Fighter: Wale
Trainer (Gym): Wale (Maybach Music Group, Atlantic Records)
Cut Men: Travi$ Scott, Juicy J, Just Blaze, Jake One, Lee Major, Tiara Thomas, No Credit, AdoTheGod, Cardiak, Corporal, Cheeze Beatz, Deputy, Kelson Camp, Lionel Gray, Mark Henry Beats, MexManny, Sam Dew, Sean C & LV, Stokley Williams, The McKanics, Tone P
Weight Class: Rising Star/Lyrical Heavyweight
Notable Fire: Heaven’s Afternoon (Feat. Meek Mill), Vanity, 88, LoveHate Thing (Feat. Sam Dew), Golden Salvation
Notable Trash: Sunshine, Rotation (Feat. 2 Chainz & Wiz Khalifa)
Tale of the Tape: When you’re a freshman in school, you enter your new environment with wide eyes and an enthusiastic outlook for what the future will hold for you within your new surroundings. Some of your initial expectations are confirmed, but quickly you find that there are elements of this world that you totally miscalculated going in (the workload, the time management, the girls, etc.). That first year can be turbulent, which is why so many don’t even make it out.
As a sophomore, you’re not necessarily mature, but you’ve survived the hardest part and you now have an idea of what it takes to be become popular, which is a big deal for a lot of sophomores, as being socially accepted will largely shape their experience for the next two years. You implement this plan for acceptance, and while you might be successful, you may not be necessarily happy with the results. Perhaps you found that you didn’t care too much for the people who’s approval you originally sought out or you didn’t like the person you became in the process.
By your junior year, you know exactly who you are and what you need to do to complete your initial objective, whatever it might be. You’ve learned how to strike the balance between work and play and if you play your cards right, your third year can define your educational experience.
The same can be said for Wale after the release of his highly anticipated third album, The Gifted.
As controversial artists go, Wale appears to be near the top of the list of most polarizing within the rap community. That much was made clear by the random slander (see page 2) that popped up about D.C. MC right around the time his new album dropped. Some have speculated that this hatred is related to the lack of consistency within his image. He was initially known for go-go music, before dabbling in the hipster, club and neo-soul rap scenes. He’s made records with Talib Kweli, Curren$y, Meek Mill, Kid Cudi, Nas and Waka Flocka (that’s basically every corner of the rap world. How many rappers can say that?). But with that versatility comes the suspicion of where his true allegiances within hip-hop lie.
Attention Deficit — Wale’s first major label effort — was what many believed was an accurate reflection of the type of artist he wanted to be— thoughtful, insightful and more in line with the values of “traditional hip-hop”. However it debuted at #21 on the Billboard 200. In what appeared to be a necessary move, Wale then got with Rick Ross’ Maybach Music Group for his followup album and dropped the commercially successful, but critically reprimanded (accurately so) Ambition.
Sidebar: “Truthfully, I wanna rhyme like Common Sense, but I did five mil, I ain’t been rhyming like Common since!”
Now comes The Gifted: a savvy collection of tracks that don’t offer much by way of direct introspection (doesn’t speak on his family, childhood, etc), but is a complete musical work nonetheless. Wale succeeded in his mission to have an album that had production which centered more around live instrumentation, while limiting the number of MMG features, which allowed him to get back to what he does best.
The “new black soul” he is attempting to cultivate falls in line with the soulful club scene that Chocolate City has helped make famous. The second single “LoveHate Thing” incorporates many of those same sounds and Sam Dew’s vocal and production performance (along with Tone P and Stokley Williams) added a touch of class not found on most hip-hop records.
The song’s content deals with the double-edged sword that is fame and success, which is fine until you consider Ralph’s unflinching confidence, which boarders on grand arrogance. In addition to lamenting his omission from Complex Magazine’s 25 Best Verses of the Last Five Years piece on The Breakfast Club, Wale — never short on praise for Wale — kinda-sorta compared the notion of rap fans hating on his work to hoop fans hating on Jordan in his prime (See the green video annotations).
Sidebar: In his defense, Wale was left off of Complex’s list in favor of rappers like Gucci Mane and Gunplay. So yeah, he has a legit beef there (this is why our album reviews have “weight classes”). But it could be this lack of humility that rubs some fans and so many other rappers the wrong way.
Excluding the highly forgettable “Sunshine”, “LoveHate Thing” leads into The Gifted’s strongest corner of music. “Heaven’s Afternoon” (which contains a great beat to listen to in the whip on a sunny day with the windows down, much like “Beautiful Bliss” off Attention Deficit), “Golden Salvation” and “Vanity” are all extremely strong records.
