Approved Audio: Wale - The Mixtape About Nothing

It’s been a good week for Wale. First he released the video for “W.A.L.E.D.A.N.C.E.” and now finally after months of delays, real hip-hop lovers and music enthusiast alike can breathe a sigh of relief – “SERENITY NOW!” ‘The Mixtape About Nothing’ by everyone’s favorite DC rapper, Wale (pronounced WAH-lay) has finally arrived.

Recently signed to Interscope via Mark Ronson and poised to become “The Next Big Thing”, Wale brings a “Seinfeld” inspired mixtape, continuing with his quest to turn rap and hip-hop on its side with his hyperactive alliterated flow and heavily influenced go-go sound.

In an ode to the changing musical and cultural landscape, The Washington Post reviewed the mixtape – YES A MIXTAPE REVIEW! – And compared its debut to “Christmas, Hanukkah and Festivus all rolled into one.”

The Album is a tribute to Seinfeld, Wale’s favorite show, and its Track Lists follows the sitcoms formula of “The” beginnings.

The tape opens with the aptly titled “The Opening Title Sequence” in which Wale asks “What the deal with” the world in true Jerry Seinfeld fashion. He incorporates clips from the show, Micheal Richards “rant” (proceeding the socially conscious “The Kramer”) and even has a guest appearance by Elaine herself, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, who is apparently his “biggest fan.”

Not all content that made the mixtape is fresh content, which has Wale’s die hard fans questioning its delay. For instance, “The Roots Song Wale Is On” is “Rising Up”; “The Feature Heavy Song” is “Back in the Go-Go” and “The Cliché Lil Wayne Song” is “Nike Boots remix”, which received much hype when Wale released it exclusively on his Myspace page Christmas Day 2007.

Yet and still, with 19 tracks – many produced by DC’s own Best Kept Secret, ‘The Mixtape About Nothing’ pleases, with Wale exploring topics ranging from race, popular culture, issues in the Black community, society, with ones self, and the watering down of rap – even calling out Interscope label mate Soulja Boy. As always, Wale reps extra hard for the D/M/V and the PGC (that would be DC, Maryland, Virginia and Prince Georges County Maryland, which he calls home) and exposes the go-go sound and even a taste of Baltimore Club (“The Bmore Club Song” produced by Club legend Scottie B) to people outside the “urr-rea.”

Listen here, download here via elitaste.com, Wale’s personal blog.

Wale, “That’s [his] name don’t forget it.”