It was his first song to ever be played on local radio. Wale's first recording was called "Rhyme of the Century". He is the cousin of actor Gbenga Akinnagbe, best known as Chris Partlow on HBO's The Wire. Wale's love of the game of football and the Washington Redskins has led to a longstanding rumor that Wale had a tattoo of tight end Chris Cooley. Wale attended Robert Morris University and Virginia State University on football scholarships, then transferred to Bowie State University but dropped out due to academic reasons. He graduated from Quince Orchard High School in Gaithersburg, Maryland in 2002 and later moved to Largo, Maryland in Prince George's County. Wale's family first lived in Northwest, Washington, DC before moving to Montgomery County when Wale was 10. His parents are of the Yoruba ethnic group of southwestern Nigeria and came to the United States from Austria in 1979. Wale, a Nigerian American, was born Olubowale Victor Akintimehin in Northwest, Washington, D.C. on September 21, 1984. His third studio album, The Gifted was released on Jto mainly positive reviews, and a Number 1 debut on the Billboard 200Įarly life and career beginnings His second studio album, Ambition was released November 1, 2011, with mixed reviews. In early 2011 Wale signed on with Rick Ross' Maybach Music Group, where members of the label released a compilation album, Self Made Vol. The album, although under-shipped, received positive reviews from critics. In 2008, Wale signed to Interscope Records for $1.3 million, and his debut album Attention Deficit was released in 2009 with the singles " Chillin", " Pretty Girls", and " World Tour". While signed to that label, Wale released several mixtapes and appeared in national media including MTV and various urban magazines. Producer Mark Ronsondiscovered Wale in 2006 and signed him to Allido Records in 2007. Wale became locally recognized and continued recording music for the regional audience. He rose to prominence in 2006, when his song "Dig Dug (Shake It)" became popular in his hometown.
Olubowale Victor Akintimehin (born on September 21, 1984), better known by his stage name Wale ( / ˈ w ɔː l eɪ / waw-lay), is an American rapper from Washington, D.C.