Wale addressed being referred to as a back pack rapper and/or an internet rapper on his Back to the Feature mix tape – and did it well, I might add. But I don’t think that his answering his critics mitigated any of the perceived stigma around the fact that his renown is inextricably linked to websites and the tubes that tie them together. Of course, the fact that Wale was able to make a pretty big noise in the DC rap scene, even garnering some major airplay, should hush those whisperers. It hasn’t, though. But whatever. During the first week of sales, Attention Deficit moved almost 30,000 copies. That’s all that was shipped, though.

So, while those numbers aren’t awe inspiring, or chart threatening, Wale and his peoples have the game figured out pretty well and don’t tote around any bizarre, inflated notions of themselves. That’s a bonus.

The disc, though? Well…it’s good, just not great.

Of course, no one’s tapped Wale as the savior of hip hop or anything, but he is an interesting dude on the scene now. He’s pretty non-offensive to any segment of the culture – Bun B even crops up on the album’s second track during “Mirrors.” And apart from the fact that the pairing was initially surprising, the track is pretty much golden with its funky backing and occasional horn bleets punctuating the chorus. B throws down a bit, it’s all above boards and then it’s on to the next track and Gucci Mane, another surprising, but befitting guest.

For all the Go-Go talk that was floating around during Wale’s ascent to internet stardom, the genre isn’t an overwhelming influence on Attention Deficit. There’s funk, a close cousin, but nothing overt or even Charles Brown related to speak of, which is kinda surprising. It certainly can’t be said that Wale’s affected his delivery or the production that he works over, but apart from the sporadic breaks the ride out for a minute, that old tyme DC influence isn’t all too noticeable. As an aside, though,  the emcee, though, does occasionally pull of a southern drawl and says ‘here’ like he’s been vacationing in Atlanta of late.

“World Tour,” which is somehow at once a tribute to Tupac, with that opening piano line, and also A Tribe Called Quest when making it through the chorus’ delivery. And perhaps that confluence right there accounts for the sometimes confusing guest appearances. Asserting deference to two of the genre’s greats that occupied completely different spaces in the culture explains this rappers background pretty well.

Wale’s not a back packer, but he might rock some ‘90s styled, jazz based rap tunes and still toss off a UGK track every once in a while. So even if this album isn’t a stunner, it’s unquestionably well put together and properly conceived. Regardless of the aforementioned mix tape and its predecessor’s, Attention Deficit is still this guy’s first proper disc. And if this is the result, whatever comes next is surely going to be a step up in quality.