Wale – Attention Deficit Review

Posted by Michael Melchor on 11.10.2009

A long-awaited debut full of creativity and mediocrity at the same time.

Let’s start at the end. No, really.

On the final track of Attention Deficit (“Prescription”), Wale says the following (quoted in part):

See, they say one has to know the past to last in the present...this is...my only truth, this is my rising up. You can ask Black Thought if I know my Roots. Shit, before you Quest my Love for this, just know we were playing Q-Tip in the queue before you knew Tip…So, when you ask me what I know about that, ironically, I’m asking you the same question, partner. I am Hip-Hop. Past, present, and future…I’m Wale

“I am Hip-Hop”? That’s an awfully bold claim already made by several rappers that have numerous albums under their belt, much less a debuting artist. Wale’s been around for some time, though, releasing several mixtapes before finally getting this chance to prove that claim. We’ll see if he comes through.



Attention Deficit certainly starts out strong. The 1-2 shot of “Triumph” and “Mama Told Me” is an excellent attention getter. Wale flows almost effortlessly over some tasty beats here. Off the bat, he puts over himself, DC, and the idea that he’s Hip-Hop’s savior (even going so far as to “apologize to Hip-Hop for taking so long to get on” on “Mama Told Me”).

The trend continues throughout the next few tracks. Even when the guest stars kick in (which, much as I lament that sort of thing, is just part of the game now), Wale holds his own instead of relying on others’ names (or superior talent, in the case of many other rappers) to carry the day. Others may depend on the rub to make themselves sound better, but on Attention Deficit, the guests are there to serve the proper purpose of enhancing the main attraction.

If the rest of the record kept this trend, Wale would have a strong case for being the embodiment of Hip-Hop, as he would like to claim. Unfortunately, the higher-ups at Interscope seem to have gotten involved, as the album degenerates from a creative tour-de-force to a by-the-numbers reading of the current state of the art. A variety of producers such as Mark Ronson, Cool & Dre, The Heptunes and DJ Green Lantern, among others, keep him propped upright for the most part, save for a few exceptions. Cool & Dre, in particular, stimulate on “World Tour”, but definitely stumble on the main single.

“Chillin’”, featuring Lady GaGa (yes, the same), leads the album off as the first proper single, and could have been much better. Lifting another hook from another, more popular song (in this case, “Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye" by Steam) and having a popular singer throw in a chorus that, while it has a nice melody, has nothing to do with the song itself reeks of the same old tricks to get the sheep to fall in line and buy the album.

Unfortunately, those “same old tricks” seem to plague the last half of the album, as much of it sounds neutered of the creativity and cartchiness that highlights the record’s first half. Pharrell Williams and The Neptunes’ contributions to “Let It Loose” is where things actually start to decline, as Pharrell’s falsetto and “hype” beat (which is old hat in 2009) bring down Wale’s style. Had it not been for that and many others sucking the life out of the last half out of Attention Deficit, this would have been a much stronger debut. Wale is a good enough emcee that he can overcome a lousy beat, but Interscope is so begging to have him as the next big Hip-Hop star that they’re actually hurting his chances.

Mark Ronson & Green Lantern give Wale room to run on “Beautiful Bliss” and Wale himself gives some credence to his claim on the aforementioned album closer, “Prescription” to make a great attempt to save the album, but by those last 2 tracks the damage is already done. Wale’s creativity shines throughout Attention Deficit, but the resulting sound frustratingly walks the line between run-of-the-mill, mainstream Hip-Hop and something refreshingly new.

The 411: Setting yourself up as the embodiment of Hip-Hop is setting yourself up for failure. That’s too much of a claim for any rapper to make, despite how much they like to brag or boast. That having been said, Wale comes out of the gate in a better position than most. Attention Deficit might falter with the “same-old-same-old” near the end, but it starts out strong and keeps at least the vibe intact throughout. If he keeps this pace and takes back some control from the puppet masters pulling his strings, he may live up to his claim in a few years’ time.

Final Score:  7.0   [ Good ]