Like many of my fellow District of Columbians, I’ve been looking forward to Wale’s debut LP for what seems like an eternity. And like many people with Blogger accounts, I can’t help but feel a little disappointed by Attention Deficit. Still, a bit of perspective might be in order and that is precisely what Jeff Weiss provides in his definitive review of the record. By fully contextualizing the album, Weiss demonstrates that many of Attention Deficit’s missteps are inextricably bound to the clueless, shortsighted industry that birthed it. What’s more, Wale might just be the up-and-coming canary in the industry’s proverbial coal mine (“As fans, we may just have to resign ourselves to the idea that rap has become beholden to the Hollywood model, where stars do one lame blockbuster pic in order to do the daring independent film for no money”). I agree wholeheartedly with Weiss’ assessment, which is to say that I’ve found that Attention Deficit can be a very enjoyable record when approached with a realistic set of expectations. My review of the album can be found at PopMatters. While not nearly as relevant as Weiss’, it does come Raymond Roker approved.

Like many of my fellow District of Columbians, I’ve been looking forward to Wale’s debut LP for what seems like an eternity. And like many people with Blogger accounts, I can’t help but feel a little disappointed by Attention Deficit. Still, a bit of perspective might be in order and that is precisely what Jeff Weiss provides in his definitive review of the record. By fully contextualizing the album, Weiss demonstrates that many of Attention Deficit’s missteps are inextricably bound to the clueless, shortsighted industry that birthed it. What’s more, Wale might just be the up-and-coming canary in the industry’s proverbial coal mine (“As fans, we may just have to resign ourselves to the idea that rap has become beholden to the Hollywood model, where stars do one lame blockbuster pic in order to do the daring independent film for no money”). I agree wholeheartedly with Weiss’ assessment, which is to say that I’ve found that Attention Deficit can be a very enjoyable record when approached with a realistic set of expectations. My review of the album can be found at PopMatters. While not nearly as relevant as Weiss’, it does come Raymond Roker approved.

Nov 11 2009

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