As of this month, Wale is officially no longer signed to Atlantic Records. His recent single “All Star Break Up” was released via Maybach Music Group as well as his own Every Blue Moon imprint, officially making him an independent artist. While some have questioned the status of his career in light of the news, Wale decided to address the drama head-on with his new single “Staying Power,” and he verified all the lyrics on Genius, too.
On the track, the D.C. artist asserts that he’s not sweating the label switch-up:
He also delivers a challenge to his rap peers, declaring that he’s back to putting out his best work:
Elsewhere, he promises to make the best of opportunities that he’s given with a reference to New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara, who had a record-breaking rookie season this year
Although SHiNE has proven to be Wale’s least comercially successful album since Attention Deficit, it did spawn the minor hit “My PYT,” which peaked at No. 54 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and eventually went Gold.
Listen to the song above and read all the verified lyrics to Wale’s “Staying Power” on Genius now.
Last week, our Best New Tracks series spotlighted high-profile new releases from Kanye West, YBN, Majid Jordan, Denzel Curry and others. Now, with Fall basically knocking out the door, we continue to shine a light on all sides of the genre spectrum for the latest entry in our weekly roundup series. This time around, we’re showcasing new releases from Wale, Innanet James, The 1975, Swizz Beatz, Killy and Earz. From the DMV to New Your City, our latest Best New Tracks piece has you covered.
Fresh off his deal with Warner Bros. Records, Wale is back with Free Lunch, his third EP of the year. The five-track project features guest spots from Eric Bellinger and his compadre J. Cole. If you love hip-hop, go right to “My Boy.” Wale and J. Cole should do a collaborative project together.
Innanet James is two for two with his first two projects. Keep It Clean, his debut full-length release, finds the Maryland rapper cementing himself as one of the best new talents in hip-hop. It’s been two years since his debut EP Quebec Place in 2016 but the wait was worth it. Keep It Clean is one of the best projects, front-to-back, of the year.
The 1975 delivers on their latest new single “Sincerity is Scary,” which reflects on modern communication and honesty. “You lack substance when you say/Something like, ‘Oh, what a shame,’” Matty Healy sings. The new single makes waiting for thier next album — A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships, which drop on Nov. 30 — even harder.
Swizz Beatz calls on Lil Wayne and the NOLA legend delievers his best verse in a while. “Hot girl in the bed and she prefer the warmer side/Pistol on my side, I’m talkin’ ’bout the Army kind/Cita, that’s my moms, only had her and father time/Pistol on my side, you don’t wanna hear it harmonize/Numbers don’t lie, the Number One Stun- never mind,” he raps in his first verse. Swizz Beatz’s brand new full-length album, Poison, features an all-star line-up. Kendrick Lamar, Jadakiss, Styles P, Nas, Young Thug, Pusha T, Nov. 2 can’t come soon enough.
KILLY is back with his new project, KILLSTREAK with WondaGurl handling the production for the entire EP. The one-two Candian punch offers a solid 5-track project that features standout singles like “ANTI EVERYBODY” and “HELLRAISER.” Y2K, FrancisGotHeat and a few more artists behind the boards also lend a helping hand.
Atlanta rapper and Mike WiLL Made-It protégé Eearz shares hs new single titled “Throw It.” The record is the first taste of Eearz’s collaborative project with Mike WiLL.
“This is the first single from the project me and Eearz been working on for the past year, said Mike WiLL Made-It. “I feel like this project is really solid from top to bottom and it’s another body of work that I feel strongly about executive producing. This is another Ear Drummer classic. New vibes on the way.”
'Chillin' | ||||
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Single by Wale featuring Lady Gaga | ||||
from the album Attention Deficit | ||||
Released | April 14, 2009 | |||
Format | ||||
Recorded |
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Genre | ||||
Length | 3:24 | |||
Label | Allido | |||
Songwriter(s) |
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Producer(s) | Cool & Dre | |||
Wale singles chronology | ||||
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Lady Gaga singles chronology | ||||
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'Chillin' is a song by American rapper Wale, featuring singer Lady Gaga. It was released as the lead single from his debut album, Attention Deficit, on April 14, 2009, by Allido Records. Wale had wanted to collaborate with Gaga, and were introduced to each other through the rapper's mentor, Mark Ronson. 'Chillin' was composed by a number of songwriters, including Wale and Gaga, while it was produced by Cool & Dre. Recorded in New York City, the song discusses Wale's life in his hometown. It has musical influence of 1990s style rapping, and contains two samples from the 1969 song 'Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye' by the band Steam, and the 1987 song, 'Top Billin', by Audio Two.
The song received mixed reviews from contemporary critics. Some praised Wale and Gaga's collaboration and composition, while others criticized it. 'Chillin' reached number 12 on the UK Singles Chart, while in the United States it peaked at number 99 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song also reached the lower regions of the record charts in some other nations. The accompanying music video features both Wale and Gaga in various locations in and around Washington D.C. and Boston, Massachusetts.
Wale had wanted to collaborate with Lady Gaga on the track since January 2009, believing that she embodied the party-record feel of the song. He explained: 'If music was a high school, I feel like I'll be the dude on the football team, and it would be like, 'OK, Gaga's having a party!' And you know all the bad girls are going to be out there.' Upon hearing that some were surprised by the collaboration, Wale went on to say, 'If Jay-Z can work with Coldplay, then Wale should be able to work with Gaga.'[1] Wale's mentor, Mark Ronson, sent the track to Gaga. She commented that her portion of the song, which includes lyrics such as 'Lookin' at, lookin' at, lookin' at me/ Eyes all stickin' like honey on bees', is narcissistic, but in a positive way. The lyrics capture the life and image of Wale's home areas Maryland and District of Columbia. About incorporating the hook in the song, Gaga said:
I really wanted to sit down with Wale before I wrote the hook, because to me, it's really lame when people send you tracks, and they're like, 'All right, Gaga, throw your vocals on it.' This is Wale's record. It's not my record. It's one of those songs, one of those tracks and one of those videos that you can't stop listening to.[1]
A 21-second sample of 'Chillin', illustrating the usage of the Steam song, 'Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye', and the opening freestyle singing by Gaga, followed by Wale's rapping. | |
Problems playing this file? See media help. |
Along with Wale and Gaga, songwriters who worked on 'Chillin' included Gary De Carlo, Dale Frashuer, Roy C Hammond, Paul Leka, Andre Christopher Lyon, Makeba Riddick, Kirk Robinson and Marcello Valenzano.[2] 'Chillin' has influence of 1990s style rapping, and samples from the 1969 song 'Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye' by Steam, and the 1987 song 'Top Billin' by Audio Two.[3][4][5] The song is written in the time signature of common time with a tempo of 100 beats per minute, and is composed in the key of G minor.[6] Nathan Rabin from The A.V. Club called it a 'throwback slab of electro-funk', with robotic new wave inspired vocals by Gaga.[7] After starting with the Steam sample, the song has a stripped-down beat with a bass drum and synth-claps, and synthesizers on the verses and the sample being looped in the chorus, with Gaga interjecting her verses in-between. Lyrically it has Wale's name repeated throughout and the rapper talking about things he has in comparison to other people,[8] opening with the line 'This how you start off '09, kickin' in the door and I'm everybody's problem'.[9] He also refers to fellow rapper M.I.A. with the line 'I'm the same way, M.I.A./ Me, Cool and Dre get high like planes'.[10]
Produced by Cool & Dre, the song was recorded at Allido Sound Studios in New York, by Derek Pacuk, while the mixing was done by Serban Ghanea.[5] Wale recalled in a 2011 interview with MTV News for Lady Gaga: Inside the Outside special, that the recording session did not go easy. He had traveled to the New York recording studio from Washington D.C. after a long night of partying. Gaga was already in the studio in her exuberant style with a big ribbon atop her head by which Wale was taken aback, and was a 'cultural difference' for him. In an effort to warm up to each other they made small talk about their respective record deals with Interscope. By the end of the session, Gaga had created five different hooks for 'Chillin' and added her vocals on the track. The rapper added, 'It took a while. Once we finally got the ball rolling, it was almost time to go. It was natural though. It's wack when you get in the studio with somebody and it's automatically music time — it feels fake. We were trying to feel each other out.'[11] Wale later added that he would like to collaborate with Gaga again on a track but it was unknown to him if Gaga would be interested.[12]
The music video for the song was directed by Chris Robinson and was posted on Interscope's YouTube channel on June 12, 2009. It features guest appearances from rappers Young Chris, Tre, Pusha T, Anwan Glover and Bun B. The video shows Wale and Gaga at the District of Columbia's Cardozo Senior High School[1] and Wale in various venues and streets in the District, including South Boston Waterfront. This includes one scene in the famous hidden clothing store Bodega in Boston where Wale tries on various clothes.[13] One of Gaga's characteristic Great Danes, which had also previously appeared in the music videos for 'Just Dance' and 'Poker Face', appears in the video for 'Chillin', wearing Beats by Dr. Dre headphones.[14][15] Several posters of Barack Obama appear in the video. The music video was added to BET's TV rotation in the United States.[16] Chrissy Andrews from MuchMusic complimented Gaga's appearance in the music video, saying that 'this is the most 'toned down' I've ever seen Lady Gaga. She's wearing a short dress with pumps, but she's surprisingly without her facial lightning bolt, crystal staff or orbiting head piece (as seen on her Ellen appearance). One of the two massive dogs from her other videos does make an appearance, however.. with headphones on! Even without all of the crazy things we know Gaga for, she's still great in this video.'[17]
