D.C. rapper Wale proves that he is aware of the potential pitfalls an underground MC faces in the game. Like his 2009 album, “Attention Deficit,” Wale uses his love for the hit 90s sitcom, “Seinfeld” as inspiration. Wale cleverly uses excerpts from the popular sitcom without being too gimmicky.  Even though you will crack a smile while listening to Wale’s latest work, “More About Nothing” does show Wale emerging from the “cool guy” to a thinker.

Besides the hit songs on the mixtape, the thing that stood out to me was his usage of lesser known DJs – DJ Omega and Kosmik. Even though we’ve first heard of them on Wale’s previous mixtape, “The Mixtape About Nothing”, let’s be honest, have you heard anything about DJ Omega and Kosmik since? I didn’t think so. Together, they produced “The Problem,” “The Trip (Downtown),” and my favorite track on the mixtape, “The Black N Gold.” “The Black N Gold” is my favorite since it shows classic Wale, a goofy guy, who can spit hot lines for days, but still make a club banger.

We see Wale’s maturation (lyrically) on tracks such as “The Power” feat Avery Storm and “The War.” While listening to these songs, any hip hop fan would eventually figure out there’s an inevitable comparison between Wale and Lupe Fiasco.

Sure, “Attention Deficit” wasn’t a worldwide smash like people would’ve liked, but what doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger. On “More About Nothing,” we definitely see a stronger MC in Wale. In the end, I enjoyed listening to this mixtape. After all, wasn’t it the most anticipated mixtape of the summer?

- Afriyie “Free” Amankwaa
“The Summer Special” “The Free Experience”