Harold Stallworth ain’t the one for the dibbin’ and dabbin’.
The U Street Corridor is probably the most party-driven stretch of Wale’s adopted hometown of Washington D.C. It’s a vibrant hub for nightlife, ripe with craft beer and musicianship, hookah and second childhood. Transplants adore the yuppified bar-hop scene; natives roll their eyes in disgust at the mere mention of the 21st letter. Wale’s latest Soundcloud charity, “Miracle on U Street,” views the Corridor with a renewed or perhaps nostalgic sense of thrill and excitement. The go-go infused record—crafted in part by Tone P, a founding member of the Best Kept Secret production team largely responsible for Wale’s breakout Mixtape About Nothing—is less festive than its title would suggest. The beat borders on tropical, drawing from a mid-to-late-80s go-go aesthetic pioneered by the likes of Chuck Brown, Big Tony Fisher, and Anthony “Lil Benny” Harley. It’s feel-good music from an artist that rarely engenders good will, but Wale over hurried conga drums is undeniable.