'Chillin' received mixed reviews from critics. Steve Roberts from MTV praised Gaga's verse and for employing a similar singing style to M.I.A.[1] Jason Lipshutz from Billboard complimented the 'club-ready single' for its 'bouncy hook and slick verses' and called the song 'the perfect precursor to Wale's long-awaited debut'.[16] Mehan Jayasuriya from PopMatters commended the song for being a 'token party jam' on the album track list. She added that 'for all the flack that the [track] has caught, it's still an indisputably catchy song, even if the 9th Wonder and Nick Catchdubs reworking from [Wale's] Back to the Feature stands as the definitive version.'[18] Andres Tardio from HipHopDX believed the composition of the song as 'Pop-friendly'.[19] A reviewer for XXL compared and described 'Chillin' as 'distinctly D.C.-sounding anthem'.[20] David Jeffries from AllMusic praised Wale's 'natural delivery and quirky sense of humor' in the song, likening his vocals to that of Jay-Z and Gaga's vocals to that of singer Rihanna.[4] Describing 'Chillin' as a 'club-friendly hopper', Chris Richards from The Washington Post believed that using Rihanna or M.I.A. on the track would have made it successful, rather than Gaga who was then considered a relatively unknown singer. Richards recalled a similar situation when Washington D.C. based go-go band Experience Unlimited had collaborated with androgynous singer Grace Jones on a track.[21] Sobhi Youssef from Sputnikmusic noticed that the song's production made it sound like a different track than the rest of Attention Deficit.[22]
New York Post critic Ryan Brockington liked the song, but questioned Gaga's emulation of M.I.A.[23] Mosi Reeves from Spin criticized Gaga's 'wanna-be-M.I.A. cadences', calling it 'unnecessarily crass'.[24] Another review from Spin by Brandon Soderberg panned the song, saying that '[i]t wasn't a Wale song and it wasn't a Gaga song with Wale wedged in there somewhere, either. 'Chillin' became something of an Internet rap watershed moment'.[25] Sean Fennessey from Pitchfork Media described the song as 'much-maligned', adding that 'there won't be much to gain from ['Chillin'].. This was the first step in Wale's multiple personality debacle and he seems to know as much—nothing else on Attention Deficit resembles the goofy sneakers-shouting writing here.'[26] In another review, Ryan Dombal from the same website criticized Wale's repetition of his name and the usage of the samples calling it 'unnecessary'.[10] Brian Howe from Paste described the track as 'flashy and hollow'.[27]The Greyhound gave the song a negative review and believed that 'with a lackluster hook and the repetition of the name 'Wale,' the airplay and sales of this single will depend greatly upon the vocals of Lady Gaga.'[3] Wilson McBee from Slant Magazine criticized both 'Chillin' and the follow-up single, 'World Tour', as 'tepid Cool & Dre productions in which Wale seems to be attempting Black Eyed Peas-style halftime-show rap.' McBee believed that the songs did not represent the true nature of the album.[28]Prefix magazine was also critical of the song saying that 'just when you think Wale understands the consequences of mindlessly horny partying.. he gives us the dumb, cheaply agreeable Lady Gaga feature 'Chillin'.'[29]
The song performed moderately on the record charts. In the United States, the song debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at number 99 but fell off the next week.[30] It also reached a peak of number 26 on the Rhythmic Top 40 chart.[31] According to Nielsen SoundScan, 'Chillin' has sold 354,000 units in the US as of December 2010.[32] In Canada the song reached a peak of number 73.[33] 'Chillin' charted on the ARIA Charts of Australia where it debuted number 29, and was present for a total of eight weeks.[34] The song performed moderately in the United Kingdom and Ireland, where it reached peaks of number 12 and 19, respectively.[35][36] It also charted on Billboard's Euro Digital Songs, peaking at number 18.[37]
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Credits adapted from Attention Deficit album liner notes.[5]
Chart (2009) | |
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Australia (ARIA)[34] | 29 |
Belgium (Ultratip Flanders)[42] | 20 |
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[33] | 73 |
Euro Digital Songs (Billboard)[37] | 18 |
Ireland (IRMA)[36] | 19 |
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[35] | 12 |
US Billboard Hot 100[43] | 99 |
US Latin Rhythm Airplay (Billboard)[44] | 33 |
US Rhythmic (Billboard)[31] | 26 |
Country | Date | Format | Label | Ref. |
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United States | April 24, 2009 | Digital download | Allido | [38] |
May 5, 2009 | 12-inch | [39] | ||
May 6, 2009 | 12-inch Picture disc | [40] | ||
Europe | May 16, 2009 | CD single | Interscope | [41] |
Akintimehin performing at Georgetown University's 2010 Midnight Madness | |
Background information | |
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Birth name | Olubowale Victor Akintimehin |
Also known as | Ralph Folarin[1] |
Born | September 21, 1984 (age 34) Washington, D.C., U.S. |
Genres | Hip hop |
Occupation(s) | |
Years active | 2006–present |
Labels |
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Associated acts | |
Website | www.walemusic.com |
Olubowale Victor Akintimehin (born September 21, 1984), better known by his stage name Wale (/ˈwɔːleɪ/WAW-lay), is an American rapper. He first rose to prominence in 2006, when his song 'Dig Dug (Shake It)' became popular in his hometown. Wale became locally recognized and continued recording music for the regional audience. Producer Mark Ronson discovered Wale in 2006 and signed him to Allido Records in 2007. While signed to that label, Wale released several mixtapes and appeared in national media including MTV and various Black-American-focused magazines. A song called 'Ridin' in That Black Joint' was featured in the popular video game Saints Row 2's soundtrack in 2008.
