The Official Wale Thread: Ambitions in Stores 11.1.11

[checks mcgee]

havent gotten around to the album
but double m genius

 

[jking0821]

Originally Posted by iCan

DMV stand up. 

Haven't heard album yet....but will be purchasing today after work.  Respect to Wale

 

[alex2182]

Originally Posted by Peep Game

I haven't even listened to this yet but already know it's better than Lasers and Rolling Papers.
Just based on the producers Wale has available to him alone it should be better than those.

It depends what you basing off of, no question this production wise is better than both but Lupe lyrically took a step down and still made an album with more substance and variety.

 

[jrdnkiks213]

After a couple of listens, I like the album but can't help but think how much better it could've been.  I'm not sure if it's due to the track listing order or if songs like Bad Girls Club, Bait, Tatts On My Arms were excluded from the regular version.

Sabotage and White Linen (Coolin') are cool, but I wouldn't have minded if Ambitious Girl II or even Let's Chill took either of those slots.


Don't Hold Your Applause
DC or Nothin'
Double M Genius
Miami Nights
Legendary
Ambition
Bait
Chain Music
Bad Girls Club
Focused
Lotus Flower Bomb
Slight Work
Illest B*tch
Let's Chill / Sabotage
Ambitious Girl II
No Days Off
That Way (Bonus)
Best Night Ever (Bonus)
Tats On My Arms (Bonus)


I'm partial to 11.1.11 Theory...so I'm guessing that's why I would've loved to have seen some of those tracks on the official album.  I'll still go out and buy the album though.

 

[downyboy]

As expected, beats come correct, wale just doesn't do it for me. Tries too hard to be deep lyrically. I do see a couple songs on here that I'll play often like with his previous albums and mixtapes.

 

[streetballa2311]

Originally Posted by jrdnkiks213

After a couple of listens, I like the album but can't help but think how much better it could've been.  I'm not sure if it's due to the track listing order or if songs like Bad Girls Club, Bait, Tatts On My Arms were excluded from the regular version.

Sabotage and White Linen (Coolin') are cool, but I wouldn't have minded if Ambitious Girl II or even Let's Chill took either of those slots.


Don't Hold Your Applause
DC or Nothin'
Double M Genius
Miami Nights
Legendary
Ambition
Bait
Chain Music
Bad Girls Club
Focused
Lotus Flower Bomb
Slight Work
Illest B*tch
Let's Chill / Sabotage
Ambitious Girl II
No Days Off
That Way (Bonus)
Best Night Ever (Bonus)
Tats On My Arms (Bonus)


I'm partial to 11.1.11 Theory...so I'm guessing that's why I would've loved to have seen some of those tracks on the official album.  I'll still go out and buy the album though.

I completely agree with you.. that new song he has on the album with lloyd is garbage to me.. lets chill would of been 20 times better i had lets chill on repeat for the longest but yea.. smh

 

[lbj23navo]

Solid album.. Wasn't feeling the songs Sabotage, White Linen, & Slight Work. I don't understand how Bad Girls Club didn't make it but these 3 songs did.. He def could have thrown in some tracks off the Eleven One Eleven theory mixtape instead of those 3 too. 
Standout tracks for me are Double M Genius, Miami Nights, Legendary, LFB, Chain Music, Focused, & Ambition 

Overall I'm satisfied with the album.

 

[rhester]

Bought it today and listened for the 1st time as well....
Ya'll already know I like it

...
Definitely is better than Attention Deficit.

 

[bossplaya0625]

"Legendary" on repeat

 

[gone in 60 seconds]

Double M Genious has been on repeat since Saturday

Went on an hour long drive repeating it over & over.

I like AD better though...

 

[dimez81]

I am about to listen to this again and but this time on my beats studio and see if it grows on me to give it the benefit of doubt.

 

[playoff12]

Just got back from Best Buy. Gonna give it a listen later on tonight.

 

[leftfieldgreen]

those that preordered did your album come in today?
can't wait to listen to this

 

[Remy LeBeau]

Originally Posted by Nikekidwonder


I think this reminds to be wale's best body of work :

Hopefully he can finally out do it on his next album  

Best piece of work he's created

 

[toast1985]

See, what trips me out when I read threads like this, is the fact that you guys have literally mentioned every track on the album on the last 2 pages. I would seriously encourage every reader from this point to click the [x] and listen to the album thoroughly before coming to a fair conclusion.

The verdict is still out for me now. The songs I can't stand may be on the top of my itunes top 25 at the end of the year, and the songs I'm playing more often may not see a spin past Thursday.

 

[oreomamba21]

Lotus Flower Bomb

 

[rhester]

Illest B**** might just have the best beat on the album, damn.

