Wale

Wale Victor Folarin (born Olubowale Victor Akintimehin September 21, 1984), better known by his stage name Wale (pronounced /wah-lay/), is an American rapper from Washington, D.C.. Wale was born to Nigerian parents. He rose to prominence in 2006, when his song "Dig Dug (Shake It)" became popular in his hometown. Wale became locally recognized and continued recording music for the regional audience. Producer Mark Ronson discovered Wale in 2006 and signed him to Allido Records in 2007. While signed to that label, Wale released several mixtapes and appeared in national media including MTV and various urban magazines.In 2008, Wale signed to Interscope Records for $1.3 million, and his debut album Attention Deficit was released in 2009 with the singles "Chillin", "Pretty Girls", and "World Tour". The album, although under-shipped, received positive reviews from critics. Wale is currently signed on with Rick Ross' Maybach Music Group, where members of the label released a compilation album, Self Made Vol. 1 on May 23, 2011.
Wale Performs At Atlanta's Heineken Red Star Access Tour:
D.C. rapper Wale was in  Atlanta Tuesday for Roc Nation's Heineken Red Star Access tour.As previously reported, Wale fans had the chance to particpate in the nine-city tour where adults 21 and older were given access to a unique music experience courtesy of this premiere beverage brand.For Tuesday's performance, the DMV spitta not only checked in with HipHopWired, he performed a catalog of some of his biggest hits including "Pretty Girls", "Chillin" and "90210."Instead of sitting idly by, the crowd got especially amped for the Maybach Music signee when he performed his hit "That Way" with vocals from go-go singer Tre of UCB.A second highlight however was when Wale brought out former Playaz Circle rapper "Two Chainz" who rocked the crowd to his hit "Getting It."Mick Boogie and DJ Holiday were also on hand to spin the latest records while the crowd enjoyed the performances and sipped on complimentary Heineken beers.If you missed it, check out Wale giving you #RedStarAccess below.
Ambition (2011):
On May 6, 2011 Wale revealed to MTV Networks that he could release two albums in 2011 or in 2012. Production for Ambition took place at ZAC Recording, in Atlanta, Georgia.The first single to be released off of Ambition is "Bad Girls Club", featuring and produced by J. Cole. It was released on July 19, 2011. The music video was shot in Los Angeles, and it features a cameo appareance of Rick Ross. In August 9, Wale released a song called "Ocean Drive", and confirmed that the song will be included in the album Ambition. The song features Magazeen, Tre and Black Cobain.On August 17, 2011, Wale released The Eleven One Eleven Theory, a mixtape in honor of reaching one million followers on Twitter.
Musical style:
In an interview with Flavorwire, Wale said that he incorporates elements of go-go in his music.[34] Cyril Cordor of allmusic described go-go as "a more raw, percussion-driven offshoot of disco" that originated in the Washington, D.C. area. Wale's early singles that were played primarily in his local metropolitan area heavily sampled 1990s go-go records.[3] Reviewing Attention Deficit, David Jeffries of allmusic remarked that Wale had a "post-Kanye, post-Lil Wayne, alternative-meets-hardcore style" and commented that Wale's single "Chillin'", which featured Lady Gaga, "crafts an instant floor-filler out of a sample from the '70s hit 'Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye.
Discography:
Studio
* Attention Deficit (2009)
* Ambition (2011)
Collaborations
* Self Made Vol. 1 (2011)
Mixtapes
* Paint a Picture (2005)
* Hate is the New Love (2006)
* 100 Miles & Running (2007)
* The Mixtape About Nothing (2008)
* Back to the Feature (2009)
* More About Nothing (2010)
* The Eleven One Eleven Theory (2011)
Awards/Nominations:
Year     Nominated work     Award     Result
2010     Wale     Best New Artist     Nominated
Soul Train Awards:
Year     Nominated work     Award     Result
2010     Wale     Best New Artist     Won