Olubowale Victor Akintimehin, better known as Wale, was born in Northwest, Washington, D.C. and raised in various parts of the DMV (graduating from Quince Orchard High School). Now, he and Nike are collaborating for a DMV version of a shoe many say the area is responsible for putting on the map– the Air Foamposite One (video available below).
Per DTLR, “Nike’s roots in Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia run deep. Known colloquially as the DMV, this cluster of east-coast States is at least partially responsible for putting some now-ubiquitous Nike silhouettes on the map, including various Nike boots, the Air Force 1, and, of course, the Air Foamposite One.” On August 23, the new shoe, known as the DMV Air Foamposite One, will be released at various DMV area retailers.
Wale’s parents were both Nigeria and came from Austria to the United States in 1979. Wale’s family first lived in the Brightwood neighborhood of Northwest, Washington, DC and then moved to Montgomery County, MD when Wale was 10. In 2002, he graduated from Quince Orchard High School in Gaithersburg, but also attended the Mark Twain School on Avery Rd in Rockville for part of high school before moving to Largo in Prince George’s County.
According to Apple Music, Wale dropped out of college to pursue music full-time, eventually landing a deal with producer Mark Ronson’s Allido Records in 2007 and Interscope Records a year later. A string of mixtapes found the rapper grappling with morality in both everyday life and early stardom—most notably on 2008’s Seinfeld-inspired The Mixtape About Nothing—and earned him a diehard fanbase ahead of his 2009 debut album, Attention Deficit. During his ascent amid the peak of hip-hop’s blog era, Wale offered catchy melodies and bars speckled with pop-culture references on songs like the Lady Gaga-featuring “Chillin” and Waka Flocka Flame’s 2010 club hit “No Hands”—and he could then pivot to reveal a more vulnerable, thoughtful side with vivid, prose-like lyrics. In 2011, Wale moved to Rick Ross’ Maybach Music Group, adding a dually conscious and dance-ready vibe to an otherwise street-focused roster. But whatever label he’s on, Wale consistently produces multidimensional releases, steering clear of predictability with woman-praising, rap-meets-R&B ballads like the Miguel-assisted “Lotus Flower Bomb,” and “The Matrimony” alongside Usher. With richer sounds and more honest insights into mental-health and social issues (“Expectations,” “Love Me Nina / Semiautomatic,” “Sue Me”) on 2019’s Wow… That’s Crazy, Wale has continued to dig deeper—and encourage his fans to do the same.
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