Grammy-nominated, multiplatinum hip hop artist and D.C. native Wale makes his Kennedy Center debut as he headlines the Concert Hall in a special one-night-only performance.

An old-school lyricist with new-school energy, otherworldly hooks, and a sense of irony tailor-made for its own Seinfeld episode, Nigerian-American and D.C. native Wale instantly set himself apart with his distinctive musical blend of hip hop, go-go, Afrobeats, reggae, soul, and R&B. With a steady stream of releases that have garnered critical acclaim such as 2008’s inventive Mixtape About Nothing, 2009’s major label debut Attention Deficit, Ambition (2011), The Gifted (2013), The Album About Nothing (2015), Wow…That’s Crazy (2019), Folarin II (2021), and hits such as “Lotus Flower Bomb,” “Bad,” “The Matrimony,” “My PYT,” “On Chill,” and more, Wale has topped the Billboard 200 at #1 twice, achieved four platinum or multiplatinum singles, three gold singles, and two gold albums. He has also graced the covers of magazines such as Complex, Billboard, XXL, and Vibe and received honors at the BET Awards, BET Hip Hop Awards, Soul Train Awards, and more. Wale also made history as “the first rapper to open the State of the Union,” gracing the stage with an unforgettable performance before President Obama’s final State of the Union Address and participated in First Lady Michelle Obama’s “Reach Higher” initiative for higher education.