S. Samuel
Roc Nation artist Wale recently talked about being in competition with rap newcomers like Kid Cudi, Drake and Asher Roth and how their aspirations are similar to athletes'.
Wale believes there is never any real satisfaction or sense of accomplishment for rappers.
“One of us got the most record sales, the other one wants the most fame,” Wale explained when asked about competing with Drake, Asher Roth and Kid Cudi. “One of them has the most fame, the other one wants to have the credibility to be a true hip-hop person. One of them is more of a true hip-hop person but the other one is more record sales. It’s just like in the NBA, one guy gets this kind of money but then there’s another guy who plays in the West Coast that makes this kinda money and that sounds good but he wants as much money as him and now this guy wants the same money as LeBron [James] but then LeBron wants as much money as [New York Yankees’] A-Rod, from another sport. Nobody’s ever really satisfied but that’s just human nature though.” (Amarudontv)
Last April, Lupe Fiasco talked about creating a rap supergroup called All City Chess Club which includes Wale, Charles Hamilton, J. Cole, Asher Roth and other relatively new mainstream emcees.
“It’s kinda this new vanguard,” Lupe explained in his interview. “The kids who wouldn’t necessarily be the basketball team they would probably be the Chess Club if we was in high school. And I was like ‘Yo, we all from different cities. We the All City Chess Club.’ … I just wanted it to be the collective of those dudes and put a name on it. Like they already kinda put us all in the same box. They kinda put us in the same family of MC’s whether it be the hipster rappers or the nerd rappers…Since they putting us in a box, might as well own the box. And write our name on the box and paint it the color we want it.” (Hip Hop DX)
Wale’s debut album, Attention: Deficit, landed on the sales chart last November.
Rap newcomer Wale’s long-awaited Attention: Deficit landed on the charts this week debuting at No. 21. After seven days on store shelves, the rapper’s new album shelled out 28,300 copies. (Sales Wrap)
Following its release, Wale’s manager Daniel Weisman discussed his first-week sales.
“Wale’s the type of artist who is bigger than the metrics say he is,” Weisman said in an interview. “That puts the label in a tough position in terms of physical distribution and because of Twitter we are able to hear direct feedback from the fans about the problems they had actually finding the CD. But 64 percent of Wale’s sales came from digital outlets which makes sense for Wale. It’s a testament to Interscope and their confidence in Wale’s brand that they put the record out without a big single.” (XXL Mag)
Check out Wale speaking on rap competition below:
