Only in 2008 can an emcee pick great beats, rock over each one of them flawlessly, showcase a real personality and still be inexplicably underwhelming. Wale’s Mixtape About Nothing is textbook emceeing, as exciting for “real” hip hop heads as it can be tiring for the people looking for something more in the music; tons of technique, flashes of brilliance, but short on both innovation and emotion.

Comparisons to Lupe Fiasco are inevitable. Wale has the same flair for making intricate and complex rhyme schemes come off impossibly smooth, the same knack for crafting jaw-dropping verses and coming up with the occasional show-stopping punchline. Yet even the best rapping can get overwhelming, and Mixtape About Nothing has quite a few long verses and not a whole lot of interesting hooks or song concepts. Wale talks about the industry, the nature of celebrity, being a great rapper, etc. Granted, he does it better than pretty much anyone else on the scene today, but he’s still not saying much that hasn’t been said before.

Exceptions include “The Kramer,” a timely meditation on racism and the n-word, a cover of “All I Need” and a pretty funny Baltimore Club song. Overall, however, I found myself – reluctantly – getting a little bored as the album hit its three-quarters mark.

Though that might be a bit harsh. Wale is a superlatively talented emcee, and if you like hip hop in any capacity, this mixtape is certainly worth listening to. It’s just that with great talent comes an even greater burden—“rapping really well” is one thing; “making great, memorable music” is an altogether different challenge.

Then again, this is a mixtape, and mixtapes are often moreso talent showcases or attention – grabbing tools than “artistic statements.” If Wale can keep rapping at this level while focusing his energy into a real album, that album will really be something special. I know I’ll be anticipating it, even if I don’t revisit this mixtape more than a couple times.

The Mixtape About Nothing (zip)

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Also: (The Roots & Wale on the Late Show with David Letterman)