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5 O’Clock Shuffle: Gucci Mane, Beanie Sigel, The Flaming Lips, Wale & More

ebaker — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 22:00:00 +0000

Left To Right: Gucci Mane, Beanie Sigel, The Flaming Lips, Wale, Slum Village

Each day Complex scours the music blogs for 5 fresh songs that you should listen to in our 5 O’Clock Shuffle post. Instead of going crazy trying to keep up with your RSS feeds everyday, just head over to Complex.com to stay up-to-date on important leaks and releases.

The week continues to roll on and we continue to hold down the new music fort at the same time everyday. Today you’ll find selections from artists as distinct as Gucci Mane and The Flaming Lips, but pretty much everything on the playlist is respectable. Hit the jump for songs from those guys as well as a few others. The MP3 streams and download links are waiting for you…

SONG: “My Own Worst Enemy”
ARTIST: Gucci Mane
DOWNLOAD: [LINK]
• Gucci addresses the ongoing conflict between him and Jeezy, but it’s less of a diss song and more of a glance at the details of the situation. Of course, you can download the track at the link above, but be sure to check out the exclusive Miss Info interview too.

SONG: “Bac Ya Boyz Down”
ARTIST: Freeway f/ Beanie Sigel & Jakk Frost
DOWNLOAD: [LINK]
• Beanie’s chances of collaborating with Hov in the future are slim, but other (former) Roc members aren’t off limits. Here the Broad Street Bully links with Free for a cut off the Best Of Both Beards mixtape.

SONG: “Watching The Planets”
ARTIST: The Flaming Lips f/ Karen O
DOWNLOAD: [LINK]
• We’ve been rocking with this track for a minute, but it’s everywhere now thanks to just-released, controversial music video. You can watch it here, but understand that it’s very NSFW and it’s not just girls running around naked either. We warned you.

SONG: “Center Of Attention”
ARTIST: Wale
DOWNLOAD: [LINK]
• Wale’s debut, Attention Deficit, dropped this week and it’ll be interesting to see if the positive response from the Twitterati translates to real sales. This iTunes bonus song offers some insightful commentary on our celebrity-driven culture and it doesn’t sound half-bad either.

SONG: “Dope Man”
ARTIST: Slum Village
DOWNLOAD: [LINK]
• Slum Village fans are in for a treat. The Villa Manifesto Digital EP and a full-length album of the same name are on the way. This is the first release from the set of projects.

Visit Complex.com every day at 5 PM for your daily “5 O’Clock Shuffle“ playlist.

5 O’Clock Shuffle: Wale, Rihanna, Yeasayer, Raekwon & More

ebaker — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 21:57:01 +0000

Left To Right: Wale, Lil’ Wayne, Rihanna, Yeasayer, Raekwon

If you haven’t noticed, the music blogs were slow today, but we’ve pulled together five noteworthy records from the weekend that you probably missed out on while you were trick-or-treating. There’s an album cut from Wale, Rihanna’s second single, a bonus track from Wayne’s new mixtape, and more to look forward to. Hit the jump to start listening…

SONG: “90210″
ARTIST: Wale
DOWNLOAD: [LINK]
• Poor Wale. His debut album leaked over the weekend. The good news is that he’s proven himself as more than a prematurely hyped rapper because there are some great songs on the LP. This Mark Ronson-produced cautionary tale for fame-obsessed young women is one of them.

SONG: “Single”
ARTIST: Lil’ Wayne
DOWNLOAD: [LINK]
• For those of you who downloaded the leaked No Ceilings and passed on the official version, you’re not missing out on anything, except for this low key gem. Add it to your copy of the tape if you haven’t already.

SONG: “Wait Your Turn”
ARTIST: Rihanna
DOWNLOAD: [LINK]
• We weren’t really feeling RiRi’s first single, but as we predicted, the second record off Rated R is way nicer.

SONG: “Ambling Alp”
ARTIST: Yeasayer
DOWNLOAD: [LINK]
• Rap leaks always outpace those of other genres, so it’s essential to grab the dope alternative joints when they come around. This 80s-influenced jam from Brooklyn boys Yeasayer will help diversify your playlists.

SONG: “Stay Off The Fuckin’ Flowers”
ARTIST: Blakroc f/ Raekwon
DOWNLOAD: [LINK]
• We introduced you to Dame Dash and The Black Keys’ rock-infused side project a while ago. The latest track to leak from the album is on point, just like the last one.

Visit Complex.com every day at 5 PM for your daily “5 O’Clock Shuffle“ playlist.

5 O’Clock Shuffle: Asher Roth, Mario, Dances With White Girls & More

ebaker — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 21:16:27 +0000

Left To Right: Asher Roth, Mario, Dances With White Girls, Wale, Papoose

Congratulations. You made it through another week. Having five new songs to download every day makes it a little easier, doesn’t it? The blogs were a little quiet today, but we still came through with a handful of records worth checking out. You know the drill. Keep reading to start listening…

SONG: “How Many Bars”
ARTIST: Asher Roth & Boyder
DOWNLOAD: [LINK]
• The college-loving rapper and one of his homies trade flows on this Don Cannon produced track. Look out for it on the upcoming Greenhouse Effect 2.

SONG: “Before She Said Hi”
ARTIST: Mario f/ Big Sean
DOWNLOAD: [LINK]
• Mario and Gucci Mane scored big with the singer’s fist single, “Break Up.” Now he’s reaching out to G.O.O.D. Music’s Big Sean in hopes of duplicating that success with his next single. Sounds like it could happen. We’ll see.

SONG: “And How We Live”
ARTIST: Dances With White Girls
DOWNLOAD: [LINK]
• Dude caught our attention with the awesome name, but the music is pretty decent too. Maybe not headphone material, but we wouldn’t mind hearing this while out raging.

