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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World Tour
Wale Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Wale your man hustlin' in each and every ghetto with the mic in my hand
New York, VA, DC, get paid
We on a world tour Wale your man
Hustlin' in each and every gutta with the mic in my hand
London, Tokyo, we goin' take you all around the globe.
(Lets go, lets go)
(oh)
Momma ain't raise no fool, true
But me and my brother never made it out school
She prayed only passing out bar
It's way different ma you see em' passing out bars (lets go)
The definition of a jet setter I'm hip hop still living like a good fella'
Castle and crooks sweater and the queen never trip
She drive away faster than you rook' nigga.
Have you seen adiza with beaches that look like Eva
With D cups or a beach like an H-B-O feature at night
A quarter-pound of sand in my un-released Nike's
Amsterdam high, smoke it all by tonight
Nigga you ain't know about the life
When shit gets heavier than Norbert's wife
We still gotta spit some enormous rhymes
Niggas more than like, and more than likely
When you return home you ignored by the gorgeous wife
Cause she feels slighted and you don't want to fight with her
Cause you tired,
But now it's back to the lab
45 messages right after you land
Feet feel swollen you call for the zanex
And risking your life with the mic in your hand
Ya ya
We on a world tour Wale your man hustlin' in each
And every ghetto with the mic in my hand
New York (New York), VA (VA), DC (DC), get paid (hey)
We on a world tour Wale your man hustlin' in each
And every ghetto with the mic in my hand London (cheers), Tokyo (yeah),
We gon' take you all around the globe, sing to em' shorty.
See J did Scotland and everybody jocked him I did Scotland
And got no props for it
Naw that just fucked up my jay's
Which fucked up my day
Rock walley's on stage
Freeze on willy off, no hotel I'm back on the plane
While they was like go wale
I'm so way ahead of them
I'm unpaved I did justice to Justice one fre'
One thing that you niggas must acknowledge,
I beat beef like the pants on Scottish kilt
Is how it's dealt
I've been overruled more then than Neo Phelps.
It's harder when you by yourself my nigga Bun B good help,
My nigga Ron Fest never think about self cause we think about wealth
Like finch do melf on American Pie
It's hard to have American pride
When most of your money's made out of them lines
The other half is out of them lies
Want to make a nigga like oh fuck
Rewind so much that's it's on her,
Rewind so much that it's over paid em'
And they hate em'
But they wrong for it D.C. no hooges I'm on first
We on a world tour Wale your man hustlin' in each
And every ghetto with the mic in my hand
New York (New York), VA (VA), DC (DC), get paid (hey)
We on a world tour Wale your man hustlin' in each
And every ghetto with the mic in my hand London (London), Tokyo (Tokyo),
We gon' take you all around the globe, sing to em' shorty.
Throw it up, we give it, we give it hard
No half stepping baby this is who we are
Every word, every word coming from my heart
N-n-notes pumpin through my heart
Get wit' it, get wit' it
Let me see your hands if you feel this
We on a world tour ?
I need a hand in the air right now, yeah
We on a world tour Wale your man hustlin' in each
And every ghetto with the mic in my hand
New York (New York), VA (VA), DC (DC), get paid (hey)
We on a world tour Wale your man hustlin' in each
And every ghetto with the mic in my hand London, Tokyo,
We gon' take you all around the globe, sing to em' shorty.
In "World Tour," Wale proudly boasts his experience as a global traveler, having performed in multiple countries and regions around the world. The song starts off with the chorus where he announces the purpose of his travels, which is to perform in various ghettos around the world, including New York, VA, and DC, amongst others. He states that his mother didn't raise a fool, but he and his brother didn't make it out of school. However, his mother prayed for them, and Wale passed out bars, delivering brilliant rap verses. He highlights his status as a jet-setter and his love for hip-hop, even when he's on his globetrotting adventures. He mentions how royalty doesn't affect him, as he can wear a hoodie and still hang out with the queen, and she "drives faster" than most.
Wale goes on to describe exotic locations he's been to, including Adiza's beach, which he describes as having sand like an unreleased Nike shoe, in Amsterdam, where he smokes weed and enjoys life. He talks about how life can be crazy, especially when he returns home, and his gorgeous wife sometimes feels ignored. He admits he's tired from the hectic journey, but he still has to get back to the studio and deliver some "enormous rhymes." Traveling like a rockstar, Wale receives messages from everyone, and his swollen feet only get a break whenever he calls for a Zanex. The song ends with Wale rapping that he's been to Scotland and did justice to Justice, and he acknowledges those who support him, namely, Bun B and Ron Fest. As one of the best rappers, he also covers how difficult it is to be by oneself, but he does it for wealth and most of his money is from lies.
Line by Line Meaning
We on a world tour
Wale is touring worldwide.
Wale your man hustlin' in each and every ghetto with the mic in my hand
He is performing in every hood and showcasing his rap talent.
New York, VA, DC, get paid
He is getting paid to perform in cities like New York, Virginia and DC.
London, Tokyo, we goin' take you all around the globe.
He is exploring London, Tokyo and other cities across the globe while performing.
Momma ain't raise no fool, true
His mother didn't raise him to be foolish.
