Wale struck a production deal with Ronson's own imprint, Allido, and released the 100 Miles and Running mixtape that summer. Smart use of the Internet and MySpace was also a big factor in his success, as it helped British über-producer and DJ Mark Ronson (known for his work with Amy Winehouse, Christina Aguilera, and Rhymefest) catch wind of the go-go MC in 2007. like the popular "Dig Dug," a tribute to Ronald "Dig Dug" Dixon of go-go band the Northeast Groovers. Many of those records sampled from '80s go-go - a more raw, percussion-driven offshoot of disco originating in D.C. In 2006, Wale signed with the local start-up imprint Studio 43, owned by a former VP of Roc-A-Fella Records, and enjoyed a string of hits in the D.C.-Maryland-Virginia area that year. This landed him in the Unsigned Hype column in Source magazine the following year. Wale got his first airplay circa 2003-2004 with "Rhyme of the Century," thanks to the help of a local radio DJ who believed in his potential. The music bug had already bitten him hard, though, and soon he quit college altogether to turn to a recording career. He attended both Robert Morris College and Virginia State University on football scholarships, eventually transferring a third time to Bowie State. Although the family moved to Maryland when the future rapper was ten years old, Wale was mostly raised in suburban D.C. in 1984 to Nigerian immigrants who first arrived in America five years prior. Olubowale Victor Akintimehin was born in Washington, D.C. The self-proclaimed "Ambassador of Rap for the Capital," Wale (pronounced "wah-lay") was able to transcend his local sensation status and become a national rap contender using go-go-inspired hip-hop as the vehicle for his clever wordplay and music.