Washington D.C.’s free local lefty journal, the “City Paper,” is on stands today with the cover you see above. That’s right, former D.C. resident Andrew Nosnitsky has penned a piece on Wale as of “Ambition,” titling his report “#WaleFlail.” Noz is disappointed with Mr. Folarin; his critique is borderline scathing, heavily sardonic. He articulates the DMV’s letdown, enumerating why everyone hates Wale. It’s true: Wale is doubly revered and despised by the District, but not for the music-critic reasons Noz suggests. D.C. is so territorial and heterogeneous that it’s nearly impossible to unite under one rapper, as has been proven time and time again. But that’s another story.
Noz takes his typical approach, omniscient of all things industry, but to paint that as D.C.’s opinion is an exaggeration. It’s certainly ballsy of the “City Paper” to grant him the cover. But good for him; he’s not wrong, and you will certainly find yourself agreeing with a lot of what he has to say, but Noz is a Jersey boy, let’s get that straight.
But to listen to Wale’s second album, it’s pretty clear he isn’t moving beyond that growth. And it’s easy to guess why. Hip-hop is afflicted by straw-man arguments: The myth of the anonymous hater has made rappers like Wale feel impervious to critique. Each “broke hater” that comes out of the woodwork to say something negative puts more distance between him and any perceived culpability for his past failures. “Critic apologies are rare but they are my trophies,” Wale recently Tweet-ranted. In other words, he expects his audience to apologize for his bad record.
Because Wale’s definitely not an artist who was blessed with an opportunity that most would only dream of, who sorta screwed it up, and who was then given an even less likely second chance. He’s a heaven-chosen born superstar, and anybody who says otherwise, even constructively, has affronted this divinity.
Read the full story here.
You might also like
More from News
A Great Night In Hip-Hop. Paying Tribute to Hip-Hop’s Most Iconic Photo at Fotografiska NY
Please join XXL veteran journalists and contributors on May 9, 2023 — Sheena Lester, Datwon Thomas, Bonsu Thompson, Larry Hester, …
SLAUGHTERHOUSE Exclusive! Throwback to The Movement!
RESPECT. Exclusive! Assassination Day! Shady Records’ Slaughterhouse Counts down to The Release of Welcome to Our House. [Straight From The Crate...Originally Captured for RESPECT. …
BREAKING NEWS: MIGOS Legend TAKEOFF Murdered In Houston.
RESPECT. sends its condolences to the entire MIGOS family and relatives of Takeoff regarding the tragedy of his murder at …