But me and my brother never made it out school
Wale and his brother didn't complete their schooling.
She prayed only passing out bar
His mother hoped that he only passes bars and nothing else in life.
It's way different ma you see em' passing out bars (lets go)
He is referring to his rapping skills, which is way different from passing bars in life.
The definition of a jet setter I'm hip hop still living like a good fella'
Wale is a jetsetter and a hip hop artist who is still living his life like a good fellow.
Castle and crooks sweater and the queen never trip
Wale wears a castle and crooks sweater, and the queen never trips over it.
She drive away faster than you rook' nigga.
Even Wale's royal car moves faster than a rookie.
Have you seen adiza with beaches that look like Eva
Wale is talking about Adiza, who has similar beaches like Eva.
With D cups or a beach like an H-B-O feature at night
The beaches he is referring to have amazing views, and are like an HBO feature at night.
A quarter-pound of sand in my un-released Nike's
Wale has a quarter-pound of sand in his unreleased Nikes.
Amsterdam high, smoke it all by tonight
He is high on Amsterdam and is planning to finish all his smoking tonight.
Nigga you ain't know about the life
People who haven't experienced this life don't know much about it.
When shit gets heavier than Norbert's wife
When things get tough and heavy, it's like Norbert's wife (heavy-set character in a movie).
We still gotta spit some enormous rhymes
Even in tough times, they still have to perform a great show.
Niggas more than like, and more than likely
People like his performance more than they dislike it.
When you return home you ignored by the gorgeous wife
After the tour, he is ignored by his beautiful wife.
Cause she feels slighted and you don't want to fight with her
His wife feels neglected, and he doesn't want to fight with her over this.
Cause you tired,
He is tired after the tour and doesn't want to argue with his wife.
But now it's back to the lab
After the tour, he goes back to his recording studio to make more music.
45 messages right after you land
He has 45 messages on his phone as soon as he lands from his tour.
Feet feel swollen you call for the zanex
His feet are swollen from the tour, so he calls for Zanex (a drug).
And risking your life with the mic in your hand
Performing live with the mic is always a risk and he is willing to face it.
See J did Scotland and everybody jocked him I did Scotland
His friend J performed in Scotland and got popular, but Wale didn't get the same response when he performed there.
And got no props for it
He wasn't appreciated for his performance in Scotland.
Naw that just fucked up my jay's
His ruined shoes after his Scotland performance upset him.
Which fucked up my day
Ruined shoes can even ruin a day.
Rock walley's on stage
Wale is wearing Walley shoes on stage.
Freeze on willy off, no hotel I'm back on the plane
His performance ended, he leaves the venue left without even checking into a hotel, and heads back to the airport to return home.
While they was like go wale
People were cheering for Wale.
I'm so way ahead of them
Wale is so far ahead of these people in life.
I'm unpaved I did justice to Justice one fre'
He is unpaved (real) and did justice to Justice with his freestyle.
One thing that you niggas must acknowledge
People have to acknowledge one thing about him.
I beat beef like the pants on Scottish kilt
Wale is saying that he can beat any beef or challenge that's thrown his way, like the Scottish kilt pants.
Is how it's dealt
He deals with beef in his own way.
I've been overruled more then than Neo Phelps.
He has been overruled more times than the legendary swimmer Michael Phelps.
It's harder when you by yourself my nigga Bun B good help,
It becomes harder when performing alone, but his friend Bun B is a great support for him.
My nigga Ron Fest never think about self cause we think about wealth
His friend Ron Fest is always thinking about wealth over himself.
Like finch do melf on American Pie
He is comparing his friend's craze for wealth to Finch's obsession with Melf on American Pie movies.
It's hard to have American pride
It's tough to feel American pride when most of his income comes from other sources.
When most of your money's made out of them lines
Most of his income is from rapping about these lines and themes.
The other half is out of them lies
The other half of his income comes from lies (fake news and promotions).
Want to make a nigga like oh fuck
He wants his audience to be amazed and appreciate his performances.
Rewind so much that's it's on her
People will listen to his songs and perform so many Rewinds that they will become an addiction.
Rewind so much that it's over paid em'
People will appreciate his performance so much that they will feel that he is underpaid.
And they hate em' but they wrong for it D.C. no hooges I'm on first
People may hate him, but they are wrong for it, and he is still the first choice in D.C.
Throw it up, we give it, we give it hard
He is putting everything he has into this performance.
No half stepping baby this is who we are
He is putting in his full effort and being true to himself.
Every word, every word coming from my heart
Every word he is putting out is true to his heart.
N-n-notes pumpin through my heart
His beats make his heart beats faster.
Get wit' it, get wit' it
Get with the program and enjoy his performance.
Let me see your hands if you feel this
He wants to see if the audience is feeling the performance.
I need a hand in the air right now, yeah
He wants the audience to put their hands up in the air.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: WELDON, JR. IRVINE, OLUBOWALE VICTOR AKINTIMEHIN, ANDRE LYON, MARCELLO VALENZANO, EDDY MONTILLA, KAMAAL IBN JONATHAN DAVIS FAREED, ALI SHAHEED JONES-MUHAMMAD, MALIK IZAAK TAYLOR, JAZMINE SULLIVAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind