Wale

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Wale is a complicated individual. Day one fans of the D.C. spitta will vouch for him as one of the best artists from his star-studded class. Alongside the likes of Cole, Kendrick, Drake, Meek Mill, and Big Sean, were the figureheads of an early 2010s hip hop climate. Each artist fulfilled an appetite for an insatiable demand from the fans for a new artist to carry the torch.[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The Wale we see now in 2021 isn’t that far removed from the same man we witnessed in 2012. The confidence, self-assurance, and tone are all different. Back then, he was dead set on proving his worth to not only the world, but to himself. Every hook, every verse, felt like an exhibition game to justify his pedestal amongst J. Cole, Kendrick, Meek, and Big Sean. So busy attempting to prove he belonged, he failed to acknowledge the emotional support he provided to the fans, who raised him to those heights.[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The Wale we see now in 2021 isn’t that far removed from the same man we witnessed in 2012. The confidence, self-assurance, and tone are all different. Back then, he was dead set on proving his worth to not only the world, but to himself. Every hook, every verse, felt like an exhibition game to justify his pedestal amongst J. Cole, Kendrick, Meek, and Big Sean. So busy attempting to prove he belonged, he failed to acknowledge the emotional support he provided to the fans, who raised him to those heights.[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]One of my favorite books to read when I need to escape and become a hero in my state of mind, is The Hero Within by Carol. S. Parson. Musicians and creatives, in general, fit into the altruist’s archetype. No matter the motivations, in the end, the piece we get is for us. Through their stories, the scope they offer aids us with our own life; but the process to the release, before the fame, before the fans, shapes their journey as well.[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]One of my favorite books to read when I need to escape and become a hero in my state of mind, is The Hero Within by Carol. S. Parson. Musicians and creatives, in general, fit into the altruist’s archetype. No matter the motivations, in the end, the piece we get is for us. Through their stories, the scope they offer aids us with our own life; but the process to the release, before the fame, before the fans, shapes their journey as well.[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Wale was a wanderer. Consistently looking for the escape hatch for respect, he ended up in a cycle of negativity. No matter the singles that went platinum, the verses that get played in every party, despite praise showered on his name throughout the industry, something always felt lacking. The admiration from fans and media never felt enough: their words never matched the charts, and with that, he was blinded to those who loved.[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The Wanderer is set on a journey to find independence. They aim to free themselves of their past failures, expectations, and the pain that holds them back. Despite the numbers that painted him his status, Wale was held captive to everything he wasn’t. Unable to visualize everything for what it was, everyone became the villain—allowing the real ones to wreak havoc.[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]It’s not hard to see why. Wale went from being one of the faces of the early 2010’s blog era to being dropped by Interscope after his debut album, Attention Deficit, did not meet sales projections. Never mind how the label under shipped the album by hundred of thousands of copies. Those failures etched a narrative that became stuck through his side.[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]WWE Chairman Vince McMahon is famously known for trying to control the perception of his wrestlers. If the company presents them as stars, the fans will treat them like a big deal. But when you can’t control that perception, the stardom can’t illuminate in any sphere—guaranteeing a date with the uneasiness of being a castaway compared to your peers. The Wander no longer had physical characters to deal with, but now emotional and physiological villains too.[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Make no doubt about it; Wale was projected to lose his very first big test. Comparable to the very first fight in Bloodbourne, where you face a Wolf with no weapons, no gear, just your bare hands. The reward, despite the sabotage, would have been minimal at best, signaling a lack of trust in one of the biggest indie darlings at that time. Blog after blog labeled him a cautionary tale, particularly for the indie darlings who receive admiration without moderation.[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Wouldn’t you feel jaded at the sudden turn of events? Where your failures are blamed on you when they never believed in your talent in the first place, doubt and anger are heavy.[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]When the perception of being a failed artist rose, Ambition went on to sell over 100k units in its first week. With his second chance, Wale had subsequent No. 1 in The Gifted and The Album About Nothing, the sequel to his breakout mixtape, crumpled the narrative with his bare hands. Chart lingering hits all such as “Lotus Flower Bomb,” “That Way,” “Bag Of Money,” “Bad,” “On Chill,” and many others.[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The cloud that hung over him drifted into a different sector of his public perception. Social Media. At the same time, Wale was ahead of the game with sprinkling records on love, situationships, and just having fun but seasoning social and political messaging and observations into his music, but his earlier social media experience is littered with abuse.[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The original Florian mixtape in 2012 came off the highly successful Ambition album. At its core, Florian is the middle child of a three-year run of chain punching momentum. The disrespect made Wale hungry. The music reminded fans who he was. Look deeper, and the theme that popped it was the appreciation of the old. Old school samples littered across the track like glitter, attached to the threads of the mixtape itself, and in return provided personality.[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Fast forward to now, and the mood is different. Florian II presents itself with nothing to prove because everything has been accomplished. Not by the standards achieved by his peers but by the standards set by him, for him. In the cover art, a bouquet of roses hides his face, as if a man finally received his flowers or he is giving them to the ones who stayed with him through all the self-deconstruction. Everything is calmer in the eye of the storm, and the music industry is as chaotic as any hurricane.[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]That calmness is refreshing to hear, comforting you in its wool on the first track, “New Balances.” The soulful sample alongside keys waving in the background is noticeable between the punchy 808’s and high hats. “They ain’t want me here/ fuck it, I’m back though.” are very choice words to the industry that left him for dead. Not a hint of resentment is heard, but acknowledging the true villains allowed Wale to go from Wander to Warrior.[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]What always endeared Wale to the masses has always been his delivery—cunningly playing with his inflection and cadence, cloaking himself falling out of rhyme scheme to start a new one. A background in poetry certainly plays a role in and in one of the standout tracks of the album “Name Bell Rings,” drowns itself in it.[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]In a recent interview with XXL, the D.M.V. rapper acknowledges that the affirmation he found in himself didn’t exist until his fourth album, The Album About Nothing. From there, he truly started to believe that he was one of the staples of the game. On Drink Champs with the legendary “N.O.R.E.,” you get the lore of an artist who is misunderstood, and overlooked. In a show dedicated to artists receiving their flowers, Wale received just one of the many banquets that are coming his way. Everything is different now. Wale is one of the best rappers today and will go down as one of the best to ever grace the microphone. No longer does he have to prove that. The Wanderer gained independence from his captives and took control of his own kingdom.[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row]