Welcome to younghollywood. com. What's up, Young Hollywood? It's Michelle Marie and I'm here hanging out with Wale. Now, last time I saw you was when we were at the album cover shoot for Attention Deficit. Your music has just been creating so much buzz out there. How do you feel about the response so far?

I'm excited about it, you know what I'm saying? Like right now, I'm at the level where the taste makers get it. And they got it for two years. And you know, there's another level. I don't know what to call the after-taste makers. Then there's a third level of like the the mainstream. And that's what I'm trying to break. I'm breaking into that right now, so.

How do you feel about the success that you've had since I've seen you?

Um, I'm never really satisfied. I mean, I think I know I got a long way to go, and I don't consider myself a really a mainstream artist at this point. I'm still on the on the way.

Now, what can your fans expect? I know that you have some collaborations with Attention Deficit.

Uh, you know, we got Bun B on there, uh, K-Nine. We got production from Dave Setec and Mark Ronson and The Neptunes. You know, I think you can expect just a lot of emotion, like deep too.

You were the house band at the VMAs. You were on the VH1 Hip Hop Honors. I mean, you've really shown the way that you can really just capture the audience, and a huge audience, especially with the VMAs. I mean, that has to have been one of the best experiences you've had.

It was amazing, man. There was a lot of pressure, but you know, it was a lot of fun because I was up there with UCB and there was good camaraderie amongst all the people that I performed with, because we would rehearse together, so it was natural. It wasn't really like everything felt like, oh, we're just going to have some fun. You know, American Rejects, we're just talking, laughing in the back and I and Kid Cudi, all all we've been good friends for a quite some time, so.

You've really proved yourself. I mean, you carried the show the whole way. Everybody commended you for that. You're on tour with the godfather of hip hop. You're with Jay-Z right now. I mean, you guys have had a long relationship and you are very close with him. And being with him has to be just amazing.

It's an experience, man. I get to learn a lot directly and indirectly, you know? And and you know, I get to see him in different environments and and see like how he manages, you know? And I you know, I I had a very important like a moving conversation with him. It really like changed my outlook on this, and like, you know, I I walk sometimes and I'm I'm like on my way to certain things and I'm and I start complaining. I'm like, "I'm tired, dog." But after that, like, that conversation I had with him. He he took his glasses off. He looked at me and said something. And I was just like Wow.

Talk about longevity. Jay-Z's just been around forever and it's not just his music, but it's it's his whole being. Has he given you any advice, you know, as an artist, on how to, you know, keep your name out there and and stay true to yourself and your fans?

You I mean, I think he's taught everybody from example. We're all we're all children, like myself, Drake, Cudi and like a lot of the other MCs, we're all children of that era. Right. Of Jay, Biggie, you know, Nas. So now you're starting to see the next breed of of MC, like myself, Kid Cudi, and Bob, and and guys like that.

Well, people are comparing you to Jay-Z saying that you're the next Jay-Z. That's got to like that's got to stick with you. I mean, how do you feel when you hear people tell you that?

Um, you know, my my music is totally different. You know, but at the at the same time, there's a certain honesty in it and there's a certain integrity that we keep in our music, so um, it's very similar in that sense. Um, you know, I I'm coming in the game by myself as he did uh And you know, a lot of people weren't too familiar with him, even though you felt like you were supposed to be, you weren't. You know, and a lot of people aren't familiar with me. I could still walk down the street and like 90% of people don't know who I am, so I'm I'm still got a lot of work to do. But I think it's almost better that way, because

Absolutely.

Do you know what I mean?

Absolutely.

I I mean, I would I still like to go to the grocery store and and get a get some Oodles and Noodles like without anybody, you know what I mean? So,

Twitter, is that your number one priority with the fans?

I mean, it's it's my only means of getting to them. You know, or or the shows. I try to run in the in the crowd a lot, no matter how big the venue is. This is pretty much my life, you know? Um, pretty much. Nothing more, nothing less.

How many hours do you spend on Twitter?

No, I mean, I just feel like laying down and like, but I don't want to feel like a complete like lazy person, so I'm like, This is work, man. It is work.

It's like the new fan mail.

It is, right?

You ever write a fan letter yourself?

Never. I wrote a letter to Santa Claus, though.

You did?

Yeah.

What did you ask for?

A prom date.

A prom date? Did he grant it?

No.

So, iPhone or Blackberry?

That's my Blackberry.

You have both?

Yeah. I have both.

What do you like better?

Um, business pleasure. I like to play on this.

Right. You need to download the Young Hollywood app. You can watch all your videos.

Okay, let's do it. Let's do it. Exclusive, right now Wale is downloading the Young Hollywood app. Go get it. Hey, this is Wale and this is somebody else's computer and this is Young Hollywood.