November 10, 2009 was a huge day for the District. It was a huge day for the entire DMV.[1] Two vastly different events happened that evoked two extremely different responses. The first, which if you were on twitter you most definitely were bludgeoned over the head with, is Wale releasing his debut album, Attention Deficit.

When talking about Hip Hop, one huge aspect is where you’re from. “ATL born and raised./ Too many claimin it and ain’t really from the A./ Just saying what I feel/ Rep where you from, not where you live baby keep it real.” (c) -Keri Hilson

Now for those not from the DC metropolitan area, I have to break this down for you. You know Empire State of Mind by Jay-Z and Alicia Keys? You know how that Yankee pride is felt through that song? You know how when you throw on that song people randomly claim different boroughs? Brooklyn this, Queens that. That’s all good and well but believe it or not the DMV has just as much, if not more, (shots fired) pride in our area.

The problem is, we have yet to establish ourselves in the Hip Hop arena. New York has Jay, Nas, BIG, 50, Fab, Diddy, etc… They have a lot.  Atlanta has Ludacris, Outkast, Jermaine Dupri, and Young Jeezy to name a few. Pretty much any major city/area has someone to rep them. DC has nobody that has made it on a national scale. Until now. Wale represents our city finally making it. When one person makes it, the whole city blindly follows them.

That’s not just with the DMV. Everywhere. When you find out someone is from your area you represent them proudly. This is good and bad. It’s good because we take pride when one of us makes it. It’s bad because honestly blind faith isn’t the best thing ever. For instance, with Wale’s album you’re going to find two kinds of people.

First, there will be people who will give Wale no credit and say that there are plenty of other rappers from the DMV who are as talented if not better. He’s cocky and arrogant and won’t go gold.  Second, there are the people who are going to say Attention Deficit is a certified classic. It’s better than Reasonable Doubt, All Eyez On Me, and Thriller combined. I’m not okay with either of these people but whoever supports Wale is cool in my book.

He's kidding. Mostly. He's just illustrating my point.

The point is, we support Wale. I don’t think Attention Deficit is a classic. I don’t think it will propel Wale to Tupac status. But it’s about time our city got some positive attention.

And then John Allen Muhammed happened. For those of you who don’t know, John Allen Muhammed aka the DC Sniper was executed that same day. He terrorized literally the entire DMV [He shot people in DC, Maryland (Rockville, Wheaton, Aspen Hill, Silver Spring, Bowie, and Kensington), and Virginia (Fredericksburg, Manassas, Falls Church, and Ashland)].

I’m from the DMV and so I know the effect he had on our area. People were afraid to pump gas. Kids were scared to walk home from school. Outdoor activities were cancelled. It was rough.

In the same day the city experienced two extreme emotions. We felt extreme pride (most of us anyway) in Wale for releasing his album. Sure nobody knows his numbers yet but that’s not the point. Seeing us come together to back a common man is huge for us. And in that same day nobody wanted to claim the DC Sniper.

Not only were we ashamed of a black man for committing a horrible crime but some were ashamed at how the justice system so expeditiously moved to execute him.  Most inmates on death row spend a decade if not more waiting to be executed and filing appeals. Not the DC Sniper. He’s spent less than 7 years waiting.

This isn’t in remembrance of him or to chastise the justice system.  It’s just interesting how in one day there are completely opposing emotions from the people of DC and opinions towards the people of DC. There’s the pride. Then there’s the shame. Two tales. One city.

How do you feel about Wale’s album? Crap or Classic? Is Wale’s release as monumental as we claim it to be? What about the DC Sniper? Did you feel any pause that day that a man was executed? Speak your mind.

[1] For the second to last time, DMV stands for DC, Maryland and Virginia.