Wale Becomes First Rapper To Open For State Of The Union Address

Last night (Tuesday, January 12 2016) live from the White House website there was a first ever State of the Union address “Pre-Show.”

It began at 8pm and was hosted by actor Terrence Jenkins, former co-host of BET’s 106 & Park and co-anchor of E! News. Musical guests included rapper Wale.

After his performance, the D.C. native thanked The White House and President Obama via Twitter:

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https://twitter.com/Wale/status/687093752146620416

Wale was featured in the Unsigned Hype column in The Source magazine in 2005. In 2006, the self-proclaimed “Ambassador of Rap for the Capital” signed with the imprint Studio 43, owned by a former VP of Roc-A-Fella Records, and enjoyed several hits in the D.C.-Maryland-Virginia area. After a bidding war that included offers from Epic, Atlantic, and Def Jam, Wale joined the Interscope roster in early 2008 and went on to become an integral member of MMG. A journey from Unsigned Hype to the hypest #SOTU ever, indeed.

Photo Credit: Eugene Daniels