Lyrics A- Beats B+ Flow B- Originality B+ Overall B-
The internet was blazing on Wednesday August 17 when DC’s Wale released his latest mixtape The Eleven One Eleven Theory. Being one of hip hops most popular tweeters, Wale promised he would release this mixtape once his Twitter account gained 1 million followers. His fans flocked like vultures to a corpse causing web sites to crash due to way too many downloads of the mixtape at once.
This mixtape is very important to Wale’s career for a number of reasons. For one, this is Wale’s solo debut since being signed to Rick Ross’s Maybach Music Imprint. A move that was questionable, yet interesting since Wale and Ross make completely different music. Another factor that makes this mixtape significant is that Wale’s album Ambition drops November 11 (Hence the name of mixtape). This release not only lets fans see Wale’s direction, but also sets the bar for his album, being that none of these songs made the cut.
DC’s Own Wale
The mixtape begins with Wale doing one of his familiar spoken word numbers which is a good sign. This is evidence that Ross is letting Wale still be himself. The mixtape has a variety of topics as expected. The first few songs are impressive and display Wale’s growth since his MMG merge. He shows off an array of different flows and deliveries that require a few listens because at first try, one might miss a few lines. This project has guest appearances from comedians and interludes from an array of interesting and highly respected figures. From front to back this mixtape is compelling and fun. Chain Music produced by Tone P, is the first song that will catch your attention. It has a Ross quoted chorus ushered by Wale sharing his views of the groupies while explaining why he chooses to glorify the material things from time to time, “Cause where I’m from ain’t no love for no broke n****s!” Barry Sanders is another unique track produced by T.I.’s go-to guy DJ Toomp. Wale raps on this beat with perfection showing his skill of consistently staying on topic, dropping lines like “P***y be all one me/ we too young to be Romancin’/ My n*****s never block/ I think I’m Barry Sanders,” displaying his knowledge of sports. Let’s Chill featuring Lloyd is definitely Wale’s niche as a rapper. He is one of Hip Hop’s elite when it comes to rapping to women. While Lloyd is no stranger to the ladies either, he complements the song perfectly by ad-libbing Wale’s lines and killing the hook. Varsity Blues is a very original track complete with a harmonic chorus and a great filling beat by Tone P. It has an intro with news clips from the arrest of former football standouts Maurice Clarett, Jamarcus Russel, and the late Len Bias who was drafted by the Boston Celtics then died of heart problems after smoking crack. Wale holds your attention hostage the whole song using those reports as analogies in relation to his topics of going from top to bottom and the state of corruption in college sports. He ends the track perfectly with a few bars summing up the whole song, “Just remember how that winning taste/just in case a n****a never see that thrill again.”
Out of 20 songs it’s hard to pick out the best. That’s a good sign because when an artist has such a wide variety of music on one mixtape, it puts the listener in a position where they can play different songs for different moods. The production on this album didn’t have too many big names, so if the album does well, it will surely be incredible. Wale seems to finally be reaching his potential as an artist and does not seem to be hiding under Rick Ross’ umbrella. With November being around the corner, Wale has given his fans a great reason to expect a spectacular effort prior to the release of his much anticipated sophomore effort. This mixtape will definitely make do till then.
LISTEN AND DOWNLOAD HERE http://www.livemixtapes.com/mixtapes/14478/wale_the_eleven_one_eleven_theory.html
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