The Beast of the Beltway Returns
Wale returned this week with a new track off his upcoming Mixtape About Nothing called “Back In The Go Go”. It’s less polished than “Nike Boots” and some of his other offerings, but it features what might be his best lyrics yet and rocks a go go beat that’s so quintessentially DC I can’t not love it. And just as “Nike Boots” soundtracked the Redskins amazing run into the playoffs last winter, “Back In The Go Go” has arrived just in time to coincide with another improbable late-season surge for DC sports, with the Capitals looking to complete a miraculous run from last place in the Eastern Conference into a #3 seed playoff birth with one game remaining and the Wizards also looking to lock down a playoff spot with Gilbert Arenas back in the lineup for the first time in months. Wale even shouts out Caps superstar Alex Ovechkin on “Go Go”: “Doin’ it for the Capital, Wale Ovechkin”, the first and possibly only NHL reference in hip-hop history.
MP3: “Back In The Go Go” (ft. Bun B & Pusha T) – Wale
There’s also a new unofficial Wale mixtape, The Beast of the Beltway, in circulation, compiled by London-via-NoVa mash-up artist DJ Maf and featuring rare/unreleased Wale cuts and some truly absurd mash-ups. We’ll focus on the mashes then, as DJ Maf has chosen some pretty flawless material to work with. First, there’s “Dangerous Girls”, which takes the rap from Wale’s “Good Girls” and transposes it over a slowed-down version of Danger’s “11h30”. But the real jam is “W.A.L.E.F.R.I.E.N.D.S.”, which follows in the footsteps of Wale’s “D.A.N.C.E.” bootleg, combining “Ice Cream Girl” with – what else? – “We Are Your Friends” with phenomenal results.
MP3: “Dangerous Girls” – Wale vs Danger
MP3: “W.A.L.E.F.R.I.E.N.D.S.” – Wale vs Justice
Finally, the most exciting news of all might be the announcement that Wale’s much-hyped remix of “D.A.N.C.E.” will be seeing an official release this month, complete with a So-Me inspired (directed?) music video and everything. Check these two brief clips (here and here) from the official video and start getting very, very excited.
TONIGHT: FRESH PRINTS TAKEOVER PULSE
Come to the Redstar in Camberwell Green tonight to see Fresh Prints obliterate the dancefloor. I haven’t heard of any of the other acts, but I do know Fresh Prints are going to ROCK shit. Guaranteed.
April 4th, 2008 at 9:35 am
Rumor on the street is that Fresh Prints Slay for quarters…I also heard they cop dome during their DJ Sets
April 4th, 2008 at 2:46 pm
To be fair, Lil’ Wayne talks about ‘puttin niggas on ice like the Maple Leafs’ on one of the tracks on ‘Da Drought 3′.
And I’ll be damned if someone on the West Coast hasn’t made a ‘Los Angeles Kings’ reference.
So there.
April 4th, 2008 at 5:37 pm
Damn, someone beat me to pointing out Lil’ Wayne’s Maple Leafs ref.
April 5th, 2008 at 3:19 am
Psycho Fag? Is that Psycho Fags in Binbags? I know him and a few of his entourage, say hi for me
April 9th, 2008 at 2:35 am
“The Chase, Part II” by A Tribe Called Quest. Fife Dog rhymes, “I’ll skate on your crew like Mario Lemieux.”
April 17th, 2008 at 12:40 am
on a Takeover freestyle, Cam’ron says “round ice i’m as nice as gretzky”
May 10th, 2008 at 1:36 am
Enjoyable to say the least~! I feel the F.R.I.E.N.D.S. is much better than the D.A.N.C.E.