Be specific: Wale gears up for Sunday's halftime gig at FedEx Field

This summer's Virgin Mobile FreeFest was one of Wale's biggest shows; his Sunday performance will be even bigger. (Photo by Kyle Gustafson/FTWP)

It's been an incredibly busy year for Wale. Today alone, the local rap phenom has leaked new music on Twitter and made a casting call for his next music video.

On Sunday, he'll perform one of the biggest -- and perhaps coldest -- gigs of his life: the Redskins halftime show at FedEx field. We got Wale on the phone for a (very) quick chat about how he was gearing up for game day.

Will this be the biggest crowd you've ever played for?
I've done crowds of a hundred-thousand or something like that with Mark Ronson at some festivals overseas. But this is our hometown. The Redskins-Cowboys game is like a staple in D.C. culture.

Like a lot of Washingtonians, it seems like you've had a love-hate relationship with the Redskins this year. Where are you at as a fan right now?
It's never a love-hate thing. It's just an emotional roller coaster, know what I'm saying? But I believe in them a lot... If the ball had bounced a couple of different ways, we could have been in the playoff hunt right now. We could have been the first team to beat the Saints. We could have beat a very good Eagles team, a very good Cowboys team. But things happen sometimes.

What do you think of The Who being selected to play this year's Super Bowl halftime show?
The who? (Laughs.) Naw, it's cool.

Have you paid attention to the Super Bowl halftime performances in recent years?
Not since Janet. I think Janet kind of put it to bed for me.