Wale – Ambition
After his critically acclaimed but commercial failure debut Attention Deficit (one of my favorite hip hop albums of 2009), Wale needed a change. It came in the form of teaming up with Rick Ross on his label Maybach Music Group, garnering singles such as 600 Benz (off their label album Self Made Vol. 1). Many fans thought that he was going to sellout and change his style to be more commercial. But the only thing that has changed from Attention Deficit is the beats Wale is rapping over. The lyrical style and content are the same. He has such energy and an infectious lyricism that it is hard to dispute Wale as one of the best right now. No one else sounds quite like him. And for a large portion, his sound has not really changed much either – songs like: Lotus Flower Bomb, Sabotage and Miami Nights could easily be off any of his former releases. If anything, I like that he is incorporating new beats into his style and trying to grow as an artist. I mean is it not the goal to reach as many listeners as possible while maintaining your lyrical integrity, because that is what Wale has done with Ambition. I think he has a great chemistry with producers Tone P and Mark Henry, who both have multiple tracks on the album. But, he also has completely different beats too like Diplo’s Slight Work and beats that fit the popular trend right now, specifically from T-Minus. While it is as good an album as Attention Deficit, it is one of the better hip hop albums of 2011 and I look forward to more form Wale. 4/5
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