SONG: “Fly Away”
ARTIST: Wale
DOWNLOAD: [LINK]
• Mr. Folarin keeps it coming with the Attention Deficit leftovers. If this is a throwaway, then the album must have some real heat.

SONG: “Paid A Grip”
ARTIST: Papoose
DOWNLOAD: [LINK]
•It’s a shame that Pap never really did anything with himself, but every once in a while he spits a line that reminds us why he ever had a buzz in the first place. There’s a few of those on this new track.

Visit Complex.com every day at 5 PM for your daily “5 O’Clock Shuffle“ playlist.

5 O’Clock Shuffle: Usher, Vampire Weekend, Wale, Justin Bieber & More

ebaker — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 21:00:46 +0000

Left To Right: Usher, Vampire Weekend, Wale, Justin Bieber, Pure Ecstasy

Lots of notable songs have surfaced in the last day or so. Whether it’s artists as vastly different as Usher and Vampire Weekend releasing singles for their anticipated next albums or guys like Wale and Justin Bieber simply dropping more music to keep their buzz going, we have it all covered. Listen and download music from these artists and more after the jump to get your playlists up-to-date…

SONG: “Papers”
ARTIST: Usher
DOWNLOAD: [LINK]
• Usher’s first singles are usually a big deal, but after being out for a day, this one is getting pretty mixed reviews. In an obvious attempt to recapture the success of Confessions, he’s airing out his dirty laundry again, this time about his messy divorce. Whether you like the song or not, it’s worth a listen if you haven’t checked it out yet.

SONG: “Horchata”
ARTIST: Vampire Weekend
DOWNLOAD: [LINK]
• Almost two years ago, indie rock bloggers and critics turned these guys into stars overnight. Now they’re back, with a slightly evolved sound but nothing too left-field. VW’s meteoric rise has led to a number of divisive opinions, so for every music snob that tries too hard to find something wrong with this record, there will be plenty more that love everything about it.

SONG: “Bittersweet Life”
ARTIST: Wale f/ Colin Monroe
DOWNLOAD: [LINK]
• Surprisingly, rappers haven’t raped this The Verve sample since “Bittersweet Symphony” came out a decade or so ago. Because of that, Wale still sounds fresh over this old DJ Toomp beat. It’s still not fucking with the original’s classic placement in Cruel Intentions though. No shots.

SONG: “One Less Lonely Girl”
ARTIST: Justin Bieber
DOWNLOAD: [LINK]
• You might not know much about this 15 year-old Canadian singer (although we’re sure you’ve heard his hit “One Time”), but millions of teenage girls do. We don’t keep bubblegum pop in constant rotation over here, but we respect the kid’s grind. Here’s his second single. Email it to your little sister or something.

SONG: “Easy”
ARTIST: Pure Ecstasy
DOWNLOAD: [LINK]
• It seems like reverbed guitars and fuzzy, high-pitched vocals are more or less becoming a formula in modern rock music, but only a select few can do it properly. This band belongs in that small group. Don’t miss out.

Visit Complex.com every day at 5 PM for your daily “5 O’Clock Shuffle“ playlist.

Wale Talks MTV VMA Gig, Jay-Z Tour, and New Single

intern — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 16:33:14 +0000

Now that the smoke has (mostly) cleared from the Kanye and Lil Mama embarrassments at the VMAs, maybe it’s time to talk about the positives from the evening. After a fairly quiet summer, Wale jumped back in the spotlight as the house performer at the MTV awards show. A few days later, he was named as the opening act for Jay-Z’s upcoming Blueprint 3 tour. With the recent release of his second official single (“World Tour,” featuring Jazmine Sullivan), it’s already been a great September for the D.C. native.

As he preps for the Hova tour and readies his debut album (Attention Deficit, due November 3), Wale’s busier than ever…but not too busy to chat with Complex about his MTV gig, his live band, and touring with Jay. Read on for the interview and to listen to “World Tour”…

NEW SINGLE: Wale “World Tour” feat. Jazmine Sullivan

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD

Interview by Ralph Warner

Complex: So how was the VMA experience for you?

Wale: It was cool, with the exception of some things that weren’t in the script. But it was a good experience, it was a lot of pressure but I think we did a pretty good job.

Complex: How did you end up getting the MTV gig?

Wale: They just had a couple people that they were looking at, a couple different bands and stuff, but they liked what I do. They had been to the live shows and they were really excited about [them]. So they wanted to kind of put that into the VMAs.

Complex: How much time did you get to rehearse?

Wale: I’ve been playing with that band for years but we had like three days to rehearse.

Complex: You had guys like Cudi and Daniel Merriweather come share the stage with you. How did you decide on your special guests?

Wale: Me and MTV kind of decided together. It was one of those things where we put our heads together, came up with a list of people, and just picked.

Complex: What’s your opinion on the whole Kanye thing?

Wale: I don’t even have one on that. I really can’t speak on that.

Complex: Any good post-VMA party stories?

Wale: Nah, I just chilled with a friend of mine. We just went to a lot of different places—like real low-key places where nobody was, that type of thing. Me and A-Trak and a few friends went out and chilled.

Complex: How’s everything coming along with the album? Is Attention Deficit complete?

Wale: The album is done man, dropping November 3. I’m excited about it, we got this tour with Jay-Z and Lupe that we’re about to do. I think the energy is good in hip-hop right now. So I’m excited about that.

Complex: What’s one thing that you think your fans can look forward to on the album?

Wale: I think a lot of raw emotion, the kind of emotion that’s been missing from hip-hop for a while.

