In a hip-hop world steeped in hype, D.C. rapper Wale's claim to being the "Ambassador of Rap for the Capital" isn't far from the truth: He revived D.C.'s legendary go-go sound, a percussion-driven offshoot of disco, taking both east and west coast by storm with his sharp wordplay. Born to Nigerian immigrants, Olubowale Victor Akintimehin (aka Wale) had his first airplay around 2004, thanks to a supportive local radio DJ. Three years later, he was discovered on MySpace by superstar DJ and producer Mark Ronson. After a string of mixtapes, including the wildly popular, Seinfeld-sampling The Mixtape About Nothing, Wale released his debut album, Attention Deficit, in 2009.