Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Wale Roc Nation Deal Clarified; Headlines Rock The Vote

By Tai Saint Louis

Washington, D.C. rapper Wale has entered into an agreement with Roc Nation, the record label, management and music publishing company founded and helmed by Jay-Z, AllHipHop.com has confirmed.



However, contrary to early interpretations of a video interview, which has since been pulled from the web, Wale is not signed to the label side of Roc Nation, his manager explained.



Several websites reported that Wale had signed to Roc Nation, which lead many fans to question his status with Interscope Records and Mark Ronson’s Allido Records.



Wale has been signed since 2008.



According to the rapper’s manager Dan Weisman, Wale is managed by Roc Nation and his company Elitaste, and remains signed to Allido/Interscope.



Weisman would not offer further details.



Wale’s debut album, Attention Deficit, is due out later this year.



In related news, Wale will take a break from his heavy touring schedule for a special hometown performance on June 3rd.



The Allido/Interscope Records artist will headline the debut show of this year’s Rock The Vote Nights concert series with the support of go-go band UCB.



The concert, to be held at the 9:30 Club in Washington, will also feature performances by fellow DC artists Tabi Bonney and XO.



“Wale has been on tour all over the country for the past two months and we are excited to bring him back to D.C. on June 3,” said Rock The Vote’s executive director Heather Smith. “This is a special Rock the Vote Night for us and a chance to celebrate the 22 million young voters who went to the polls last November."



The June 3 show will be the first in a summer series which will include events in DC, Los Angeles and other cities, which have yet to be announced.



In addition to kicking off the Rock The Vote Nights series, Wale, Tabi and XO will have the honor of performing the official concert of the America’s Future Now conference.



Rock The Vote is supporting the event in an effort to insure that the young voters who turned out in droves for the 2008 election continue to get involved and be heard.



“A record number of young people went to the polls in 2008,” Smith explained. “In 2009 Rock the Vote will help ensure young people’s voices are heard throughout the halls of Congress and in their state legislatures, demanding reform around the issues most important to them like economic stability, clean energy and green jobs, and heath care.”



Tickets for the Rock the Vote Nights debut show can be purchased at www.930.com. Doors open at 7:00pm.
allhiphop.com

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