In 2008, Wale signed with Interscope Records for $1.3 million, and his debut album Attention Deficit was released in 2009 with the singles 'Chillin', 'Pretty Girls', and 'World Tour'. The album, although under-shipped, received positive reviews from critics. In early 2011, Wale signed with Rick Ross' Maybach Music Group, where members of the label released a compilation album, Self Made Vol. 1 on May 23, 2011. His second studio album, Ambition was released November 1, 2011, with mixed reviews. His third studio album, The Gifted, was released on June 25, 2013, to mainly positive reviews; it debuted at number one on the Billboard 200. His second Billboard number one album The Album About Nothing was released on March 31, 2015.
In 2018, Wale released three E.P.s titled It's Complicated, Self-Promotion and Free Lunch.[2]
Ready to die zip. 1-16 of 117 results for 'ready to die album' Amazon Music Unlimited. Listen to any song, anywhere. Learn More about Amazon Music Unlimited. Ready To Die The Remaster [Explicit] Feb 10, 2015. By The Notorious B.I.G. Listen with Unlimited. Mar 08, 2017 The Notorious B.I.G.* – Ready To Die Label:Bad Boy Entertainment – 0-2 Format CD,Album Country: US Released:1994 Charles 'Prince Charles' Alexand. Skip navigation Sign in. Listen to this debut album from Notorious B.I.G. Titled Ready To Die. Released on September 13, 1994 by Bad Boy Records.
Olubowale Victor Akintimehin (who is a Nigerian American) was born on September 21, 1984, in Northwest, Washington, D.C.[3] His parents were both from the Yoruba ethnic group of the southwestern Nigeria and both of them came from Austria to the United States in 1979. Wale's family first lived in Northwest, Washington, D.C. and then moved to Montgomery County, when Wale was at the age of 10. In 2002, he graduated from the Quince Orchard High School in Gaithersburg, Maryland, and moved to Largo, Maryland[4] in Prince George's County. Wale attended Robert Morris University and Virginia State University on football scholarships, then transferred to Bowie State University. However, he dropped out due to academic reasons.[5][3] Wale's love of the game of football and the Washington Redskins has led to a longstanding rumor that Wale had a tattoo of tight end Chris Cooley.[6] He's also the cousin of an actor Gbenga Akinnagbe, who is best known as for playing Chris Partlow on HBO's The Wire. Wale's first recorded track, called 'Rhyme of the Century', became his first song to ever be played on the local radio. In 2006, he was featured in the 'Unsigned Hype' column of The Source magazine, and later signed to a local label, Studio 43. The track, called 'Dig Dug (Shake It)' became popular in Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia, and was a tribute to Ronald 'Dig Dug' Dixon, who was a percussion player for the go-go band Northeast Groovers.[5] The song became the most requested song by a local artist in Washington D.C. radio history and Wale was the first local artist to get some BDS spins since DJ Kool in the early 1990s. The song was included in Wale's first mixtape, Paint a Picture.
