Wale comes to Sony Hall with opening acts Kemba and DJ Herbert Holler.

Doors open at 7pm.

18+

Wale parlayed his watchful gaze into an open musical ear: "When I was growing up, DC didn't have allegiances to any one area," Wale says. "So people listened to everyone: Scarface, Biggie, 2Pac, Outkast, UGK and Snoop. No one felt like they had to listen to artists just from New York or Atlanta. We took it ALL in." Of course, Wale was innately influenced as much by DC's output as his own subjective input. "You can't live in this area and do music and NOT be influenced by go-go on some level. It's just what we do here," he affirms. "I'm very open-minded about music. But when you're young and coming up, it's hard to be sure that you're doing the right thing. So I can understand why you don't see a lot of people taking risks."