Guest Blogger: Sharmarke I2

Wale Victor Folarin was born in September 2, 1984. He is a hip/hop, R & B, and rap artist. Wale was born in Washington D.C. He was born to Nigerian parents in the United States. Wale’s parents moved stateside so he can get education in Quince Orchard High School in Gaithersburg. He went to a lot of different schools in the city of Maryland. Wale was a good football player and also played for his school. He used football scholarships to get into Robert Morris University and Virginia State University; he then switched over to Bowie State University. He then dropped out of Bowie State University. Wale tried out a music career in the late 2000s. He recorded his first song "Rhyme of the Century”. He signed with a local label in 2006. In 2008, Wale signed a risky deal with Ronson's Allido Records and Interscope. Wale signed with those labels instead of huge labels like Def Jam and Atlantic Records. He then started going to work and recording tracks. "Attention Deficit” was his first label debut. It came out to be a success for Wale Folarin. His tracks earned the 21st spot on Billboard Hot 200 chart on its first week of sale. Wale has support from big name rappers like Jay Z and Lil Wayne. Wale is currently signed with MMG, with rappers like Rick Ross, Meek Mill, and Omarion. His label has had major success in the rap game making them one of the hottest artists out there. So far Ambition is Wale’s highest selling album, which sold about 164,000 copies in his first week. It came in second spot on the Billboard 200. This was because of Justin Bieber’s Christmas album that came in first place. Wale is a terrific rapper that I admire listening to. I have bought his albums in the past and think it’s worth checking out. Some of his songs tells about the struggles he went through to get on top.