About

Elitaste is a joint venture between hip hop artist Wale and his manager, Daniel Weisman. Elitaste is something that can’t be bought. It is developed through life experiences, active participation and passionate observation. Elitaste is a sensibility, an aesthetic and for those who truly embrace it, a way of life. Elitaste means you love what you do. Elitaste is about not floating the mainstream but rather thwarting the momentum of the status quo. Elitaste is the status quo…five years from now.

We started this project because we could not find any other outlet that aligned seamlessly with our taste; and so Elitaste was born. We are not elitists. We are better than that.

We are always listening. We are always watching. We are always evolving.

Whether it’s management, marketing or music, we have an unprecedented track record and many industry “firsts” under our belt. And this is only the beginning.

See you at the top.

Wale and Dan
January 2008

About Wale
In an era when critics and rappers themselves jump to declare the death of hip hop, 23 year-old Wale Folarin has been breathing new life into the genre through dazzling wordplay, a fresh sound steeped in DC’s legendary go-go scene, and boundless on-stage energy. 2006 saw Wale conquer DC, Maryland and Virginia with a slew of original radio hits and electrifying shows that solidified his buzz in the Mid-Atlantic. 2007 has been even brighter, with Wale garnering press in The Fader, The New York Times, The Boston Globe, Entertainment Weekly, The Washington Post, The Source, Vibe, Complex, HipHopGame.com, AllHipHop.com, a news piece on MTV and even the cover of URB, all without a major label deal. With heavy radio rotation in DC, Maryland and Virginia, along with mixshow spins on both costs, Wale has sold out shows in LA, New York, San Francisco, Philly and Atlanta. Wale took the European music festival circuit by storm, touring with world-famous DJ and superproducer Mark Ronson (Amy Winehouse, Lily Allen) in 2007. The response was so great, Wale ended up signing a production deal with Ronson’s Allido Records. With well over 2 million plays on MySpace, Wale is an organic hip hop and lifestyle phenomenon, and the release of his third and most widely-distributed mixtape, 100 MILES AND RUNNING (30,000+ downloads since July), has taken his global buzz to new heights. Top streetwear label 10Deep has come on as a sponsor of 100 MILES mixtape as well as future apparel collaborations. Starr African Rum, The Hundreds, LRG, Stussy, Jordan Brand and Nike have all co-signed Wale, and he was recently tapped to participate in a free Nike Boot concert along with Lil Wayne in DC sponsored by Nike and Footaction. Wale was also contributed to the album commemorating the 40th anniversary of BBC’s Radio 1. Every once in a while an artist comes along and completely changes the game: Jay-Z, Nelly, Pharrell, Kanye West. Wale’s got next.
P.S. we dont wear GR’s we give’m to baby mammas!!!

“Wale has more crossover appeal than weed”-Rolling Stone
“The future”-XXL
“Kanye, Lupe…Wale?”-URB Magazine

About Dan
Dan was born and raised in Los Angeles where, at the age of 10, he developed an affinity for West Coast Gangster rap, something suburban white boys are predetermined to gravitate towards. By 12, he was spending his summer job money, behind his parents’ back, on cassette singles affixed with “Parental Advisory” stickers. Dan went so far as to pretend to like alternative rock in order to not draw attention from his over-protective parental units.

Though 35% of Dan’s graduating high school class went Ivy League he ended up at the Harvard of the South, Emory University. Already well-versed in the Atlanta hip hop scene, he began putting his knowledge to work as a DJ by doing house parties and fraternity parties (you’d know he DJ’d a party because the walls would be blue from the waist down from girls grinding their butts and the windows would be dripping with sweat…Dan actually coined the phrase “from the window to the wall.”)

Dan holds the honor of having DJ’d at every club in Fulton County, including the World Famous Club 112. Dan eventually moved into club promoting, producing high-profile weekly parties for college students featuring the likes of Ciara (the week she went #1 on Billboard), Jazze Pha, Chingy, Nappy Roots, Killer Mike, 112, Akon, Dallas Austin, Da Brat, Jagged Edge, Eightball and MJG, J-Kwon and others. He also wrote about movies, music and culture The Emory Wheel, INSite Magazine, The Sunday Paper and RollingOut (he was RollingOut’s first, only and last white employee).

After graduating from Emory in December 2004 with a double-major in African American Studies and Journalism and a minor in History, Dan moved back to Los Angeles and entered the agent training program at United Talent Agency. He began his training in the mailroom, where moguls such as David Geffen and Famous Amos got their starts, and made it out in less than a month. He then worked for a year in the motion picture talent and motion picture literary departments, servicing clients such as Broken Lizard (SUPER TROOPERS), Curtis Hanson (8 MILE) and Chris Nolan (BATMAN BEGINS). After an enriching year at UTA, he realized Hollywood agenting wasn’t for him and he bid adieu to the long hours, low pay and high drama of the agenting world to try his hand in the music business.

Dan’s first signing in June of 2006 was DC hip hop phenomenon, Wale. A year and a half later, Wale is the hottest unsigned artist ever and Dan has built his roster to include some of the hottest up-and-coming artists, DJ’s and producers in the industry. Next up: Paper Route Records from Huntsville, Alabama.

Dan has an knack for spotting emerging talent and making his best friends listen to new shit ad nauseum. He bought “Mos Def and Talib Kweli Are BlackStar” the day it came out in 1998 and prides himself on being a purveyor of dirty south, crunk and hyphy music long before Lil’ Jon was saying “YEAH!” Dan likes to, how do you say? Keep it real.

ELITASTE
2029 Century Park East, Suite 500
Los Angeles, CA 90067