Complex: Going back to the idea with the whole house band and everything, the Roots are Jimmy Fallon’s house band. Could you ever see yourself doing that type of thing as a regular gig?

Wale: Yeah, somewhere down the line. I think those guys are a lot more sharp than we are, in some elements. But I definitely could see myself doing something like that. I don’t know if I would do it as much as they do it, but at some point, yeah.

Complex: Can you talk about your working relationship with your band UCB?

Wale: Well we’ve been playing with each other for about five-and-a-half years. Before I even signed a record deal we would just do little hole-in-the-wall stuff. But they’ve been playing for 13 years in D.C. so we jam real cool, we’re all just good friends, you know. So it wasn’t difficult at all, that was something that we could do in our sleep. We’ve done so many shows together now in the past year. That’s not even counting the ones that we started doing five-and-a-half years ago. It just got real intense this past year though.

Complex: What do you think your performances at the VMAs does for your career?

Wale: I really don’t know, I’m really too close to my brand to know what the general perception is. I hope it’s doing something for me but I really couldn’t tell you.

Complex: What are you up to between now and the time the album drops?

Wale: The tour with Jay, we’re doing a lot of major colleges. Just get ready for the album on November 3. It’s just the tour, that’s a lot right there. There’s so many dates.

Complex: What are your thoughts on getting an opportunity to go out there with Jay?

Wale: It’s great, I’m excited about it. I’m just really excited to make new fans on the tour because I’ve only done headlining tours. We haven’t had the opportunity to open for people that much. I also got a single right now, “World Tour,” that’s just been released like two days ago. That’s pretty much it, that and the tour.

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5 O’Clock Shuffle: Drake, Little Dragon, Cormega & More

ebaker — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 21:18:36 +0000

Left To Right: Wiz Khalifa, Drake, Wale, Little Dragon, Cormega

We’re sending you off into the holiday weekend with another fresh crop of new music. Songs from a few new rappers, one old rapper, and a foreign favorite are just a click away. Start listening and downloading below. Now you won’t embarrass yourself when it’s time to play DJ at that BBQ on Monday. Don’t say we never did anything for you.

SONG: “B.A.R. (Burn After Rolling)”
ARTIST: Wiz Khalifa
DOWNLOAD: [LINK]
• Here’s the title track from the Pittsburgh representative’s next mixtape. Dude has been proving himself for a while now and this record continues the trend. Surely he’ll get the proper recognition soon enough.

SONG: “Fear (Snippet)”
ARTIST: Drake
DOWNLOAD: [LINK]
• This is the only new song on the upcoming retail release of So Far Gone. Serving as a transition to his debut album, the last line of the third verse will be the first line on Thank Me Later. Too bad all we have is this snippet for now.

SONG: “Ice And Rain”
ARTIST: Wale
DOWNLOAD: [LINK]
• You won’t find this leftover on Attention Deficit, but it’s a solid track regardless. Give it a listen if you can stomach three verses of depressing narratives.

SONG: “Feather”
ARTIST: Little Dragon
DOWNLOAD: [LINK]
• Any self-respecting music snob knows that all the new hot shit is coming out of Gothenburg, Sweden. If you didn’t know, that’s cool. Just toss toss this song, the first single from Machine Dreams, on a playlist and impress your hipster friends in no time.

SONG: “What Did I Do”
ARTIST: Cormega
DOWNLOAD: [LINK]
• This is worth checking out just because the rap veteran is kind of spitting on here, but truthfully, we’re expecting a lot more from Born And Raised when it drops next month. You’ve been chilling for like eight years, homie!

Visit Complex.com every day at 5 PM for your daily “5 O’Clock Shuffle“ playlist.

My Sneaker Essentials: Wale

intern — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 21:01:58 +0000

Photo By Neil MacLean

Complex has been blessing you with our in-depth sneaker knowledge for years now, but you know what? It isn’t all about what we think. The best part about sneaker collecting is that everyone has their own unique favorites, regardless of what the “experts” say. It’s with this in mind that we present our new column My Sneaker Essentials.

Ever wonder what your favorite celebrity sneakerhead’s top 5 kicks of all-time are? For the inaugural edition of MSE, we got down with DC’s own Wale, who might just be the biggest sneaker fiend from the new generation of rappers. While touring in support of his upcoming debut Attention: Deficit, Mr. Never-Wear-The-Same-Thing took some time out to talk about his classic kicks, why he can’t fuck with Jordan 3s, and why Deion Sanders is the man…

TIM DUNCAN FOAMPOSITE MAX

WALE: “The Tim Duncan silver joints is up there for me. When they first came out, a $180 sneaker was unheard of back then. I worked my ass off, stole money, did everything I could do to go out and get those and I was in middle school when they came out. When I say anything, I mean it. I was cutting grass and all this shit.”

PENNY FOAMPOSITE 1′S

WALE: “I think those were $200! The clear bottom, man. I remember watching the Arizona Wildcats play and Mike Bibby had them on in the final four and everybody was like, ‘What the hell are those?!’ It was so next level, you know what I’m saying? It felt like the future was now starting. It was like the Jetsons era as if it was the first step to flying cars. I really felt that way, so those definitely have to be on the list!”

AIR JORDAN 11 CONCORD

WALE: “They’re just the cleanest-looking shoe of all time. Clean! That was the first time when I was like, aight man, all the Jordans that are out…man I just want to look like Michael Jordan. I just want to look like Michael Jackson, Michael Jordan, I want to be the cleanest person in the world! Yeah the 11’s, there was something about them. Mike didn’t even sell nobody on those. It was like just looking at a shoe and knowing you have to have it. I have to bump the Jordan 3’s off the list because when they did the whole retro thing and certain artists started wearing them, I was like ‘Oh, never mind. I just can’t bang with these joints no more man!’ [Laughs.]“

TIFFANY & HEINEKEN SB DUNK (TIE)

WALE: I’m not really big on SBs no more because I just haven’t been satisfied with how they’ve been looking. The last really good SB was probably the Mork and Mindy or the Hawaii joints. Even the Freddy Krueger joints were dope but they never came out with them. Heinekens are great but the Tiffanys, man! I remember they came out and I was working. Those were definitely a camp-out shoe, but I wasn’t about to camp out. I never really did that, I just paid someone an extra hundred to have someone just sit there. Those [The Tiffanys] were like the uber-camp-out shoes. Like I said, I was working that day and I didn’t get them. I’ll never forget my man Dan came into work wearing them joints and I was like, ‘Man…I hate you right now.’ [Laughs.] You know what I’m saying? Because that was the last real dunk for SB that was next-level amazing. They tried to do a bunch of other things with dunks, but I was never really impressed with them.”

DEION SANDERS DIAMOND TURF 2

WALE:Everyone knows this is my favorite shoe. I was such the OD Deion Sanders fan. I used to play like him, I used to wear my face mask like him. I used to do the dance at practice and at the games and I remember seeing the commercial where they were like, ‘Get this shoe! Its Deion Sanders’ shoe!’ And they would show him like dancing, it was around Christmas time. Those were the best ones. They not even be the best looking, but what they represent to me is priceless. The red ones, if I could find them right now, I would pay anything for them. I’d give somebody a car, definitely. Small car, though.”

When Rappers Attack: 10 Memorable Fan Beatdowns

intern — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 21:38:25 +0000

Last weekend, Wale caused a bit of a ruckus when he got into a physical confrontation with a fan at the Sneaker Pimps concert in NYC. Something like a “I’m Olubowale Folarin, bitch!” moment, if you will. Video footage finally surfaced yesterday, and we can’t say that we were too surprised by the whole ordeal.

Rappers have been smacking up fans for decades now, but the advent of Flipcam and camera-phone technology has guaranteed that each of these precious moments is captured on ~~film~~ micro hard drive. Keep on reading to watch our 10 Most Memorable Fan Beatdowns…

50 CENT
YEAR: 2006
• Watch this fan bust out a move from The Matrix before Curtis pushes him off stage.

GUCCI MANE
YEAR: 2005
• Hoes always jock Gucci and apparently some of them get punched in the grill too…yet everyone still loves him. Chris Brown needs to have a sit-down with this dude.

SNOOP DOGG
YEAR: 2006
• This fan (who eventually sued Snoop for $22 million) must have had a little too much gin and juice when he hopped on stage. He should have sued the swarm of goons that put him out of commission.

PITBULL
YEAR: 2009
• Most concert altercations result in some type of interruption, but after Pitbull clocks this fan he keeps rapping like it never happened. Gully.

JOAQUIN PHOENIX
YEAR: 2009
• We’re just going to go with the whole “Joaquin is a rapper now” thing. He certainly acted like one when he jumped into the crowd to confront a heckler at this Miami concert.

DIP SET
YEAR: 2003
• Like true bosses, Killa and Capo never got their hands dirty during this Philly brawl, although they came close. And like a true rider, Freekey Zeekey winds up in the middle of it all.

AKON
YEAR: 2007
• More of a singer than rapper, Akon has enough hip-hop cred to belong here. Plus, hurling an unsuspecting teenager off stage is awesome no matter what type of music you make.

MAINO
YEAR: 2008
• Yeah, the Brooklyn rapper said “hi” to this hater in his own special way. We’re just wondering who he’s going to smack when those first-week numbers come in.

AXL ROSE
YEAR: 1991
• The Guns N’ Roses frontman might be a rocker, but Lil’ Wayne claims to be one too and hip-hoppers still show him love. Besides, Axl was fucking up fans long before your favorite rapper was.

Pharrell
YEAR: 2008
• One minute you’re shaking hands with your idol and the next minute he’s pushing you off stage. You ain’t heard that he swallow guys?

Spain Gets A Nod For Its Hottest Women

donniek — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 22:36:18 +0000

Instead of our usual 9, we hit ya’ll with 10 shots of Spain’s hottest women! [LINK]

We had the Internet going nuts and people catching feelings when we unveiled 69 of rap’s most PAUSE worthy moments. [LINK]

Just imagine Lil’ Wayne starring in some of your favorite TV shows. Hilarious! [LINK]

Besides Jesus check out 7 other religious figures that can shut down Kobe Bryant. [LINK]

Read about Wale’s iffy relationship with the media (Complex included), Charles Hamilton and celebrity women. [LINK]

Former Playmate Kendra Wilkinson’s two’s can stop a baby from crying. [LINK]

AND FROM THE COMPLEX NETWORK:
Bastardly: Peep Bar Refaeli’s GQ Italy spread of her swinging. [LINK]

On Smash: Juelz Santana’s “Days Of Our Lives” video. [LINK]

SlamXHype: Comme des Garcons PLAY spring/summer 2009 collection. [LINK]

Nah Right: Video for Kid Cudi’s “Heaven At Nite” is finally out. [LINK]

Das Gamer: Peep these two-riffic booth babes at E3 in LA. [LINK]

KarmaloopTV: B.o.B (AKA Bobby Ray) talks about his new video. [LINK]

Nice Kicks: Who rocked the latest Air Yeezy’s better? Kanye or Fabolous? [LINK]

Sneaker News: Gourmet il Tre in dark rose and cool gray—summer fresh. [LINK]

Wale Talks Media Hate, Charles Hamilton & Celebrity Women

Joe — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 16:51:49 +0000

In the rat-race that is rap’s “freshman class,” it’s safe to say Wale finds himself toward the middle of the pack. But this is a marathon, people—not a race. Wale’s current buzz may not be as big as say, Drake’s, but after spending the last few months performing to sold-out venues and getting the music biz’s new It-Girl Lady Gaga on his first single “Chillin” (the video debuted today), Wale’s on course for a hot summer. His Back To The Feature mixtape should be out this month and he’s targeting a late-summer release for his debut, Attention Deficit.