“Cuz I have some issues, I won’t commit…”
Because it was written, Wale took a page out of Nas’ book (see what I did there?) on “Golden Salvation”, as he rhymes from the prospective of an inanimate object— in this case, an iced out Jesus piece. Wale’s first verse (submitted for your approval, Complex) was one of the best of his career. He questions the blatant hypocrisy behind many rappers who wear this particular form of jewelry.
“The Good Book said praise/But you so stuck in your ways/You got my image appraised/While you sinning I’m waiting/Fornicating with women, I sat right there on your table/Don’t bow your head for grace/Though I’m keeping you graceful/Brothers was born to cheat/Though I question who’s faithful”.
Sidebar: So many prominent rappers are rhyming about religion and its various complexities these days. Wale, J. Cole, Kanye West, Jay Z, Game and Kendrick Lamar have all dropped full-length albums within the last year that have centered heavily around religion in some capacity. Rap went through a period where this topic was rarely broached by the heavy-hitters; now it may be time to hip-hop to explore some more themes. We’re approaching overkill at this point.
Wale carries this theme of misguided values onto “Vanity”, where — as you might have guessed — he makes a mockery of people’s unnecessary spending habits to appease others/impress women. “Look at me, look at me!/How much vanity you see?” was the chant, while The Wise Guys serenaded the bridge that ends with, “Hello teacher tell me what’s my lesson?/Look right through me, look right through me”, thus highlighting the transparency that exists within the club life.
The Gifted does not contain many weak links; one would struggle to find consecutive wack records. Even filler tracks like “Simple Man” were entertaining enough not to drag down the album. The song that shined the most on the back half of the project was “88”, produced by Just Blaze, who once again stole the show (as he’s prone to do). In the song, Wale brags about “coppin’ Jordan Threes for the whole team”, which he did, literally! Justin Blaze laces the boastful MJ comparisons with an unbelievable percussion exhibition, with the snares taking center stage for roughly 70 seconds to close the song.
Sidebar: Wale’s sneaker collection is legendary, but Cleveland Cavaliers point guard and fellow D.C. native Jarrett Jack says his own collection can’t be touched. And his reasoning as to why Wale gets so many exclusives is pretty damn hilarious.
Fight Night: Winner By Eighth Round KO
By claiming that he drew inspiration from Jay Z’s Reasonable Doubt and Kanye West’s Late Registration, Wale certainly had no qualms with elevating expectations for The Gifted (naming it “The Gifted” probably had a similar effect).
Though the album ultimately fell short of those unofficial benchmarks, Wale’s third solo effort was his best to date. The Gifted is polished bevy of material that, when compared to some of his summer counterparts, is a more complete project. In addition to the noticeable emphasis placed on lyricism, this album proves to have an eclectic sound, unlike J. Cole’s Born Sinner, for instance. While Wale’s habit of occasionally reaching with his similes — such as, “I’m never slippin like student parent permission” — and his double entendres was present (as well as too frequently contorting the pronunciation of words in order to make them fit), the wordplay was mostly solid.
The controversy over the song “Bad” was a hiccup upon the album’s release, but Folarin dodged any embarrassment over the Tiara Thomas situation by plugging Rihanna into the lead single’s remix, then burring the Tiara Thomas version just to stick it to her…probably.
Sidebar: This Thomas situation sounds eerily similar to the fabled Carlos Boozer situation with the Cavs back in 2004.
Wale offers up extensive commentary on the young Black American condition, touching on issues ranging from the aforementioned vanity, to the allure of the drug game, to sneaker culture, all the way down to “Shawty got a big ‘ole butt, oh yeaaaaaaahhhh!!!”
Simply put, The Gifted is a fairly accurate reflection of life in 2013 for Black males ages 24-30. However, Wale takes somewhat of a self-righteous tone on this LP, leaving listeners to wonder who really is the subject of these records about shallowness, survivor’s guilt and media’s impact on culture. Did he draw on his own personal experiences? Are these issues that he himself wrestled with, or is he making observations of other people/rappers from his ivory tower? Is he playing in this game or his he providing commentary from up in the booth?
Regardless, Wale is a true poet at heart, and his poetic influences permeate through his music— for better and for worse. Whether or not The Gifted will allow him to separate himself from the other leaders of the new school is unclear. What is clear is that the quality of his music has rebounded within the last year and should earn him more respect from both fans and peers alike.