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Wale: Attention Deficit
On major label debut, mixtape star looks to the West Born of Nigerian parents in our nation’s capitol, Wale rose to prominence in 2008 with The Mixtape About Nothing, where he used his favorite program as a framing device for his technically adroit diatribes on race, rap, and authenticity. “The Kramer,” for instance, sampled Michael Richards’ infamous Laugh Factory tirade, and subsequent apology, to bookend a fearless dissection of racist language. Wale also adopted Seinfeld’s habit of knowing self-deprecation to send up stale rap conventions, titling a track with three guest stars (including mixtape staple Bun B) “The Feature Heavy... read more
Found in: Music, ReviewsCatching Up With... Wale
Things finally seem to be falling into place for Wale... read more
Found in: Music, FeaturesPeter Bjorn and John Ready Free Hip-Hop Mixtape
Kanye West's remix of Peter Bjorn and John's "Young Folks" set a high water mark for the small (but growing) realm of hip-hoppers sampling indie acts. And if just one PB&J remix was enough to make music junkies scramble for their "reblog" buttons, then howzabout a whole album of them? As we just learned from MTV, mixtape maven Mick Boogie will be orchestrating the release of Re-Living Things, a hip-hop remix mixtape (remixtape?) of PB&J's Living Things.... read more
Found in: Music, NewsWale Talks New Album, Due in September
After years of building a name for himself grassroots-style with... read more
Found in: Music, NewsSix More Albums to Get Excited About in 2009
Months have passed since I last got all listy about a batch of exciting albums coming this year. Four months almost to the day, in fact. And even though not all of the records mentioned in that post have even been released yet, there's just so much more to look forward to. This time, then, will be an exercise in brevity. The following is six more albums to get excited about in 2009, each described in six words:... read more
Found in: Blogs, List of the DayWale develops Attention: Deficit on album, tour
In this brave new world of rapid information dissemination... read more
Found in: Music, NewsWale's 10 Reasons Why You Should Go See Wale Live
When I found out the other day that Wale would be playing Atlanta soon (with Decatur's own B.O.B., no less!), I got pretty excited. I've made no bones about my Wale fandom in the pages of this publication and its website, assigning news items, explaining why he qualifies as the "Best of What's Next," and touching on my two favorite of his mixtapes in List of the Day posts past. (Incidentally, I'm making a vow while writing this to not cover Wale in another LOTD for a very long time.)... read more
Found in: Blogs, List of the DayFour 2008 Albums that Sound Even Better in 2009
In addition to getting psyched for the new year, now is the inevitable time where I look back on the preceding year and either a) remember how much I loved certain albums or b) catch up on albums everyone else was talking about that I didn't find as much time as I would have liked to listen to. That sentence was kind of terrible, but the albums below definitely are not. A couple fall into the a) category, and a couple in the b). But I'll let the song from each do the talking. Enjoy!... read more
Found in: Blogs, List of the DayWhoa, We're 8.333% There: The 10 Greatest Musical Things I Experienced in the First Month of 2009
So much for January 2009, huh? That was quick. Seems like only yesterday we had a different president, Valentine's Day was more than a couple weeks off and, um, other vaguely January stuff was happening left and right.... read more
Found in: Blogs, List of the Day22 up-and-coming artists you ignore at your own peril!
[Above: White Rabbits]MugisonHometown: Ísafjörður, Iceland Album: Mugiboogie Why He's Worth Watching: Mugison likely embodies the person Led Zeppelin envisioned when writing “Immigrant Song.” One moment, this man from the land of the ice and snow is sounding the hammer of the gods, alternating between an infernal howl (much like Robert Plant’s) and a guttural heavy-metal groan, the next, he’s crooning to twanging guitar over eerie strings. He’s a shape-shifter and a funnyman, and Mugiboogie builds on his four previous genre-transcending works. For Fans Of: Tom Waits, Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy, Led Zeppelin Acceptance Speech: “When I was 14 years old, I... read more
Found in: Music, Features
The 17 Best Romantic Comedies This Decade
The 20 Best Gadgets of the Decade…
The 50 Best Movies of the Decade…
The 25 Best Movie Performances of the…
Heather Greene - Moon Hangs Fire
Blind Pilot - The Story I Heard
James Yuill - This Sweet Love (Earth…
B.O.B. - Put Me On
Punch Brothers - Punch Brothers at CMJ
David Bazan - Hard To Be