The DC native is in NYC for his show tomorrow night at M2, so he stopped by Complex to talk about Charles Hamilton, celebrities, and his attitude toward interviews. Oh, and if you thought he forgot about the slight jokey-jab we threw at him in our controversial rap-retail post a few months back…well, he didn’t…

Interview by Ernest Baker

Complex: You really came out of left field with the Lady Gaga feature on the first single. Is there anything else particularly unusual about the album that will immediately surprise people the way “Chillin” did?

Wale: Nah, that’s as left as it goes, but that’s the beauty of it. That’s as left as I can take it. So we bring everybody back in now. That’s just to get the net as wide as possible to bring everybody into my world. She’s pretty much the key. My music is the lock. She opens it so everybody can come, all of her fans can come see what has been going on in the underground scene for so long and what people have respected me for. And I think the underground fans understand what I’m doing.

Complex: You don’t think you’ll lose underground fans or confuse the mainstream by trying to reach both markets without compromise?

Wale: That’s what the underground circuit is for. That’s what Back To The Feature is for. That’s what my next single is for. That’s what the album is for. The underground fans that say they might be gone, they’re gonna be inclined to listen to the album and go, “Okay, I get it now.” It’s the Attention Deficit. Wake up. Let me do something crazy to make everybody be like, “What are you doing?” I could have easily got T-Pain or anybody like that, but let me just get somebody very left. That’ll wake them up. Gaga. She’s never done a rap record before. Pay attention. It’s a method to my madness.

Complex: Well, people are paying attention. GQ just called you the “greatest rapper since Jay-Z.” Of course that’s going to spark debate, but personally, do you feel like you’re the best rapper since Jay-Z?

Wale: Everybody should feel like that. I’m sure Complex might not. I mean, I’ve heard things about myself. Complex stating that I was, what’d they call me? Burlington Coat Factory or something like that. They compared me to Burlington Coat Factory. So it’s just a matter of extremes. I think that was a bit extreme. So I guess GQ just went in the other direction. I guess it’s what publications do. Write things that are just kind of outlandish. I don’t compare myself to Jay or anybody like that. I just try to make the best music I can possibly make. But GQ is one of the only publications that’s heard a lot of the records on the album, so that might be telling about what the album is gonna present, in a sense.

Complex: Speaking of comparisons, who from the freshman class of rap, besides yourself, do you think will achieve the most success?

Wale: I mean, everybody. I’m just so happy and proud of everybody and what everybody’s doing. From Curren$y doing decent numbers with the independent, digital release; from Asher selling 1.1 million-plus on iTunes with the single and almost at 200,000 [albums sold] now; Cudi got almost 4,000 BDS’s a week; Mickey Factz doing the Rock The Bells tour; Blu signed a deal shortly after; Ace Hood had two very successful singles, another album getting ready to drop. Everybody’s doing their thing, man. It wouldn’t be fair for me to take one out the batch. I think everybody’s been doing a very good job and I think XXL did a good job of picking people out.

Complex: You left out one guy in particular.

Wale: Who is that?

Complex: Charles Hamilton. I don’t know if the beef is real or fake, but can you clear the record and let us know what your situation with Charles Hamilton really is?

Wale: Charles is on the label. He’s an Interscope artist and he’s doing his thing. I don’t really speak to him. So I can’t really tell you. The “Brooklyn Girls” record did pretty good and The Pink Lavalamp mixtape got some good reviews. So he’s doing his thing and I’m sure that he’s gonna have a good year as well. I just wasn’t following his moves that much.

Complex: What got you to the point of calling him out at shows? It seems like something specific must have triggered that.

Wale: One thing about me, I understand that in the industry, a lot of it isn’t real. Which is a difficult thing. Where I come from a lot of people are straightforward and I’ve had to learn how to not say exactly what I feel. Sometimes it gets frustrating being a person who says what he feels and what his heart is telling him. Every once in a while I fall into letting the industry get the best of me and not just saying exactly what I feel. Sometimes I’m just a little bit too honest. There was some things that were going on behind the scenes that I didn’t like because it’s not what hip-hop is about. Hip-hop is about honesty and it’s about being real to the people, and I kinda felt like there’s some instances where some artists aren’t 100% honest with the people. Their integrity is lacking sometimes. And sometimes it comes out. Initially, I felt like my duty was to just keep it positive and be positive and sometimes I crack in that. We’re human. I’m imperfect at times and that was just me being imperfect at that one point. Charles is Charles. Wale is Wale. It’s two separate entities that have nothing to do with each other and probably will never have anything to do with each other and I wish him the best.

Complex: Drake has Wayne. Cudi has Kanye. You come out of nowhere backed by Mark Ronson, who’s been unsuccessful with rap artists in the past. Is there any worry there?

Wale: That’s like saying Drake is worried over some people on Young Money. Wayne’s had artists for years that haven’t had the opportunity to showcase their talent yet. As well as Kanye. It’s guys that’s been there since “Jesus Walks” that haven’t the opportunity to showcase their abilities yet. Mark is not necessarily a prominent figure in the States and I don’t work as closely with Mark as those other two dudes do. I’m fighting alone. My team is Rich Kleinman and guys that help me with my business. I don’t have that Kanye or Wayne factor. It’s just Wale fighting on his own. He got his business people with him and he’s standing in the gauntlet by himself. That’s how I look at it. Mark is Mark Ronson. Mark is in Russia now or whatever. I haven’t seen Mark in a minute. We did our two songs for the album and that was it. It’s different.