In July 2006, Wale found representation in Daniel Weisman, who is a former club DJ and promoter, who has no previous experience in management.[7] Weisman had been tipped off about the rapper by a friend in Washington, D. C and connected with him through Myspace.[7] In September 2006, after dropping another go-go influenced single, called 'Breakdown' (sampled from Huck-A-Bucks 'Sexy Girl') has been getting a mention on The Washington Post,[8] Wale released his first non-go-go original single, called 'Uptown Roamers'. On September 14, 2006, 'Uptown Roamers' debuted on XM Radio Channel 66, where it's been played twice in one day. Both 'Breakdown' and 'Uptown Roamers' were on Wale's second mixtape, Hate Is the New Love. The song, 'Breakdown' was featured on the video game Madden NFL 2009.Wale won the award for 'D. C. Metro Breakthrough Artist of the Year' at WKYS's Go-Go Awards in November 2006.[9] On December 15, The Fader magazine associate editor Nick 'Catchdubs' Barat visited Wale for an interview and photo shoot, which appeared in the March 2007 issue of The Fader.[10] Manager Weisman told HitQuarters that the Fader feature, given the magazine's music/culture/fashion orientation, laid an important foundation for Wale to position himself as a 'cool, smart, up-and-coming hip-hop artist who might actually be Drake'.[7]
In January 2007, Wale released a new single to radio called 'Good Girls' produced by Gerard Thomas and Demario Bridges for TeamMusicGroup(LeTroy Davis). Wale later appeared on Mark Ronson's remix of Lily Allen's 'Smile'[11] and was a headliner on Ronson's UK tour that year promoting Ronson's second album Version.[12][13] In June 2007, Wale signed to a production deal with Ronson's Allido Records.[5]In May 2010, Wale abruptly canceled a scheduled performance at DC Black Pride, an annual black gay pride event. In an email to the event's organizer, Wale's manager claimed he was unaware it was a gay event when he agreed to perform. However, on May 28, 2010, it was announced he would perform alongside the headliner for free.[14]Wale released his third mixtape, 100 Miles & Running, on July 11, 2007, as a free download on his Myspace page. This mixtape includes features from Mark Ronson, Daniel Merriweather, Amy Winehouse, and Lily Allen. It was released on the same day as his performance at the Highline Ballroom, in Manhattan. The Highline show was to promote the US release of Mark Ronson's album and included performances by Mark Ronson, Wale, Saigon, and Daniel Merriweather. Jay-Z, Beyoncé, Kanye West, Maroon 5, Clive Davis, Eve and Danny Masterson were all in attendance. There, Wale was interviewed by MTV News correspondent J. D. Tuminski for his first national TV feature on August 16, 2007.[15] With Ronson, Wale performed 'W. A. L. E. D. A. N. C. E. ', a remix of Justice's 'D.A.N.C.E.' from Wale's 100 Miles mixtape, at the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards in Las Vegas, Nevada.[16]The Washington Post profiled Wale on the front page of the Sunday Style section in the October 21, 2007, edition.[3] Wale was featured on the cover of the 150th issue of URB along with French electro group Justice.
In March 2008, Wale signed a joint venture deal with Mark Ronson's Allido Records and Interscope, joining Rhymefest and Daniel Merriweather as Allido artists.[17]Epic Records, Atlantic Records, and Def Jam all competed to sign Wale.[5] On May 30, Wale released his fourth mixtapeThe Mixtape About Nothing, heavily produced by Best Kept Secret.[18] Wale said that the television show Seinfeld inspired The Mixtape About Nothing: 'the TV show's 'honest dialogue' mirrors his lyrical style, which frequently references pop culture and politics while avoiding gangster-rap bluster'.[19]After signing with Interscope, Wale began recording tracks for his major label debut: in a 2008 interview with Express, a newspaper published by the Washington Post Company, Wale announced that he was recording a song with Chrisette Michele called 'Shades', which discusses inter-black racism.[20] Wale also appeared on Interscope label mate DJ Greg Street's single 'Dope Boys' which samples Hip Hop classic T.R.O.Y. alongside Lupe Fiasco and Kardinal Offishall.[21] Rapper Young Chris of rap duo Young Gunz also began plans for a collaboration mixtape with Wale.[22]
On June 19, 2009, Wale released his fifth mixtape, Back to the Feature, on which eleven of the tracks were produced by 9th Wonder, with contributions also coming from Mark Ronson and others.[23] The album's title, a play off the name of the movie Back to the Future, referred to the fact that a lengthy list of rappers joined Wale on the songs, including K'naan, Tamere Guess, Talib Kweli, Joell Ortiz, Beanie Sigel, Curren$y, J. Cole and Bun B.[24] The mixtape received positive reviews from Vibe magazine[24] and website Pitchfork Media,[25] but Colin McGowan of Cokemachineglow commented that it represented neither 'a step forward or back [for the artist] so much as shouting-in-place. '[26]Wale did a guest performance on 'Change', a song by the Australian singer-songwriter Daniel Merriweather. It was written by Merriweather and Andrew Wyatt and produced by Mark Ronson. It was released on January 30, 2009, in the United States and Canada, and February 2, 2009, in the UK (where the song peaked at no.8). The song is included on Merriweather's album Love & War.On September 13, Wale, alongside the DC-based musicians of UCB (Uncalled 4 Band)- The Board Administration artists, served as the official house band for the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards.[27]
On November 10, 2009 Wale's debut album, Attention Deficit, had primarily positive reception. Metacritic, which assigns a standardized score out of 100, rated the album 77 based on 21 reviews.[28] It debuted at the number 21 spot on the Billboard 200 and sold 28,000 copies in its first week. Interscope claimed that the LP was undershipped and that was the reason for the low sales numbers. Daniel Weisman, Wale's manager, claimed that Interscope didn't ship enough copies of the album.[29] The first single off Attention Deficit was 'Chillin', featuring Lady Gaga, followed by 'Pretty Girls' featuring Gucci Mane and Weensey and 'World Tour' featuring Jazmine Sullivan. Other guest artists on the album included Pharrell; Bun B; Chrisette Michele; K'Naan; Marsha Ambrosius; J. Cole; and Melanie Fiona.[30]In March 2010, Rapper Wale announced he and K'Naan would kick off a short co-headlining tour across the east coast of the US, beginning at the end of March in New York City.[31] According to Wale, he is in the studio with Gucci Mane, Waka Flocka Flame, Roscoe Dash, Sean Garrett, and Drumma Boy.
