything they needed
And Reebok would carry pump, and that's not the scary part
Reebok had the Pump shoes, and that's not even the scary part
These niggas love white shoes so much they'd be buried in them
People love white shoes so much that they would be buried wearing them
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Missing Link Music, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ANDWELE GARDNER, JASON POWERS, KARRIEM RIGGINS, MAURICE EARL BARNETT-FENDERSON, OLUBOWALE AKINTIMEHIN, R.L. III ALTMAN, TITUS PRINTICE GLOVER, WALE, COMPOSER AUTHOR UNKNOWN, OLUBOWALE VICTOR AKINTIMEHIN, EMMANUEL KARRIEM RIGGINS, MAURICE BARNETT-FENDERSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@toureahmedstephanesanan8885
Take this good advice
If they're gonna judge you for life
Say we can't always be fly
We gon' be good long as them sneakers white
You'll be alright
Said you'll be alright
Said you'll be alright
Said you'll be alright
The Album About Nothing is very hard affff . Wale kill the Game #TAAN
@victorsithole4634
proud to anounce that Im graduating in a few weeks from now and this song got me through my degree when I had no food, had accademic stress and thought I couldnt make it...I still play it even today!!! #2018
@mattsmith3872
Victor Sithole congratulations brother! Looks like you’re already past that monumental moment but keep striving for greatness!🙏
@abutler313
I'm late, but congrats homie
@triplejayvevo7119
Congrats much love for your succcess
@taylordowning2533
Congratulations
@kamogelomahlangu8933
Congratulations ntwana.
@eliroberts23
Wale is so underrated..deserves more recognition
@LamarKing215
No doubt
@yannick930
KingEvzy underrated buy who ? He got enough recognition already.
@montlee1990
yannick930 you can still be recognized and still be underrated.