Complex: Well, I’ve heard you say that you like being the underdog, so even when people have reasons to doubt you, does being confident in your music make you feel better about how everything is going to work out?

Wale: Maybe they just like me because they like me, and they don’t like me because they feel like they have to like me because they like this person or that person. I’m just trying to make the best music I can possibly make and represent the new class or whatever. Myself and Cudi and Asher and B.o.B. That’s all I can do at this point.

Complex: Being so focused on making the best music possible, how does it feel when a publication like XXL tells you to Step Your Rap Game Up?

Wale: What line was that again? A lot?

Complex: Yeah: “You say you got a lot of whips/Well I got a lot” from “Chillin.”

Wale: It was a double entendre. I’m sure everybody can think of 30 lines that was not, you know what I’m saying? It was a double entendre. Whatever. The same sword they knight you with they can goodnight you with.

Complex: How heavy does them calling you out weigh on you?

Wale: You never wanna see yourself there. Like, ever. I’d rather go to jail than see myself on Step Your Rap Game up because I take a lot of time with my stuff. The funny thing is, a lot of people have told me, “Yo, since when is a double entendre, like…come on, that was reaching.” But like I said, you gotta understand that the same sword they knight you with they can goodnight you with. That’s what it is, but I don’t ever wanna see myself there again.

Complex: Have you become more immune to criticism?

Wale: I’ve read three or four things about myself in Complex that was like, I just left the photo shoot with y’all and I didn’t even wanna wear what y’all made me wear but I did it because I mess with y’all, I like Complex, and I appreciate y’all taste. Then to read something like, Wale’s played out and hipster this, it confuses me because I come from a world where if somebody has a problem with you they’ll tell you. They won’t put you in a photo shoot and have you do this, that, and the third and then two months later say that you’re played out. Like, you just anointed me something, at least let my album come out. I’m learning as I go. It messes with my head a little. I get confused but I can’t sit around and be mad at the whole Complex magazine or whatever. It’s a publication. They’re just doing their job.

Complex: You like sports too. You actually have a bet with Jim Jones and he picked the Lakers to win it all. Will you clean out his studio if Kobe gets another ring?

Wale: We have to figure that out. We’re gonna see what happens, man. Orlando and L.A. I mean, it looks like an easy little sweep for L.A., but you never know. They almost lost to the Houston Rockets, so we’ll see what happens. A bet is a bet, man. If Jim wins the bet then Jim wins the bet. I’m a man of my word.

Complex: You know, we were talking about Charles Hamilton earlier. He has his Rihanna thing. Do you have that type of obsession with any female celebrities?

Wale: I don’t obsess over no woman. They come and go. I think to obsess over a woman is to be weak. Weaker. You gotta be headstrong. To obsess over a woman, it’s like you can never give your all. What if you don’t get the woman that you obsess over? That means you’re settling. You can’t obsess over no mortal.

Complex: If you’re not obsessed with anyone, is there a celebrity who you’re at least feeling?

Wale: They’re cool, but I’m not really caught up with celebrity women. I’ve played the background for three years now. I’ve been out with Lindsay. I’ve been out with Jay-Z. I’ve been places with Rihanna and Kanye. I see what goes around. It’s just a different world. And I think being from DC, where we don’t really even believe in celebrities like that, it sets you up for that. It doesn’t phase me. I think a regular girl that goes to school or works at a Complex or Spin or Blender or whatever, one of those magazines. She’d probably be flyer to me than the person she’s writing about.

Complex: You once said on Twitter that you find New York boring. Months later, more is happening with your career and you have more reasons to be here. Do you still feel that way?

Wale: See, I moved back to DC. I just think New York is not the place for me. It’s a dope place to visit, but to live here, you know? And at that point I lived on the 6th floor in a walk-up, so if I wanted to go out I had to go all the way downstairs, party, get tired, and walk all the way back up. So you’d have to consider that every night, like, “Do I really wanna?” But the nightlife scene is cool. Obviously the shopping is great and the food is pretty good. And the people, they’re fast. Everything works fast in New York City. I ain’t mad at it. I just couldn’t live here. It’s just too much going on.

Complex: Do you still hate doing interviews?

Wale: I never hated doing interviews. That was a little bit of back and forth between me and Semtex. This was actually a very good interview. The way you’ve interviewed is like, everything that’s been going on recently—from Jim Jones to XXL, all of these things. It’s like me doing an interview next month for Complex and them being like, “Tell me about signing with Interscope.” It’s like, huh? Didn’t y’all just? So y’all really gonna put that in? It’s like one of those things. Us as rappers get called out about stuff, even for using a double entendre. We get called out, but nobody calls out interviewers. Some interviewers aren’t even interested. They’re just doing it because they gotta do it. Life is nothing without passion. Whatever you’re doing, at least be passionate about it because I’m passionate about what I’m doing. I’m passionate about the words I’m saying right now. Just be passionate. When the interviews is passionate, it’s more conversational and we’re not covering the same ground. When you’re just reading a note card—not like you, this is recent stuff—but when you’re just reading a note card and it doesn’t even feel real, it’s difficult at times. But I have no problem doing interviews. This is actually my fifth one of the day. So I have absolutely no problem doing interviews.

Complex: Any other things you’d like to say before we end?

Wale: I wanna meet the person who wrote the Burlington Coat Factory thing, but that’s cool. I would love to understand it more, but everything is good. I’m about to go to the studio and make some more music today, so I’m happy and I appreciate Complex for giving me the time to do this interview.

