So Wale dropped my favorite song from his Attention Deficit album. “Diary,” which features another of my favorite artists, Marsha Ambrosius is a ballad to a scorned young woman whose past experiences have turned her heart cold. This is definitely my brand of hip-hop, soulful and emotion provoking. Ambrosius nails the chorus with her passionate vocals and Wale’s spoken word portion at the end of the track kills it.
Check it out…
Ok. So it wasn’t a club. It was a concert.
But still.
My personal experiences last night at the Wale/K’Naan concert presented more evidence for the Prosecution in the case of Old Age vs. SBG.
I decided to go to the concert solo, because no one in my immediate circle is as huge a Wale fan as I am and thus would’ve put a damper on my experience. I wanted to completely wild out without worrying if anyone else was having a good time. Plus, I knew that I’d run into at least ten people that I knew at the show so I felt pretty safe in my decision. This was my first time attending a concert by myself but I figured I’d be so hopped up on adrenaline for the show that I wouldn’t mind the lack of close company.
I’m one of those people who falls in love with a new song and becomes rather obsessive about it.
Music is such a big deal for me, hip-hop especially. I’m always listening for the rapper who can provide a perfect balance. Intellectual without being too cerebral. Can display vulnerability and sincerity without being too “emo.” Witty punchlines, story telling, range of content, a strong delivery and personality are all a must. Can’t be too commercial or too “underground” either. Most of all, I need to be able to emotionally connect to the music.
I blogged last year about how Wale is my favorite rapper. For me, he is one of those rare Perfect Balance artists. I’ll be attending my second concert of his on Tuesday when his tour stops in Cleveland.
He dropped what he called a “love song” on Twitter last night. He always hits the nail on the head with his relationship songs (my favorites being Goodbye and The Grown Up) and this one does not disappoint. The sample of Stevie Wonder’s “All I Do” just adds to its dopeness.
So last night as I listened to the new Wale mixtape (Back to the Feature, the dopeness of which will be described over at Hip-Hop Connoisseurs) I was sending my fan feedback to Wale’s Twitter page. People often complain that he doesn’t reply to fans, though I never faulted him for it because I ignore tweets all the time. I’m sure I don’t get nearly as many tweets as he does, so hey. It is what it is. So anyway, I’m telling Wale’s Twitter how much I LOVE the new mixtape, giving my opinion on the standout tracks, just doing my job as a fan. Well somewhere between 3am and 4am, what should pop up in my twitter feed…
There are few words that can describe the quickened pace of my heart and the Kool-Aid smile this Tweet inspired. People get on me about this all of the time, but when I appreciate an artists’ work, I am a fan. So in that moment I felt like the Queen of Twitter. Nevermind that Wale’s a 24 year old guy who just so happens to rap well and I’m damn near 26 and an internet magazine editor who should be able to not go giddy in the presence of stars. Eff all that. In that moment, I was a silly smiling fan elated over two sentences directed at me from my favorite rapper.
A lot of people think that their favorite artists “owe” them contact, or a piece of themselves. Especially on Twitter where they’re so easily accessible. I actually disagree. To me, the artists’ gift is the work. Me expressing my appreciation of said work is my personal thank you for their creation. After that, I don’t believe that an artist owes me anything. So for me to receive that Twitter shout? Made my night. And I told him so.
Though now I admit I’m a little nervous that he actually reads my updates about him. Don’t want to come off crazy or stalkerish. But I spend 8 hours of my day in front of a computer listening to music and I tweet my thoughts, so yeah, he comes up a lot because I listen to him a lot. But I’ve got to watch it. Don’t want to scare the poor guy. Lol.
That is all. Another dope moment in the Life & Times of Robin Monique…
Just a girl with a writing habit, using a blog to share my stories and passions. These are the tales, interests, and observations of the quiet nerd in the corner of the bookstore; the professional woman strutting down the street in slacks clutching her Blackberry; the dork in bed by 9pm on a Saturday night; and the B-girl in the middle of the dance floor getting down in her sensible shoes. Welcome to the world of The Skinny Black Girl.
