2nd time is the charm for Wale, as his sophmore album, Ambition, is in stores. Now signed to Rick Ross’ MMG label, the DC-born rapper has another chance to show the world that he is a REAL artist, and is able to have more doors opened for him. The rapper has been selling out shows on his Ambition tour, and now is featured on the cover of ‘Rolling Out’. In his RO feature, Wale touches on his desire to be an advocate for women, why black women are so important to him, and the difference from being signed to Interscope vs MMG.

You come from Washington, D.C. Although it’s the nation’s capitol, there are a lot of young black men caught up in crime and losing their lives at an early age. How do you try to serve as an example to counter those issues?

I went to a detention center school from 6th through 12th grade. It was a school with a high maximum security and people with short tempers. I went to Twain. That was a school where all the bad kids went. A lot of dudes I went to school with are dead or locked up. There are some teachers who are not with us. I have a cousin and friend who are locked up now. But that was never my way. I was on girls and sports. But I know the cost of living that life. I know dudes who were great in basketball, but now they are on dippers smoking embalming fluid. I saw dudes get killed over Jordans or $20. That’s not my thing. I’m not Jeezy; I’m not Ross; I’m not Wayne. I’m me.

You have a lot of female fans. How important is it for you to balance the risque songs such as “No Hands” with inspirational tracks such as “Diary”?

I want to be an advocate for the women. I may say some wild things, but that’s our time to have fun. But I stand for fixing the world our way. Let’s add spice to this and change the world. I believe women should go to school to network with others who will change the world. I’m encouraging. I’m a part of the problem, but I want to be a part of the clean up. “No Hands” is the party and “Ambitious Girls” is the clean up. We can have fun, but I hope you’re getting up and going to class. I don’t want to get in the way of that. That [is] something you have to do. For two years, I had to walk around with about $15 in my account. That was my time. I left school and had to get on my grind. I was about 21. Now show me you can work the system for four or five years and continue to do your thing.

You caught flack from black women for not having dark-skinned females in your “Pretty Girls” video. How did that make you feel?

It wasn’t about that, but it showed me what I meant to the black culture. That made me realize that people hold me at a higher regard. That was when I knew I had to make a change. For “Pretty Girls,” I didn’t go on set until there were dark-skinned girls at the video shoot. I was waiting. The most horrible feeling in the world, was that my women think that I don’t care about them. I’d rather go broke than for my black women to think that I don’t care about them. I would rather lose everything than to have my queens think I’m turning my back on them. I was the only kid in my neighborhood with a father. And that’s because I’m African and they don’t divorce. It messed me up. When I was in Mississippi, a girl told me she had her first child at 16. So I made a song called “Illest B—- Alive.” There’s a special place in my heart for black girls. If you’re black and have a black mother, you know how special they are.

Beyond the physical, what is the most attractive thing about a woman?

I like girls who can get the intellect popping. Instead of liking me just because I rap, I like girls who can ask about where I was mentally when I thought of making a certain record. I can find a nice amount of girls who think I’m attractive or whatever, but intellect is very important. “Lotus Flower Bomb” was a record that I wanted to create a long time ago. I’m not sure if radio was ready for that at the time. That’s kind of an adult vibe. I was 23 when I was writing my first project. I was doing what I was told to do instead of doing what my heart told me to do.

So what is the biggest difference in being at MMG vs. being at Interscope?

The difference is freedom. I’m very in tune with urban culture. I felt my last situation wasn’t allowing me to grow with the urban culture. They saw a Lady Gaga opportunity and I went with it. I was a new artist and I didn’t get it. I thought I was being ignored by black America. It’s not as much money, but to connect with the people I grew up with is more important than connecting with pop fans. Even the white people who are familiar with my music deserve to hear what I’m really saying. I shouldn’t be marketed toward top 40. When I listen to my first album, you can hear who I am talking to. But I now have an opportunity to change that.

Read the FULL interview, HERE

Wale’s Ambition is in stores now.

Rapper/Author T.I. returned to the couch with Chelsea Lately! Tip was there to promote his new book, Power & Beauty. Chelsea’s “ex-boyfriend” spoke on his prison stint, his mentor/uncle who is in jail as well, and how he literally hand more than enough time on his hands to write the book. Though Lately was Quick Draw McGraw with the jokes on T.I., he fired shots back when he joked her saying he thought her last name was “Cent” (50).

Watch the funny interview, after the jump.

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