"Look At Me, Look At Me, How Much Vanity You See"

Now that Wale's album has officially hit shelves and I've had a chance to take a few laps around it, I've found myself gravitating to a favorite in Vanity. The beat's piano backbone lays the foundation for Wale's more than skin deep introspective effort. The best part about it is the re-purposed Gary Jules Mad World sample (original below)...

I've always found it interesting when artists openly wax poetic about the reality of being famous. Lines in the track below like, "these broads jocking me is validating my conceit" are the introspective thoughts that give fuel to Vanity. I know to the Hip Hop outsider, you may feel like you need a big shovel to dig for meaning in most Hip Hop tracks, but if you choose to listen closely you might just find some thoughtful nuggets just below the surface. I'm gonna give a big Sample Justice thumbs up because Wale didn't even use the original sample. Instead, he flipped the sample and took it another original direction. Mad dap is in order for that and while on the topic of ordering, feel free an cop The Gifted while you're at it...#TheGifted

Wale - Vanity