Throwback: Wale Interview

A07 – Talk about being the Ambassador of the Capitol.
Wale – I believe everybody’s the ambassador of something, ambassador just means I’m like the liason between mainstream hip-hop and DC hip-hop because a lot of people don’t really get to shine where I’m from and I’m like one of the first with a voice to exceed the DC area so I’m just trying to bridge the gap a lil’ bit.

A07 – When you realized music is wanted to do, what made you go for it?
Wale – It’s one of those things that just found me. I mean I was doing it so much and the game keep going, it’s like I have no other options this is what I love.

A07 – Talk about making XXL Top 10 Freshmen.
Wale – It wasn’t really nothin to me. I was definitely excited and happy for XXL giving me that accolade, but I don’t really get caught up in believing my own hype. That way you protect yourself because the same people that praise you are the same people that knock you down. I probably signed about 100 autographs today. 20 out of those 100 will probably say somethin bad about me within the next 3-4 hours so you don’t really take it in like that. I learned from this game, that where there’s love, there’s hate and sometimes it comes from the same person.

A07 – If you could change anything about Hip-Hop, what would it be?
Wale – I just wish people would take more time with their product and not rush it so much and flood the airwaves with stuff that they didn’t take their time with. My album is a body of work that I really took my time with on every song. I can do a song in like 20 minutes but on my album I spent about a week and a half to two weeks on each song because it’s all telling a story.

A07 – Tell us about U.C.B.
Wale – They all from DC. They’re the youngest of the traditional “Go-Go” sound that’s why I decided to tour with them. We’ve been friends for a long time and I’ve been playing with them for about four and a half years now.

A07 – We heard you have a decent shoe collection. How many pairs of kicks do you own?
Wale – Somewhere between 250-300 pairs of shoes depending on who’s been in my house.

A07 – Any females in the game you feelin?
Wale – Man, I’m a around-the-way kind of guy, but I like Paula Cambell from Baltimore.

A07 – Okay, Twitter?
Wale – Man, that’s like a wave of the future. I think it’s important to connect with the people and give them a little piece of you. You have to work a little harder now because the attention span of the listener isn’t what it use to be, let’s say, in ‘94. It’s good to have an extra connection with fans and not just talk about music all the time; I consider what I’m doing more of a brand than a record. Day-n-Night(Kid Cudi), I Love College(Asher Roth), and Brooklyn Girls(Charles Hamilton) are all bigger than “Chillin”, and these are all guys I came up in the game with, but I’m probably one of the only ones that can do a hour show and that’s what I feel makes my thing unqiue. It’s more of a lifestyle than just a record that’s why I give myself more to the people then a lot of other artist.

A07 – So is “Back to the Feature” droppin Tuesday?
Wale – That’s coming soon. I mean I just got a house that I’ve had for 2 months and I’ve only slept in it twice. I don’t even have food in my refigerator. One might ask what does that have to do with it, but I haven’t even been able to gather myself and that tape been at 80% for a long time. I’ve still got to put the final touches on it. Then you on tour and the road everyday so I haven’t even seen a studio in I don’t know how long. It’s just one of those things I have to hold until it’s right for the people because they desrve that.

A07 – How’s Touring?
Wale – It’s expensive. I can tell you I aint making no money from any of these shows. But this is what it’s about you know, these shows, connecting with the people, signing autographs, and hopefully not getting swine flu from shaking all these hands.

A07 – Bulls or Celtics?
Wale – I want the Bulls to win but I think Boston got it.

A07 – We’ll see, anything else?
Wale – Shoutouts to A07. We came, we here, we saw, we conquered…..We Next!