Wale performs at the Patriot Center

Wale performed at the Patriot Center on Thursday September 21 (Photo courtesy of sound-savvy.com)

Wale, Washington D.C.’s hip-hop golden boy, visited the Patriot Center Thursday, September 20. Even after signing under Miami-based Maybach music group and producer Rick Ross, Wale continues to stick close to his hometown by performing regularly around the D.C., Maryland, and Northern Virginia area. Wale’s performance on Thursday was the only stop in the DMV area. 

His first few steps on stage were greeted by roaring applause from all sides of the stadium. Wale simply responded back with one of the singles from his newest album “Ambition,” now available in stores and on iTunes.

The performance was a mixture of Wale's newer material as well as singles from his first album “Attention Deficit,” released back in 2009. Wale’s music is known for it’s go-go music influence, a local brand of music comprised of bongo drums and electric guitar which is infused with a bass-heavy hip-hop essence.

Like his music, Wale broke away from hip-hop during his performance at the Patriot Center Thursday. During the performance, he cut the distraction for an instrumental and spoken word of poetry comprised of an abundance of loose metaphors about his experience growing up in the D.C. area and his life.

Combining various elements with his high energy and stage presence, Wale was able to provide his audience with an entertaining show. Attending a Wale concert is an experience in itself not experienced simply by listening to his album.

The concert ended with the crowd begging for more and singing along to the songs, a sure sign that his performance was well received. For two hours, the Patriot Center was full of motion not only musically, but physically through their dancing.

This marked the second time that Wale performed at George Mason. He previously performed as part of Homecoming Week back in 2009. However, this time the stage was much bigger, rather than the small space in Dewberry Hall that Wale occupied before. Wale performed one encore before the crowd was released at 10pm on Thursday.