Blogging and Bleeding with Wale’s Back To The Feature
The long awaited Back To The Feature mixtape from DC RAPS GREAT HOPE dropped on Friday. Primarily produced by ex-Little Brother beatsmith 9th Wonder, the tape is Wale’s bid for true hip hop legitimacy while simultaneously pushing a shameless and gross radio single. After the jump are my song-by-song first listen knee jerks on the tape. Download it here if you need a soundtrack to this blog post.
“Cyphr” f/ Young Chris, Freeway & Beanie Sigel
So it seems Wale has been adopted into the State Property extended family. It makes sense, he’s comfortable rapping with them. Still it’s unfortunate that he’s pulling them closer to the rap-about-nothing territory he occupies when they’re so much better at rapping about shooting people and eating at Boston Market.
“5 Minutes” f/ Skyzoo
Didn’t Wale already use this sample? Seemingly both artists only took five minutes to write their verses. That’s not a diss, that’s the concept of the record. Skyzoo comes off nicely.
“Night Life” f/ Young Chris & Tre
“I ain’t worried ’bout you little n****s blogging.” Blog rappers are constantly saying stuff like this on their mixtapes but if they were truly unconcerned with blogs then they wouldn’t have to mention blogging in their raps at all. Something tells me that Wale and Chris have been frantically googling “Back To The Feature” all weekend. This song has been out for months. It is still very hot. These are the type of records Wale sounds best on – upbeat tracks that nod vaguely to the go-go influence but aren’t totally go-go records.
“Hot Shyt” f/ Peedi Crakk, Black Thought, Tu Phace & Young Chris
Another Philly posse cut. Halfway through the tape this track marks eight Philly guest verses before a single DC area one. (Not counting UCB’s Tre who is basically Wale’s live in hype/hook man. I heard he sings the chorus to Wale’s pancakes every morning.) Plus there were three from Brooklyn, one from New Orleans and one from Newark. The fact that I’m doing math in my mixtape review doesn’t bode well for the quality of the tape or my own sanity.
“Wonder Why” f/ Big Sean, Ken Starr & Mike Posner
Okay here’s a local rap guest. Low Budget’s Ken Starr. It’s strange Wale had to outsource his backpack rap production, when there are at least three more talented producers in the same lane within the Low Budget crew alone. And Kanye weed carrier Big Sean brings HIS weed carrier Mike Posner. Outsourcing not only destroys the economy, it destroys mixtapes.
“Sharp” f/ Kingpin Slim & Torae
Quoth the Wale: “I was one of the first people to rap on stuff that wasn’t traditional hip hop music.” Fab Five Freddy might have something to say about that claim.
“The Sun” f/ Memphis Bleek
From shampoo raps to blog buzz mixtapes in two easy steps! Wale is once again airing out his blog insecurities. He should start a blog about blogs and stick to rapping about rapping.
“Rather Be With You (Vagina Is For Lovers)” f/ J Cole & Currency
This is the vagina rap song. Like blogging, menstruation is a reoccurring theme on this album.
“Goodbye” f/ Jean Grae
This is the break up rap song. Wale’s little closing anecdote about awkwardly begging Jean for a feature on Twitter is more of that metablogging rap, but it’s also indicative of the humility that originally made him so likable. Though Jean has recorded extensively with 9th Wonder, it probably would have been more logical to go through him.
“Talkin’ Shyt” f/ Bun B & Dre
Bun hasn’t rapped this well in years. Excellence in the presence of competence. Also I don’t think that’s actually Dre from Cool & Dre rapping the last verse. Maybe it is an unrelated rapper named Dre rapping on a Cool & Dre beat?
“Nothing To Worry About” f/ Peter, Bjorn & John
Wait I thought this tape was supposed to be free of this sort of Pitchfork bait?
“Um Ricka” f/ K’Naan
Sure, put the African rapper on the Fela beat. Talk about being typecast.
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1:38 pm
Respect, been waiting for a breakdown like this.
2:53 pm
Man, I haven’t even heard the mixtape, yet. You went in on it like its a album or something. On top of that you’re making me not even want to listen
@Brian the mixtape dropped Friday, how long could you had possibly waiting?! LOL
3:07 pm
meh…take this review lightly…while this tape doesnt compare to past efforts (100 Miles & Running, Mixtape About Nothing) i think its still ok, decent at best…who cares if he doesnt have a million features from DMV natives? that obviously speaks volumes on the talent, or lack thereof, of DMV area rappers right now.
3:14 pm
Didn’t even read for every track, just skipped to the songs I particularly liked and you shitted on every one of them. You mad!?!?
I think you’re one of the bloggers Wale was talking about, probably why this is such a biased breakdown. But hey opinions are like assholes…
3:18 pm
YESSSS,,this review was on point,,,,WALE is the rapper about nothing,,,,,,
Hey DC where is Questionmark Asylum or Nonchalant when u need em,,,he is such a bad rapper,,,
everybody on this mixtape outshined him,,,bad idea Wale Bad Idea,,,
and that single is horrible
3:26 pm
Where is the substance in his lyrics?
I hate to say it but at least Gucci is talking about “something”
If Wale had slick punchlines, I would go easy on em,,,and just label him a punchline rapper(Slaughterhouse)
but he is complete “nothing”
3:34 pm
I agree,
Wale does not have an interesting background story, witty lyrics, deep lyrics, a nice voice, good looks. Except for the fact that we both like shopping, I see no reason to buy his music.
3:44 pm
wow…really? Gucci gets props, but Wale is about nothing…I see it really is alot of hate (or at the least, strong dislike) in DC. smh
3:53 pm
“Gucci gets props, but Wale is about nothing”
Hardly. Wale is about blogs and menstruation and shoes I can’t afford.
Don’t get me wrong, he’s a talented enough dude, it’s just so much of this tape and his catalog seems so calculated and cold and self aware.
6:17 pm
you need to know wat a good hip hop song is before you start reviewing stuff!you a hater!!!faggot
1:58 am
chill out, wale
7:25 am
lol Wale is about blogs.i sw a video of him soundin like a girl. he mad becuz of blog comments.he need to spend more time in the studio and less time on the computer
10:45 am
the hate runs strong in your blood huh? just from seeing you bitch about philly guest spots and non dmv area guest spots shows the hate in you.this mixtape is great, you wouldn’t know that because you’re hating on dude and clouded by hate vision.
11:10 am
How is saying you dont like a artist hate? Hate is unwarranted critism…Noz makes valid points
11:23 am
glad to see someone is still filling the role of city hater! sike just kidding. this mixtape is like snooze.
2:26 am
man, intersting take on this one, i had a little differnet opinion and wrote my own review.
I would really appreciate it if you guys could read and comment on it.
http://dawhat.blogspot.com/2009/06/wale-back-to-feature-mixtape-review.html
I am just trying to learn, so any types of comments or criticism would be much appreciated!
thanks in advance.
9:18 am
@UmRicka- youuuuu do know Wale is african also right? Nigerian to be more specific..
2:22 pm
Yes I do.
4:35 pm
Yeah don’t pay attention to this. The mixtapes great , theres probably 6 or 7 songs that suck and you should skip but give the tape a listen, Wale’s always good and its no exception here. Say it again w/royce , Warwick Avenue, Wondery Why.. give those a listen and then decide