Wale

Wale // Drake // KiD CuDi bring in the new class for GQ’s 2009 Man of the Year issue. Single men in the laundromat... According to GQ, these three dudes have come in and murdered Gangsta Hip-Hop. Really??? Hardly Gangsta Killers, peep the pages [CLICK HERE]

GQ: Have you been listening to hip-hop this year/ If not, we’ve got good news: The gangster persona is finally dead, and these are the kids who killed it. One song at a time, they build a new era in which duct-taped kilos, exotic firearms, and freaky girls are out and real life is the focus. That can still mean trumped-up egos and battle raps, but it also means family drama, vicious hangovers, and regular chicks who will make good love to you, then stomp out your heart. (Weed? Weed is always in. ) Wale is as famous for his live shows as for the slick-witted lyricism of his debut Attention Deficit. Kid Cudi is the cut up who scored with the stoner anthem “Day N Nite” and his album Man on the Moon. And then there’s Drake, who found himself turning down multimillion-dollar offers after his single “Best I Ever Had” exploded. (It helps that the girls like Drake. A lot.) Drake’s debut, Thank Me Later, is easily the most anticipated album of 2010.

So what do these underdogs think about being cast as gangster slayers? “The dope boy is going to be a fixture of black culture as long as ‘thug’ is a legitimate option alongside ‘job,’” Drake says. “But I’m not going to rap about how much crack I’ve sold.” Cudi also laughs at the idea of talking tough. “Anybody from Cleveland will tell you I wasn’t in the streets,” he says. “Ask them, They’ll say. ‘Scott was the goofy class clown.’ “

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iHipHop had the opportunity to sit down with freshman phenom, Wale, last week in Chicago. The rapper discussed how his direct line of communication with Jay-Z has given him a leg up in business type situations. He also cited Jay’s advice as allowing him to maintain a certain amount of normalcy in the fast paced hip-hop world. Wale delves into the rapid evolution of the DC hip hop scene, and what the fans can expect from his début album on Alido/Interscope “Attention Deficit”.

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