SANTA MONICA, CA-APRIL 25, 2008- Hip hop newcomer Wale has been making plenty of noise since the announcement of his signing to Mark Ronson’s Allido Records through an Interscope partnership. Wale was one of the few newcomers among hip hop icons A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, Murs, and Supernatural at a press conference on April 22, 2008 (Claremont, CA) that announced the routing and dates of the infamous Rock The Bells tour powered by Guerilla Union and Myspace.

The tour kicks off July 19 in Chicago, and includes an A-list roster of hip hop greats as well as the most sought after new names in the game. Wale will make his debut on the ticket with an incredible track record as one of the most talked about breakout artists of 2008. He was profiled in Rolling Stone magazine’s “Artist to Watch: Seven Acts Who Are Defining Rock, Soul and Hip-Hop in 2008” piece (April 3, 2008) and in the November 30th, 2007 issue of Entertainment Weekly, Wale was featured as one of eight people to watch in 2008. For new artists like Wale, the Rock the Bells tour will serve as a creative breeding ground that promotes the true essence of the live hip hop experience.

“I’m going to be like a sponge on this tour,” says Wale. “I want to learn everything I can, while trying to impress hip hop’s finest that are on this tour. This isn’t snap, crackle and pop music—this is hip hop in raw form and I’m so fortunate to be on the same ticket as all of these artists, old school and new school.”

Wale is one of the few among the brightest names in the emerging electro-hip hop scene, others include Spank Rock, Santogold, Kid Sister, Flosstradamus, Jay Electronica and The Cool Kids with hosts B-Real of Cypress Hill and the world renowned Supernatural.

After its July 19 launch, ROCK THE BELLS 2008 INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL SERIES POWERED BY SANDISK will hit nine more North American cities on seven consecutive weekends, wrapping up in Vancouver at the end of August. 2008 also marks the first year that ROCK THE BELLS will go global with four stops in Europe and one in Japan. Highlights of the series include first time dates in Toronto, Vancouver and Philadelphia, plus a return to the Glen Helen Pavilion in San Bernardino, CA where last year’s show sold out with a capacity crowd of 45,000 people. Pre-sale tickets will be available May 14th - 16th via www.guerillaunion.com, and then to the general public on May 17th. Exclusive LA pre-sale starts on May 7th-9th with on-sale to follow May 10th.

ROCK THE BELLS INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL SERIES POWERED BY SANDISK DATES:

Sat 7/19 Chicago, IL

Sun 7/20 Toronto, ON

Sat 7/26 Boston, MA

Sun 7/27 New York, NY

Sat 8/2 Miami, FL

Sun 8/3 Philadelphia, PA

Sat 8/9 Los Angeles, CA

Sat 8/16 San Francisco, CA

Sat 8/23 Denver, CO

Sat 8/30 Vancouver, BC

Info: Wale