Kelly Brook: Live From Barbados

Joe — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 22:07:55 +0000

Haven’t taken a vacation yet? You can always picture yourself on the beach with Kelly Brook and her super-duper TWOS.
[Bastardly]

Sure he gets more emotional than Carl Thomas over posts we do, but Hip Hop Update put together a solid Wale mixtape. Check it out HERE.

Kanye’s kicks aren’t the only glow in the dark bangers. Peep these New Balance MT576s. [Nice Kicks]

Here’s all the funny links you missed on the Internet today.

This “ramp house” is a skateboarder’s wet dream. [Baller House]

Kid Cudi Talks Wale, Reebok, Shia Labeouf & Being Bigger Than Kanye

Joe — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 16:50:42 +0000

When it comes to young rappers, it seems like Kid Cudi might be a bit better off than the rest of the gang. Not only did Cudi just ink a deal with Universal Motown, but he also has music’s biggest star, Kanye West, in his corner. Cudi and Complex have long had a relationship (he actually modeled for us back in 2006), but after we tapped him and his homies in a blog post and he responded, we weren't sure if things were cool…

That is, until Cudi came through the eckoplex yesterday for his first press day, and he kept it realer than most. In this exclusive interview, the Double-O representer talks about how he wants to be bigger than Kanye and Lil Wayne, the screaming match he had with Wale last week, and that rumored Reebok situation that went down in Phoenix. Yup, we back friends like Puffy and Steve Stoute…

Interview by Joe La Puma

Complex: Obviously there was a little push back from the blog post we did about the new rapper retail deals…

Kid Cudi: Even in my post I said I have no problem with Complex. It's been my favorite magazine. On one of my songs, “Cleveland is the Reason,” I actually shouted you guys out and I recorded that song in 2006. So when I say “I want my closet Complex like the magazine,” I was really dreaming of getting fresh. And I remember always looking in Complex and looking for the fresh shit. But when I saw that, it was kind of brought to my attention…like, I'm all good with jokes, I like cracking jokes, I'm a silly dude, we all know that, but I didn't feel too roasted. I was like, that was an attempt to be funny but it just wasn't funny. I was just standing up for my homies that were on the list. It wasn't really like I was standing up for myself, and I wasn't really attacking the magazine. I was just attacking this kid that thought he was being witty. But I wasn't shitting on him. I was just like [silly voice] mannn you know…that's not right man, that's not cool.

Complex: Fair enough, we cool, ha. How crazy has the past year and a half been for you? I remember watching you at the T-mobile event and not many people knowing you, now you’re fresh off from shutting down SXSW with Kanye…

Kid Cudi: It's definitely a mind fuck. Literally, since I've had “Day N' Night,” it's been bong, bong, bong. I know some people are like, man he blew up over night. Those muthafuckas ain't follow my career. It was always a steady little pace from giving “Day N' Night” to A-Trak at the “Stronger” premiere video release party, to having him play it twice, to 'Ye standing there talking to people, and me from a distance trying to get his attention and pointing to my ear and saying “yo listen, that's my song,” and him nodding back and giving me the smile like “yeah that's what up.” He was like, “Yo, you have a lot of shit I've heard that I fuck with,” but nothing came out of it, but it was letting me know that I was on the right track. After he came back from Australia, he contacted Plain Pat and say he wanted to fly me out to Hawaii to work on the Blueprint 3. So literally, in my brain, I feel like I'm on this rollercoaster that's not ending anytime soon and it’s just fresh as fuck.

Complex: So you talked about working with Kanye, how much of an advantage do you think aligning yourself with him gives you over other young rappers like Charles Hamilton or Mickey Factz, who might not have that major co-sign?

Kid Cudi: Basically Kanye is probably the biggest fucking artist in the universe right now, and me being with such a dope tastemaker complements my taste in music. Whatever he does and whatever he touches is amazing and being a new artist and having that person say, “Hey everybody, this muthafucka is dope.” I mean, the talent was already there of course, “Day N' Night” was already established and shit like that, but at the same time, it definitely turned the right ears to it. So it's definitely an advantage for me.

Complex: The Universal deal. Why did it make sense for you to sign with them?

Kid Cudi: It wasn't about the money, because I really don't give a fuck about the money. Honestly, I don't even have to do music anymore, I can just live off of 808's and Heartbreak checks and “Day N' Night” checks and be good. Then I have the HBO show in August. I went with Universal Motown because I know Sylvia Rhone believed in my vision. Like, Sylvia is going to go hard for me and I know it. She was ready to put her career on the line for this stranger, ultimately because she believed in my shit, not because I had this big song. Because she already told me that it's about longevity. There are artists like a Lil Wayne that's just going to blow the fuck up and just kill shit. And she knows that I can play the role of a Lil Wayne, or a Kanye and be as equally successful and that's why she was like, I don't give a fuck about what anybody else is talking about, I want this kid to do this. And that's why I was with the deal.

Complex: What kind of expectations do you have for your career? Do you think you can be as big as Wayne or as big as Kanye?

Kid Cudi: My whole thing is to not to be as big as Kanye or Lil Wayne, but to be bigger. It's all about progression. If I just set the goal to want to be like Kanye and Lil Wayne, that's setting my shit to a limit and it's selling myself short. I'm pretty sure when Kanye was aspiring to do his music, he wasn't like, I want to be as big as Jay. He was like, Nah, I want to be bigger then Jay. It’s not necessarily saying that you are better than them, it's just setting that bar. If I never am better then Kanye, in my brain, I'm always going to be trying to be, forever and ever until the day that I die.

