Attention Deficit (album) explained

Attention Deficit
Type:studio
Artist:Wale
Cover:wale1.jpg
Alt:The cover consits of a young boy with a red backpack and yellow headphones looking at a bunch of television screens. The artist's logo appears on the top left corner and the album title is on a TV screen in the bottom left corner.
Released:November 7, 2009
Recorded:2007–09
Genre:Alternative hip hop
Prev Title:The Mixtape About Nothing
Prev Year:2008
Next Title:Ambition
Next Year:2011

Attention Deficit is the debut studio album by American rapper Wale. It was released on November 10, 2009, by Allido Records and Interscope Records.[1] The production on the album was handled by multiple producers including Mark Ronson, Cool & Dre, the Neptunes, J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League and David Sitek among others. The album also features guest appearances by Lady Gaga, Gucci Mane, J. Cole, Pharrell Williams and Jazmine Sullivan among others.

Attention Deficit was supported by three singles: "Chillin", "World Tour" and "Pretty Girls". The album received generally positive reviews from music critics and received moderate commercial success. It debuted at number 21 on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling 28,000 copies in its first week.[2]

Singles

The album's lead single "Chillin" featuring Lady Gaga, was released on April 14, 2009. The song was a charter hit. It peaked at number 12 on the UK Singles Chart on the chart ending September 12, 2009. It also spent a total of 6 weeks on the chart. This is Wale's highest-charting single in the United Kingdom.

The album's second single "World Tour" featuring Jazmine Sullivan, was released on September 8, 2009.

The album's third single "Pretty Girls" featuring Gucci Mane and Weensey (of Backyard Band), was released on October 6, 2009.

Critical reception

Attention Deficit received generally favorable reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 77, based on 21 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable". David Jeffries of AllMusic gave the album a favorable review. The A.V. Clubs Nathan Rabin gave the album a B+ rating.

Commercial performance

Attention Deficit debuted at number 21 on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling 28,000 copies in its first week.[2] As of November 2011, the album has sold over 200,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen Soundscan.[2]

Track listing

Samples credits

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2009)Peak
position
US Billboard 200[3] 21
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[4] 3
US Top Rap Albums (Billboard)[5] 2
Chart (2010)Peak
position
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)64
US Top Rap Albums (Billboard)13

Year-end charts

Chart (2010)Peak
position
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)61
US Top Rap Albums (Billboard)31

Notes and References

  1. Wale's 'Attention' Gets Sidetracked . Rap-Up . August 7, 2011.
  2. Rick Ross & Wale: The Billboard Cover Story, Part II. Billboard. Brad Wete. November 28, 2011. March 1, 2020.
  3. [{{BillboardURLbyName|artist=wale|chart=all}} Wale Album & Song Chart History ]. . . June 4, 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110604025913/http://www.billboard.com/ . June 4, 2011 . live . mdy .
  4. [{{BillboardURLbyName|artist=wale|chart=R&B/Hip-Hop Albums B}} Wale Album & Song Chart History ]. . . June 4, 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110604025913/http://www.billboard.com/ . June 4, 2011 . live . mdy .
  5. [{{BillboardURLbyName|artist=wale|chart=Rap Albums}} Wale Album & Song Chart History ]. . . June 4, 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110604025913/http://www.billboard.com/ . June 4, 2011 . live . mdy .