On August 3, 2010, Wale released his sixth mixtape, More About Nothing hosted by DJ Omega a follow-up to his critically acclaimed The Mixtape About Nothing under The Board Administration[32] – an independent label co-founded with Marketing Executive Le'Greg O. Harrison. More About Nothing took the internet by storm resulting in 100,000 plus downloads in 90 minutes.[33]More About Nothing creatively integrates sitcom material with rhyme and wordplay to present Wale's frustrations on his plight to reach mainstream acceptance and success. Features include Wiz Khalifa, Waka Flocka, Daniel Merriweather, UCB, Board Administration Artists' Tiara Thomas, Black Cobain, Fat Trel, and NBA Player and DC Native Kevin Durant.In the last half of 2010, inspired by Kanye West's G.O.O.D. Fridays project, Wale re-released a track from one of his previous mixtapes for free-download on his own website every Thursday, calling this enterprise 'Throwback Thursday'. Guests on those tracks included Bun B, Pusha T, John Mayer, Lil Wayne and K'Naan.
On February 5, 2011, during Super Bowl XLV festivities he announced his signing to artist Rick Ross' Maybach Music Group.[34] He states that he will still continue to be able to put out the music that he believes in, with the support of Rick Ross. Since 2009, Wale has been signed to Jay-Z’s Roc Nation for management along with other artists such as J. Cole, Mark Ronson, Melanie Fiona and Rihanna. On May 6, 2011, Wale shared plans with MTV Networks regarding the potential release of two albums in 2011. Later the same month, he confirmed pre-production efforts for Ambition, his second album, slated for a fall 2011 release under Maybach and Warner Music Groups. Production for Ambition took place at ZAC Recording in Atlanta, Georgia with The Board Administration Producer Tone P. Anticipation for Ambition was incited through the release and heavy viral promotion of mixtape, The Eleven One Eleven Theory done under Wale's label, The Board Administration. The Eleven One Eleven Theory debuted August 17, 2011, on Life and Times in honor of Wale's Twitter milestone of reaching one million followers and was purposefully made with the intent to build widespread anticipation for the November 1, 2011, scheduled release date of Ambition.[35] This marketing strategy was the brainchild of The Board Administration CEO Le'Greg O. Harrison and was executed through savvy social media integration, resulting in the first shut down of renowned file sharing site Hulkshare in the first 4 seconds of posting the link.[36] Wale is the first mainstream artist to officially crash Hulkshare.[37]
On September 7, 2011, Wale announced plans for a 32-city domestic tour titled The Ambition Tour, which initiated October 2, 2011, in Minneapolis Minnesota and has dates through December 2011.[38]The Board Administration Artist Black Cobain is the official opening act for each date and is followed by a rotation of various artists in select markets which include: Rick Ross, Meek Mill, Pusha T, J. Cole, Big Sean, Miguel, and more.[38] The tour was booked by NUE Agency.[39]On September 28, 2011, Wale revealed that Ambition was complete and released the single 'Lotus Flower Bomb', featuring Miguel on Twitter.[40] On September 29, 2011, Funk Master Flex debuted Wale's song 'Tats on my Arms', featuring Rick Ross.[41] The next day, Wale released the album cover for Ambition.[42] On October 14, 2011, Wale released the single 'Focused', featuring Kid Cudi.[43] The official Ambition track listing includes 15 songs.[44] The Board Administration launched a robust social media campaign integrating never-seen-before social media strategy and savvy to virally promote Ambition. The promotional campaign included a five-part 'making of' documentary, a Twitter campaign centered on a hashtag blitz–aptly named #Ambition, daily new music and video releases from Wale, and promotional materials for purchase through Warner Music Group and Maybach Music Group such as Ambition wristbands and graphic tees.[45] These efforts were also supported by televised 'making of' episodes through networks such as MTV that hosted Sucker Free Road to Release.[46] The never-seen-before element of Wale’s Ambition promo blitz included a partnership formed between the current most popular file sharing site Hulkshare and The Board Administration.[45] Greater than 3 million people frequent Hulkshare daily, and through this collaboration could view banner ads on practically every Hulkshare download page flanked with Wale’s profile and a clock counting down the days, hours, minutes, and seconds until the album released.[45]
