Wale is a 24-year old rapper who rides for the "DMV" – DC, Maryland and Virginia – and who in turn enjoys support from the likes of Jay-Z, Pharrell, The Roots, and The Clipse. The son of Nigerian immigrants, Wale cut his teeth in the unforgiving Northwest district of DC and parlayed his watchful gaze into an open musical ear while earning football scholarships to Robert Morris College and later Virginia State University.   The multi-talented Wale made a go of higher education, but he knew where his heart lay; performing for, and ultimately winning over, increasingly larger audiences. Riding the regional groundswell, he dropped out of school in 2004 to pursue music fulltime.  Wale's viral contagiousness spread beyond the DMV with a series of mixtapes released in the last three years. He also appeared on The Roots' single "Rising Up" and a remix of Lily Allen's bubbly pop record, "Smile," which was the brainchild of producer and artist Mark Ronson. Ronson was so taken with Wale's posture that he signed him to his label, Allido Records, and later to a joint venture with Interscope, through which Wale's debut album drops in 2009.  His newest single "Nike Boots," and its remix featuring Lil' Wayne, continues the trail of seared cement in his wake. Having met every challenge, and exceeded every expectation, Wale is poised as hip-hop's next innovator. He's already amassed much early press (Rolling Stone, Entertainment Weekly, The Fader, MTV, allhiphop.com, VIBE and covers of XXL, URB and DNR) and his recent mixtapes, produced by Nick Catchdubs, have earned heaps of praise. For more information on Wale, please visit www.walemusic.com or www.myspace.com/wale. Home // GREY GOOSE PRESENTS: RISING ICONS // RISING ICONS // Wale