Brightest Young Things

AMAZING photos by Dakota Fine
words by: Marcus Dowling

I’ve learned in covering music to never say never. However, I never thought I’d advocate hearing less of an artist whose voice I feel is important to a movement. This was the case until the “Words and Rhymes” Wale album release party at Ibiza Nightclub for his Attention: Deficit debut on November 11th. If unaware that DC area native Wale Folarin was releasing an album on November 10th, you clearly were living under a multitude of rocks, and were walking through the universe with blinders. The success of his debut will not just be a success for Wale as an artist apparently, but through his success, the entire DC Metropolitan area will have the access and ability to ascend to the realm of international superstardom because of the path he made. This story sounds wonderful until you have to regard and witness certain aspects of its execution.

The premise of the event was for Wale to present the songs of his first album in a VH1 Storytellers fashion whilst backed by touring band and local go go powerhouses UCB. The event was being taped for HBO, which opener WPGC DJ Alizay (who threw down thunder and lightning in an opening set that ran the gamut of classic 90s, New York hip hop to highlights of Wale’s mixtapes and album) constantly made the attendees aware of. If this was an idea posited by the label, artist or promoter, it was a failure. Unlike Kanye West, whose VH1 Storytellers in which he spoke extremely frankly about his life, his thoughts (“OJ Simpson is amazing!” “I wish sometimes that I could step back and watch myself perform!”) and his aspirations was a fantastic idea, Wale waxing poetic was not. Wale has one album, five mixtapes, two tours, and 30,000 albums likely sold as of press time. Kanye West, whose Storytellers this event was clearly mimicking? Four albums, production credits on some of the illest tracks in the history of hip hop, tens of millions of sold albums, a concert tour that featured a stage configuration that cost in the high seven figures and a history of being outspoken, having stood up to and spoken his mind with direct arrogance to Simian Mobile Disco, Taylor Swift, and former President George W. Bush. Linking Wale on any level to Kanye West is either a case of the label or promoter trying entirely too hard to create Wale as an earnest and gigantic superstar based on smoke and mirrors, or, Wale’s just surrounded by a cadre of sympathetic yes men who don‘t realize that such a presupposition this early in a man‘s career is futile and ignorant, doing more ultimate harm than good. Yes, he empties his soul for the universe on Twitter, but to do that live, in content not limited to 140 characters or less? Just not as entertaining. Less, as we’ll see, is always more.

Allowing the artist, who stated that he was “high as hell,” to have a microphone to perform his retinue of singles that his fans know, love and appreciate would have been gift enough. However, in not holding to that aim, this became not Wale’s finest night. Allowed to ramble, he was a fountain of ridiculous quotes, from stating “All the Africans you see workin’ at KFC, lookin’ crazy….that’s my family!,” to telling a five minute story about driving down to a Macy’s in midtown Manhattan in “Nike slippers, an old t-shirt and Solbiato sweatpants” to sneak up on and surprise vocalist Chrisette Michelle who was running late for a session to put the hook on fantastic album rap ballad “Shades,” he came off as self absorbed and arrogant than confident rhyme spitter. The winning tale was that of talking to N.E.R.D.’s Pharrell Williams on the phone and Pharrell “sounding like he was about to cry” when he didn’t get the track for album duet “Let it Loose” to Interscope Records on time. Wale, as an industry rookie came off more like a name dropping jerk than an industry veteran or prodigal talent on Pharrell’s level politely needling him when he made such a statement.

In the face of such bizarre behavior though, the live performances of Attention: Deficit’s tracks made the evening an overall success for the paltry number of fans in attendance. UCB’s lead singer Tre, as always, shone brightly, as the young man possesses a high falsetto not unlike Earth, Wind and Fire’s Philip Bailey, which allows him to vocally match everything from Chrisette Michelle’s throaty octaves to Pharrell’s falsetto, Jasmine Sullivan’s elegant tone on the hook of “Award Tour,” and Lady Gaga’s “Chillin’” hook as well. Wale, easily well acquainted with the material, performed more than admirably as well, the live representation of the album injecting into each track the liveliness and human personality that many, author included, felt was lacking on the album taking it from fantastic and ultimately defining look for the city to, well, another solid hip hop release of 2009.

In final, maybe this event was overkill. Wale appeared four separate times in one night. In Ibiza’s 30,000 square foot main room which was reconfigured for significantly less square footage, 300 people saw him. At Cmonwealth on The Block over at 18th and U, a capacity crowd filled the store. Same goes for his record signing at Downtown Locker Room at The Mall at Prince George‘s, and for a late night soiree at nightspot Josephine’s gold room. Maybe a sole concert event , not unlike this summer’s starmaking bash achieving all of the aims of the various events would have been best. Yes, we’re all proud of Wale on some level. He’s opened doors and achieved fantastic success. But in celebrating his success, a city that needs to stand firm, solid and together as one behind a man was turned into pockets of many. While this certainly on a corporate level makes Wale look like a jet-setting big deal with screaming crowds all over a city, to a local populace just wanting to rejoice in the local boy doing great, well, something lacked in execution. Wale’s a big time star now in a small time city. On this night, his maturation and development past DC showed, to a mixed result. His music has never sounded better. But as a man, he’s clearly changed. He’s a much larger deal now than we all ever imagined. Kudos, for good or bad, are due.

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Previously in Live DC:

• 5/24: LiveDC: The Adicts @ RNR Hotel
• 5/24: LiveDC: The Donkeys @ Black Cat
• 5/23: LiveDC: The Barr Brothers w/ Kishi Bashi @ The Hamilton
• 5/23: LiveDC: Damien Jurado @ Black Cat
• 5/23: Report: Soundbites 2012
• 5/22: LiveDC: Spirit Animal @ Red Palace
• 5/22: LiveDC: Astra Via @ Black Cat
• 5/22: LiveDC: Father John Misty @ Rock & Roll Hotel
• 5/22: LiveDC: Drive-By Truckers and Lucinda Williams @ Merriweather
• 5/22: Photos: Summer Camp takes the "Ladies of Town" Drag Show