Wale (pronounced ‘wall-lay') made a name for himself in the hip-hop community by representing his Washington, D.C. roots, but, with his impending sophomore album release and promotional tour, wants to leave his hometown behind as he attempts to make a name for himself in the trap music scene.
Wale will make his way to the Orpheum Theater Monday, Oct. 3 as a part of The Ambition Tour, which promotes the release of his second studio album, Ambition on November 1. This is his first full-length release as a member of Maybach Music Group, rapper-turned-mogel Rick Ross' label. The switch from Interscope, which released his uninspired first studio album Attention Deficit, marks a change in the rapper's style and message.
""It kind of defines everything that I'm doing,"" Wale said of the name of his newest album. ""I decided to put my career in my own hands when it comes to work ethic and my brand as a whole.""
He said that a lack of creative freedom is what prompted the switch and hopes that his newest album is a better reflection of the direction he's taking with his music.
""I don't really have anyone to report to, contrary to popular belief,"" he said. ""I don't have anybody to be like ‘uh yeah that's okay,' you know what I'm saying? I can just do what I want to do.""
The ""popular belief"" is that Ross, his new boss, is running the show. Wale, who signed a deal with MMG in February, saw collaborating with Ross as a way to gain more exposure in the hip-hop community.
""Ross is an influential person in urban music right now, and I know he knows what it takes to get where we gotta go, you know, in urban music so I kind of follow his lead on that when applicable,"" he said.
Wale hopes that this new album will be a departure from the D.C. niche that brought him his initial success. Wale gained minor commercial success with his D.C.-centric Lady Gaga collaboration ""Chillin',"" off of his first album.
Despite the flourishing urban culture in the nation's capital, only one D.C. native has managed to gain even minor commercial success in the rap game. Now, under Ross's guidance, he plans to avoid rapping about the hometown that made him a success (although one of the confirmed tracks off of Ambition is ""D.C. Over Everything"").
""That was the first album,"" he said. ""As far as topics go, you know, I'm on to bigger ideas.""
With that said, fans of his previous music will be happy to know that Wale does not plan on entirely abandoning his past—for this tour, at least.
""[The set list] is going to be old stuff, album stuff, new stuff, mixtape stuff,"" he said. ""Everything is going to be on there.""
Wale is looking forward to the show and concedes that performing in front of adoring fans is one of his job's redeeming qualities.
""I'm excited. I get excited when I get on all of my tours,"" Wale said. ""Probably one of the only parts of the job that I can say I love [is] to perform in front of people.""