On October 27, 2011, Wale unveiled an Ambition snippet sampler on YouTube for people to preview the album.[47] Later the same day, a private Ambition media listening event, held at the Gansevoort Hotel of Chelsea New York, was attended by music executives, bloggers, various artists, and hip hop heads.[47]On November 2, 2011, Myspace and Hot 97 presented a complimentary Wale and friends midnight Ambition release show at The Highline Ballroom in New York City. The event was hosted by Miss Info and featured special guest DJ Funkmaster Flex.[48]The album debuted number two on the Billboard 200, selling 162,600 copies in its first week.[49] The album initially received mixed reviews, including a negative one in Wale's local Washington City Paper.[50] However, the album currently holds a 69/100 score on Metacritic, signifying 'generally favorable reviews. '[51]
On November 25, 2011, shortly after the release of Ambition, Wale announced on Twitter that he has already begun working on his third album.[52] In an interview with UpVenue in January 2012, Wale confirmed the third album and the focus will be about his growth as a person.[53] He was featured on Maybach Music Group's second studio album Self Made II. Wale released the mixtape Folarin on December 24, 2012, which is hosted by DJ Clark Kent.[54] He released a trailer for Folarin on December 6, 2012.[55] He has also started working on his third studio album which is to be released in 2013. The mixtape features guest spots Rick Ross, 2 Chainz, Scarface, Nipsey Hussle, French Montana, Tiara Thomas, Lightshow, and Trinidad James among others. Production comes from Hit-Boy, Jake One, Cardo, Diplo, Beat Billionaire and Rico Love among others.[55]
When speaking of his third studio album Wale would say, 'it's going to have one sound, very, very soulful' and said the first single, 'Bad' is a pretty good indication of the direction I'm going for this project.' The album is set to release on June 25, 2013, and with his fourth album is coming a couple months after that.[56] Wale announced he was collaborating with Jerry Seinfeld on his fourth studio album to be titled The Album About Nothing.[57] He later said he was also collaborating with producer No I.D. on the album. He also said he would release a collaboration mixtape with Meek Mill during 2013.[58]
In December 2012, Wale had announced he was planning on releasing a Go-go album: 'I wanna do the album for me. This is the second time I’m announcing it, but I’m doing a Go-Go album after my album. And when I say Go-Go I don’t mean like cheesy Go-Go. It’s gonna be sequenced. It’s gonna be me probably rapping only 40-percent on the album, but getting the sound out.'[59]
To build hype for The Gifted, Wale released 'Sight of the Sun,' a remix of the Fun. song of the same name.[60] This was similar to the songs 'Bittersweet' and 'Fly Away,' which he released prior to Attention: Deficit.
On September 9, 2014 Wale released the first single from the album The Album About Nothing titled 'The Body' featuring American singer Jeremih.[61] On November 17, 2014, Wale announced a 31-date US tour entitled the Simply Nothing Tour. The tour is in support of his upcoming 2015 album, The Album About Nothing.[62] On December 24, 2014, Wale released the mixtape Festivus heavily themed by the Seinfeld holiday. Features on the mixtape included Chance The Rapper, A$AP Ferg, and Pusha T, among others.
On March 31, 2015 Wale released his fourth studio album The Album About Nothing, which featured Jerry Seinfeld, J. Cole, Usher, and SZA among others.[63] It became his second #1 album in the United States.[64] It was revealed that Wale would next serve as the Executive Producer for Maybach Music Group's next collaborative album Self Made 4.[65]
Wale also recorded the original music theme for the popular ESPN sports talk show First Take, which features journalists/panelists Stephen A. Smith, Max Kellerman and moderator/host Molly Qerim. The two-hour show, which airs twice daily at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. on ESPN, features Wale's theme at the beginning of the show.
Wale's fifth studio album, Shine was released on April 28, 2017, selling 28,000 units in its first week.
