DC rapper Wale landed a hit when he collaborated with pop sensation Lady Gaga for his single, "Chilin'," but he wants to make sure people don't expect a poppy-sounding album when they cop his debut.

In a recent sit down with Canadian publication, Peace Magazine, the rapper explained why the Gaga assist took place and why you won't see too many more of those.

"I'm not here to be a pop act," Wale said. " 'Chillin' is a pop song and I'm not here to be a pop act. I enjoyed what Gaga brings to the table and I wanted to make something that could be a lot of fun, but I don't think I'll be going back down that road ever."

Wale's debut, Attention Deficit, is slated for November 10th, and it will be more a personal reflection of himself as an artist, rather than a pop album tailor-made for the Billboard charts.

His personal favorite from the album is a track called "Shades." It's about the negative feelings he had toward those with lighter skin than his while growing up.

" 'Shades' isn't necessarily about my resentfulness," Wale explained. "At one point I thought I was resenting them, but it was a lack of confidence in myself that led me to behave the way I did at that time in my life."

The track barely made the cut, according to Wale, so he fought for it and won.

"I had to fight to get that on the album because I don't think a lot of people at the label understood it," he said.

Aside from the "Shades" track, other songs dealing with similar themes didn't. Wale says some of the "higher-ups" at the labels just didn't get them, so he compromised as long as "Shades" did make it.

"There's not a lot of ethnicity in the industry, as far as the higher-ups go, and those guys are great at marketing and doing what they do, but a lot of times, records like 'Ice & Rain,' 'Family Affair,' these are all records that I wanted to get on the album, but I couldn't. 'Shades' was one where I was going to refuse to do anything if it didn't come out," Wale said.

You can pre-order Wale's Attention Deficit album on Amazon.com for just $10.99. It drops November 10th.