Wale - Attention Deficit

Buzz has been building for almost a year for the arrival of D.C. rapper Wale’s full-length debut, Attention Deficit. Hip-hop is all about posturing, and Wale delivers a bold, fresh pose to his audience. His assured swagger, however, often devolves into a self-congratulatory ramble that wears on the listener.

A few themes quickly emerge. The whole album is fraught with references to pop culture. Kanye West is mentioned in the first track, which is just the harbinger of more name-dropping to come. A few failed references like “You are the slumdog/I am the millionaire” are almost laughable. In the end, reference-rap has been done before and done much better by artists like Eminem. Attention  Deficit often feels like a newbie’s attempt at being the cool kid.

The beats are solid on every track, but they lack variety, marked by a production that is consistently bland but acceptable. The exception is “Beautiful Bliss,” which falls so far short of blissful that it seems like a misstep in an amateur rap battle.

Wale does deserve praise for his bravery in terms of subject matter. “90210” deals with the problems of being an impressionable girl in Los Angeles, while “Diary” is a reflective look at unrequited love. That isn’t to say that he doesn’t have catchy moments. His lead single “Chillin’” has been a hit for months, though it is held aloft by the vocals of Lady Gaga. Wale’s savvy for pop music shows in his hooks. Songs like “Mirror” and “TV in the Radio” will get stuck in your head with their simple, repetitive and irresistible choruses.

Wale is sitting in the back of the hip-hop classroom playing the unruly, yet promising student. The attention he’s lacking is only to detail, and, with a little focus, he could soon be on the honor roll.