After parting ways with Atlantic Records in February,[66] Wale released a surprise 4-Track E.P titled It's Complicated on March 13, 2018.[67][68] Two months later, he release a 2nd E.P titled Self Promotion on May 8, 2018.[69][70] The 4-Track EP had a single guest feature in R&B singer, Jacquees. On May 16, 2018, it was announced that Wale had been signed to Warner Bros. Records.[71] Then on September 14, 2018, he released a 3rd E.P titled Free Lunch, with guest appearances from long time friend and collaborator, J. Cole and Eric Bellinger.[72][73]On December 20, & 21, 2018 Wale released two singles Winter Wars and Poledancer.
In an interview with Flavorwire, Wale said that he incorporates elements of go-go in his music.[74] Cyril Cordor of allmusic described go-go as 'a more raw, percussion-driven offshoot of disco' that originated in the Washington, D. C. area. Wale's early singles that were played primarily in his local metropolitan area heavily sampled 1990s go-go records.[5] Reviewing Attention Deficit, David Jeffries of allmusic remarked that Wale had a 'post-Kanye, post-Lil Wayne, alternative-meets-hardcore style' and commented that Wale's single 'Chillin', which featured Lady Gaga, 'crafts an instant floor-filler out of a sample from the 1969 hit 'Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye'.[75]
Telugu audio songs. An avid professional wrestling fan, Wale has made several wrestling references on his songs.[76] Wale hosts the annual WaleMania during WrestleMania weekend. He's also made several appearances on WWE television where he hosted a rap battle between The New Day and The Usos on the 4th of July episode of Smackdown Live in 2017 and was the guest commentator during Noam Dar and TJP's match on 205 Live in 2018.[77][78]
Wale teamed up with Philadelphia retailer Ruvilla, and ASICS for a product called 'Bottle Rocket' Asics Gel Lyte III in 2015.[79] In 2016, he teamed with ASICS again with a product that features gold and shades of black and blue.[79]
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
---|---|---|---|
2014 | Wale | Best Male Diaspora[80] | Nominated |
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
---|---|---|---|
2012 | 'Lotus Flower Bomb' | Viewer's Choice | Nominated[citation needed] |
Best Collaboration | Won[81] | ||
2014 | 'LoveHate Thing' | Centric Award | Nominated[82] |
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
---|---|---|---|
2010 | Wale | Best New Artist | Nominated[83] |
2011 | 'No Hands' | Best Collaboration | Nominated |
Best Club Banger | Won[84] | ||
2012 | 'Lotus Flower Bomb' | Best Hip-Hop Video | Nominated[85] |
Perfect Combo | Nominated[86] | ||
2013 | Wale | Album Of The Year | Nominated[87] |
Lyricist Of The Year | Nominated[88] | ||
2015 | The Album About Nothing | Album of the Year | Nominated |
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
---|---|---|---|
2013 | 'Lotus Flower Bomb' | Best Rap Song | Nominated |
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
---|---|---|---|
2015 | 'The White Shoes' | Best Video with a Social Message | Nominated |
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
---|---|---|---|
2010 | Himself | Best International Artist | Won[89] |
2014 | Diaspora Artist of the Year | Nominated |
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
---|---|---|---|
2010 | Wale | Best New Artist | Nominated |
2012 | 'Lotus Flower Bomb' | Best Hip-Hop Song | Nominated |
2012 | 'Lotus Flower Bomb' | Song of the Year | Nominated |
2013 | Bad (Feat. Tiara Thomas) | Best Hip Hop Song Of The Year | Won |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Wale (rapper). |
Charles Nii Armah Mensah Jr., (born October 17, 1984) is a Ghanaian-born producer and reggae-dancehall musician. He is known by his stage name Shatta Wale, formerly Bandana. His best known song is 'Dancehall King', which led to winning the Artiste of the Year at the 2014 edition of the Ghana Music Awards. Wale is also an actor, having appeared in the films Never Say Never,The trial of Shatta Wale and Shattered Lives.
Having achieved street credibility in a fairly undeveloped Ghanaian dancehall genre at the time, he achieved popularity with his 2004 single, 'Moko Hoo', which features Tinny. Then known in the industry as Bandana, the song earned him a Ghana Music Awards nomination. There afterwards, Bandana went missing in the music circus for nearly a decade until rebranding himself in 2013. He began releasing music under a new name, Shatta Wale, under his own record label (SM For Lyf Records).
In 2014, he peaked number 38 on E.tv's 'Top 100 Most Influential Ghanaians' Awards chart. He has since appeared on the chart each year. He was ranked 'Most Influential Musician' on social media in 2017. he won 8 awards at the 3music awards in 2019