Complex: That's a good way to stay motivated…

Kid Cudi: I don't want this to get misquoted that I'm trying to be better than Kanye or anything like that, it’s just a mental memo in my brain to keep me turbo charged to accelerate my shit, to make me think on grand scales. To tell you the truth, no one can catch up to Kanye, that muthafucka is gone. It’s just like a muthafucka saying that he wants to be a god amongst men. It’s never going to happen but its just you raising the bar, you know what I mean?

CLICK NEXT TO HEAR ABOUT CUDI AND WALE'S SCREAMING MATCH OVER THE PHONE…

10 Exclusive Retail Deals For Rap’s New Generation

prubin — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 19:59:57 +0000

Well, it’s official: Prince is a genius. After the Eagles and AC/DC posted huge numbers last year releasing albums exclusively through a Walmart, Prince signed on to release a three-album set for sale only at Target. Mark our words: he’ll be platinum by June.

The trend got us thinking that some of these struggling rookie rappers could benefit from the strategy. Granted, big dog retailers like Best Buy and Target probably won’t cut exclusive deals with newcomers like Kid Cudi and Asher Roth, but we thought of some less obvious stores that might jump at the chance. Read on to see marketing plans for ten of our favorite up-and-coming MCs…

BLU
Album Sold Exclusively At: Whole Foods
Sales Promotion: Get the album for 20% more than it would cost anywhere else! What?! It was recorded organically. Be cool, man.

KID CUDI
Album Sold Exclusively At: 7-11
Sales Promotion: The Lonely Stoner Special: Buy the album and get half off a footlong/Big Gulp combo. Don’t worry–we’re open day and night!

DRAKE
Album Sold Exclusively At: International Male
Sales Promotion: Type in promo code PIERCINGGREENEYES at checkout and get a free sample of Drake’s new cologne, Eau D’Grassi.

JAY ELECTRONICA
Album Sold Exclusively At: The Apple Store
Sales Promotion: Goes great with every other cool-but-overhyped piece of electronica. Baby Mama Drama Lightning Deal: Trade in any common Zune and get an autographed picture of Erykah and Jay’s baby!

CHARLES HAMILTON
Album Sold Exclusively At: Gamestop
Sales Promotion: Walk out of the store now and preserve the chances of losing your virginity!

Click NEXT to see our suggestions for Nipsey Hussle, OJ Da Juiceman, Asher Roth, Tyga and Wale.

‘Leaders Of The New Cool’ Week: Wale

bfred — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 21:34:27 +0000

It’s been one hell of a ride, but unfortunately LOTNC Week has come to an end. We’ve been dropping exclusive behind the scenes interviews each day since Monday, all recorded live on the set of our October 2008 fashion story “Leaders Of The New Cool” (watch a special video version of the feature here).

For the final installment, we’re giving you an interview with Washington, DC’s favorite MC, Wale. Watch the video below to hear him break down his favorite and least favorite hip-hop fashion trends (hint: take off the Ed Hardy, folks)…

Wale & Rik Cordero Visualize ‘Artistic Integrity’

bfred — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 16:43:44 +0000

The funny thing about the concept of “artistic integrity” is that it means something different to everyone. For some rappers, it means making the same keep-it-real punchline records with no aims at mass appeal. For others, it simply means making the music that appeals to you, even if your sound changes over time.

Judging from the new video for “Artistic Integrity,” DC rapper Wale defines the concept as simply staying in control of your own destiny. In the metaphorical Rik Cordero-directed clip'the first from The Mixtape About Nothing'Wale controls his own movements via a video game controller, only to have himself hyjacked by The Wire’s Gbenga Akinnagbe. Watch the video below.

[OnSmash]

Wale Flips Seinfeld On The Mixtape About Nothing

treats — Fri, 30 May 2008 15:19:14 +0000

With hip-hop’s '80s nostalgia in full swing, it’s good to see the '90s getting some play with the release of Wale’s new Seinfeld-inspired mixtape. Known as The Mixtape About Nothing, this marks the first release from the D.C. native since signing to Interscope records via Mark Ronson’s Allido Records imprint.

Hosted by DJ Nick Catchdubs (and sponsored by clothing line 10 Deep), Wale picks up where the show left off: he samples the opening theme song, starts every track name with “the” (like Seinfeld’s episode titles) and questions the state of the music industry as only Jerry would have done (”What’s the deal?”). See the tracklisting and download it after the jump.

1. “The Opening Title Sequence” (produced by Best Kept Secret)
2. “The Roots Song Wale Is On” f. Chrisette Michele (produced by ?uestlove & James Poyser)
3. “The Feature Heavy Song” f. Bun B, Pusha T and Tre from UCB (produced by Best Kept Secret)
4. “The Freestyle (Roc Boys)”
5. “The Perfect Plan” (produced by Best Kept Secret)
6. “The Kramer” (produced by Best Kept Secret)
7. “The Crazy” (produced by Best Kept Secret)
8. “The Vacation From Ourselves” (produced by Best Kept Secret)
9. “The Remake of A Remake (All I Need)” f. Tawiah (produced by Mark Ronson)
10. “The Grown Up” (produced by Best Kept Secret)
11. “The Manipulation” (produced by Best Kept Secret)
12. “The Artistic Integrity” (produced by Best Kept Secret)
13. “The Star”
14. “The Skit (Untz Untz)”
15. “The Cliche Lil Wayne Feature (It's The Remix baby!)” (produced by Osinachi)
16. “The Bmore Club Slam” (produced by Scottie B)
17. “The Chicago Falcon Remix” f. The Budos Band (produced by Mark Ronson & Eli Escobar)
18. “The Hype” (produced by Best Kept Secret)
19. “The End Credits” (produced by Best Kept Secret)

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD

If this link is broken, head over to 10Deep.