 

[skip0011]

Originally Posted by jermz101

By the way anybody went to the boston show lasy night? I got shouted out for my NT shirt, like a bawse

i was looking over trying to see who he was talking to 

that was a sick show though. got pretty wild with the champagne poppin'

 

[jermz101]

Originally Posted by Skip0011

Originally Posted by jermz101

By the way anybody went to the boston show lasy night? I got shouted out for my NT shirt, like a bawse

i was looking over trying to see who he was talking to 

that was a sick show though. got pretty wild with the champagne poppin'

ha yeah that was me, couldnt miss me real tall i had a big fro (didnt get it braided) ...i was happy as hell that champagne missed me

  

 

[extraordinary swag]

take out all the songs with R&B features and I would love this album

, but with them it's a generous 7/10. Production way better than AD though, I'll give him that

 

[al audi]

dont like what im reading in here

guess ill pass

 

[sportsjunkie]

I think the album is madd nice. Ambition is a good album. Just my opinion

 

[thegrimm]

[h1][/h1]

[h1]A CAUTIONARY RAP TALE: How Wale Went From Mixtape Darling To Commercial Dud[/h1]
Kevin Lincoln | Nov. 2, 2011, 11:16 AM | 118| 3

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If you're looking for a case study in the pratfalls of the new music industry, search no further than Washington, D.C. rapper Wale, who released his sophomore album "Ambition" yesterday.

Since his earliest mixtape work, Wale has shown himself to be a talented rapper who can't write hooks, and his major label efforts are frictionless affairs that slide by in boring competence.

But let's start from the beginning.

In 2007, Wale broke out with the mixtape "100 Miles and Running," and he followed that with the equally impressive "The Mixtape About Nothing" in 2008. Both tapes showcased a formidable wit and sophisticated flow — and don't think that "Seinfeld" reference wasn't irresistible to rap bloggers.

So, the D.C. boy, the one who still pays homage to his hometown's go-go music, blew up nationwide, signing with Interscope Records. That proved little consolation when his tepid, confusing debut album, 2009's "Attention: Deficit," had a disastrous first week, moving only 28,000 units and missing the top 20 amid accusations that it was undershipped and abandoned by the label.

Eventually fleeing Interscope for Rick Ross' Maybach Music Group, Wale had learned the hard way that convincing listeners to buy an album has a degree of difficulty far greater than feeding them a free mixtape, even for a blog darling.

He changed tactics in the run-up to "Ambition," partnering with music downloading site Hulkshare to advertise the LP after he crashed the site's servers with mixtape "The Eleven One Eleven Theory." Now, "Ambition" touches down to the sound of crickets, and it looks like Wale might repeat this whole ordeal again.

Despite topping the iTunes charts, chatter surrounding "Ambition" has been minimal. In switching to Ross' label, Wale surrounded himself with rappers who are all better than him at MMG's brand of rap — forceful, shuddering bangers paired with poignant storytelling.

Rick Ross has more charisma in his beard than Wale does in his entire body, up-and-coming Philadelphia rapper Meek Mill has settled in as Ross' right-hand man and Ohio import Stalley seems to be the designated backpacker.

That means Wale's left without a role, again, and you can hear that confusion on his new album.

Devoid of character, "Ambition" flaunts Wale's technical ability and not much else. Other than on "Legendary," where a middle-ground is finally achieved between MMG's menace and his mixtapes' city-at-night insouciance, the beats fall flat around Wale's schizophrenia.

With a solid base of listeners but little radio presence, Wale's closest recent precedent appears to be the deplorable Big Sean, who appears on "Ambition" track "Work" and, like Wale, counts himself among the coterie of a rap titan, in this case Kanye West's G.O.O.D. Music. Sean sold 87,000 copies of "Finally Famous" during its first week of release in June, and that number probably represents the ceiling for "Ambition."

If "Ambition" doesn't touch the top ranks of the Billboard charts — which, without a major single, is certainly possible — Wale will have another failure on his hands, this time for MMG and Warner Bros. Hopefully, tweets from LeBron and Ochocinco translate into album sales, but don't count on it.


[h1][/h1]

[h1]Wale’s ‘Ambition’ is catchy but not a standout performance[/h1]

Josh Sisk/FOR THE WASHINGTON POST - Wale onstage at Yardfest Music festival at Howard University.

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[h3]By Chris Richards, Published: October 31[/h3]

[article=""]
Wale is on the up and up and up.

“Bait,
[/article]

 

[al audi]

son gonna be cryin

 

[franchise3]

Agree with the articles but disagree about 87k being his ceiling. He'll do 100-125k at least first week.