Review: Wale – More About Nothing

More About Nothing is the first mixtape Wale’s put out since Attention Deficit, an album that garnered reactions ranging from “This feels compromised” to”Lady Gaga!? Are you fuckin kidding me, man!?” After the artistic success of The Mixtape About Nothing, Wale earned the rep of one of the brightest spots in an upcoming generation of emcees. So it’s no surprise that there was some backlash against an album that swung for the fences so readily. For an artist who once penned blazing tracks like “The Artistic Integrity” and “The Kramer,” the generic party rap of “Chillin” was a major disappointment.

So naturally Wale returns to the Seinfeld theme that got him noticed in the first place before he aims at your local Best Buy again. The tone of More About Nothing is one of determination. He opens with “The Problem,” whose titular issue is that “I’m on top of my game / but these niggas won’t acknowledge it.” Those are bold words, but Wale brings the fire to live up to them. The low sales of Attention Deficit seems to have affected him; there’s a call towards the end to “triple up them units,” after all. It’s a very reactionary album, brushing up against disappointments from his professional life. Two songs later, he delivers a verse responding to critics and hoping they’ll give him props next time around.

Thankfully, that’s not his focus for the entire tape (though it does alter the tone throughout). Being hungry is good for any emcee. It’s not a trait Wale’s ever lacked, but his renewed focus on delivering crowd pleasers to the hardcore adds to the quality. He handles relationship songs with aplomb, such as “The War” and ” The Friends N Strangers.” “The Eye of the Tiger” tries to be the “The Kramer” of relationship songs, and of this mixtape. Its beat hits hard while Wale raps from Tiger Woods’ perspective, an amazing conceit that makes for a convincing song.

And hey, all this talk about being disappointed in the reception of his debut album wouldn’t be complete without learning some lessons from that experience. No pop stars here, which makes sense given that it’s a mix tape. Still, it’s a relief to hear some new Wale that isn’t bogged down by choruses stitched on by radio stars. The beats carry the weight of hitting hard and staying memorable. They feel better developed than on The Mixtape About Nothing, and beat selection is the biggest area where Wale has grown.

Like most sequels, though, it doesn’t quite live up to the reputation the original has built. Toward the end, it lacks the focus that The Mixtape About Nothing had but maintains the sprawl that made the first seem all-encompassing. The fact that it’s free and that the first half and some change are blazing make it worthwhile, though. Wale’s still got some fire in his belly, and he seems primed to prove the naysayers wrong whenever album number 2 comes out.

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Jere is not from Chicago. Nor is he from Parts Unknown. But he sure loves to hear things. Follow him on Twitter!

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