wilsonblog: An addiction to being as clever as possible is becoming both Wale’s downfall and his calling card. When he focuses on a single story or issue, like he did on “The Kramer” or does here, on “Friends N Strangers,” narrating a relationship drama that ends in a paternity test, he makes a case for being the best conscious-rapper out there, if that term still applies. But moments of focus are rare. Too often, Wale’d rather be funny. “The Eyes of Tiger” bills itself as a first-person exploration of the Tiger Woods tabloid fiasco — hinting at the interracial taboos the story tugged at and ESPN’s fair-weather patronization — but the most memorable moment of the song is when Wale raps in Tiger’s voice about “all the pedicures I’ve given to their camel toes.” My former PopMatters colleague, Wilson McBee, takes Wale’s More About Nothing mixtape for a spin and in so doing, pinpoints precisely why the rapper’s recent output has felt so hollow. To borrow Nitsuh Abebe’s classroom analogy, Wale is that kid in the back of the class who could effortlessly ace the exams, if only he wasn’t too busy trying to be the class clown. It’s that sense of wasted potential, I think, that has made Wale such a frustrating artist to root for recently. More please, Wilson!

wilsonblog:

An addiction to being as clever as possible is becoming both Wale’s downfall and his calling card. When he focuses on a single story or issue, like he did on “The Kramer” or does here, on “Friends N Strangers,” narrating a relationship drama that ends in a paternity test, he makes a case for being the best conscious-rapper out there, if that term still applies. But moments of focus are rare. Too often, Wale’d rather be funny. “The Eyes of Tiger” bills itself as a first-person exploration of the Tiger Woods tabloid fiasco — hinting at the interracial taboos the story tugged at and ESPN’s fair-weather patronization — but the most memorable moment of the song is when Wale raps in Tiger’s voice about “all the pedicures I’ve given to their camel toes.”

My former PopMatters colleague, Wilson McBee, takes Wale’s More About Nothing mixtape for a spin and in so doing, pinpoints precisely why the rapper’s recent output has felt so hollow. To borrow Nitsuh Abebe’s classroom analogy, Wale is that kid in the back of the class who could effortlessly ace the exams, if only he wasn’t too busy trying to be the class clown. It’s that sense of wasted potential, I think, that has made Wale such a frustrating artist to root for recently. More please, Wilson!

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  1. mehan reblogged this from wilsonblog and added:
    My former PopMatters colleague, Wilson McBee, takes...a spin and in so doing, pinpoints...
  2. wilsonblog posted this