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Wale - Back to the Feature
- There are times for all of us when additions to our music library are overwhelming and when the bevy of new artists is so big to tackle that we don't know where or how to begin. Not that this was Wale's intention, but "Back to the Feature," the latest mixtape from the D.C. MC, is an enjoyable solution to this problem.
Hot off the success of his 2008 Seinfeld-inspired mixtape, "The Mixtape About Nothing," Wale brings rap back to its collaborative and lyrical roots. No singing he says, no songs catered to females, just straight rhymes and fun.
"Back to the Feature" isn't lacking guest artists, there's at least one on every track and 37 in total. But the real attraction is the other name on the cover, producer 9th Wonder. The former Little Brother beat maker produces most of the album's 22 tracks, leaving his sultry jazz-influenced stamp on each.
Wale and 9th Wonder make a good team, with the rapper carelessly spitting rhymes over 9th's summertime instrumentals, and the slew of guest artists giving each song a different twist.
But Wale is far more compelling as an artist. He's yet to release a studio album, his first single, the Lady Gaga assisted "Chillin" is less then stellar, and his rhyme style is both engaging and bothersome. He does the same thing as Lil' Wayne, only differently; he takes syllables that don't necessarily go together and puts them in correspondence with one another. In Wayne's case, he bends the sound so that the rhyme works. For Wale, though, no bend is done. On "Wordplay," he says, "So they say / My weaponry is words, Do Re Me." Except he pronounces it "me" not "may."
The subtlety is appreciated, but the failure to rhyme is alarming to the ear. Regardless, Wale carries the creativity from "The Mixtape About Nothing" onto this feature-laden offering. While his punch lines may not always be on target, Wale's proven that, conceptually, he can put a disc together that's wholly satisfying and appealing.
Reviewer: Ted Simmons
new
Reviewer's Rating: 7
Reader's Rating: 0
Reader's Votes: 0
Added: 2-Jul-2009
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