There are some rappers in the game who, as all around artists, are very talented. But yet, for some reason, they choose to make the kind of music that just takes away from their true talent. Making them look well...less talented. Wale is the prime example of this. There's probably not another rapper who I've been frustrated with more over these last five years. Wale lyrically is talented. No denying that. But as of late, with his last two album releases, I've just been disappointed with everything he's been doing. From the mediocre singles (R&B ones especially), to the poor production, to the lack of focus and originality. Now of course everything started out great in 2009 with his debut Attention Deficit. That album was deep, poetic, production was solid and he was actually talking about things worth listening to. But then came the Maybach Music contract which lead to 2011's Ambition. An album that was nothing but one giant, desperate reach for radio success. Mediocre production, poor hooks and countless R&B features and/or love songs. Then he would follow that with 2013's The Gifted which was much worse. I honestly can't even remember one quotable line from that album. It also featured "Clappers". One of the worst singles to come out that year. So knowing all of this, I of course expected the worst when it was time for this. His fourth album The Album About Nothing. Ambition was strike one. The Gifted was strike two. I hoped and prayed that Wale would not strike out here. That he would finally give the fans the Wale they really want to hear. Well, it's with a huge sigh of relief that I can finally say, the old Wale is back! I was very pleased with this album. Wale got back to doing what he does best. Being deep, being poetic, being introspective and delivering a handful of social commentary. This album he gets just a little bit more personal when talking about life after his MMG deal and such. As you can see, there's a theme. We all know Wale is a huge Seinfeld fan and on this album he gets Jerry Seinfeld himself to kinda narrate the album throughout. As well as mix in dialogue from the actual show. Of course this isn't new. Wale had two mixtapes with this same theme with the Seinfeld snippets. Just this time, he finally got the man himself on the album and he helps it out a lot. Although the production is a little weak and there are still a number of singers featured (four out of five features are singers), as well as songs for the women, the content of his lyrics and his messages out shine that heavily. Let's get to the break down:
1. The Intro About Nothing
So this song starts with Wale and Jerry Seinfeld entering the studio preparing to get started with this project. The production is very soulful and religious sounding. It starts off soft and somber with piano keys. Then as it gets to the hook it gets louder with the tambourines, organs and the choir. Reminded me a little bit of a track he had on the last about called "Golden Salvation". It sounds like he is giving the meaning behind this album's title. Which is how people don't care nothing about good albums today. So he made an album about "nothing". That's just an assumption though I'm not too sure. Cool intro nonetheless.
2. The Helium Balloon
If you like analogies you'll like this. This song is one big analogy. Wale compares himself to a balloon. In a sense where his music "lifts" people up. Just like a balloon when helium is put in it. Or, you could look at as the fans being the balloon and Wale's music being the helium that lifts them. Then, Jerry Seinfeld explains how when a kid has a balloon, he doesn't wanna let it go but at the same time he does. I think this possibly means Wale family and friends at home (the kid) don't want to let Wale go. But at the same time they do because it's what he wants to do and what he loves and they support him. An interesting analogy to say the least. Production is kinda okay. Has a few trap-like drums but at a more laid back pace. Cool song with a interesting concept.
3. The White Shoes
This song went over my head a few times. This pretty much talks about the sneaker heads of today. First off, Jerry tells a story to Wale about his white shoes. How they can bring positivity to the person who wears them. Wale talks about the opposite of this. He talks about how those who are poor and/or lack confidence spends all their money on shoes just to appeal to others. To look as if they are "ballin" like that and to boost confidence. It was also causes them to become poor or broke by spending so much on shoes. I think this song is right on time because the sneaker head population is at an all time high today. Most of them fit this description in this song. The irony is, Wale is a sneaker head himself. Anyway, production here was a little weak for me. Not much life in it at all. Okay song overall.
4. The Pessimist (featuring J. Cole)
Pessimist: A person who habitually sees or anticipates the worst. That's the role Wale is playing on this song. Wale takes a look at certain things from a pessimistic view and how they effect the black community negatively. From the music, to social media, to reality shows. He apparently has grown "hopeless" about it and seems to be giving up on having any faith. The production has a soulful feel as well with the strong organs and pianos. I am a little bit disappointed that J. Cole is only on the hook. I would have love to heard him spit on this. I guess Wale didn't want him to kill him on his own track again like he did on "Beautiful Bliss". Anyway, another song with a cool concept.
5. The Middle Finger
The title should speak for itself. This song is nothing but Wale in his feelings. Upset about what the streets, the media and his hip hop peers have to say about him. Believing he's being disrespected. So this song is one big "fuck you" to them (just listen to the hook). But again, this yet another barely decent production. It's not laid back but it definitely not as energetic as it should be. But let me stop because to his logic, I'm sounding like the people this song was made for.
6. The One Time In Houston
This was the first song that I quickly pressed the repeat button on. Mostly because of the production which was probably the best on the album. Pro Reese definitely put his foot in this production with it's thumping bass line and laid back trap styled drums. It samples New Edition's "If It Isn't Love". Even Wale's hook was cool and very catchy. It's a chopped and screwed hook, which of course pays homage to Houston's hip hop scene. The song talks about the lust over women in Houston. The city is known for having some of the finest women....well strippers/groupies in this case. How they are so bad that it's enough to make him move to Houston and wife one up. Totally negating the fact that their strippers and possibly hoes and/or thots. Anyway I enjoyed this song a lot. One to add to the "bump in the whip" play list.
7. The Girls On Drugs
Here's another pretty good production. I like the bass line and how it slowly builds up to the trap style drums. I also liked the looping Janet Jackson sample which gives it a bit more soul. Props to No Credit on the beat. The song talks about females who deal with emotional stress by taking prescription drugs or by drinking. He did a song similar to this on his debut called "90210". This reminded me of that. Anyway, some already know of this song because it was feature on a previous mixtape of his. Again, another song where the message shines most.
8. The God Smile
This one I had a lot of trouble figuring out. I initially thought this would be something dealing with religion or faith but I don't think it's that at all. Based on what I'm hearing him say, I'm guessing this is some kind of self confidence anthem? I'm not entirely sure. But anyway, the production was alright. The tribal like chanting in the background gave this a kinda island feel. Alright song overall.
9. The Need To Know (featuring SZA)
Normally I get annoyed with Wale and these constant love duets with R&B singers (and I still do). But this one I gotta say was top notch. The song is about how nosey people want to know what's going on between certain couples. Are they friends? Are they dating? That kind of thing. The two want to be more than friends and want to be together. But act as friends among the public. I can't help but think this is for all those celebrity couples who try to hide their relationships from the public/media. As well as for the fans who follow their every move trying to figure out whats going on. I think SZA stole the show here. I love her voice on this hook. As well as her looping vocals over the solid production. Nice song overall. Even though this has single written all over it. It will go great with his other 100 R&B songs on the radio now.
10. The Success
Now here we get more of that soul sound. The production is filled with gospel samples from a choir, organs and hand claps. Nicely done here by Jake One. Now the meaning of this could be one of two things. The good and bad of gaining success (considering what Jerry said at the beginning of this), or Wale's rise from basically nothing to obtaining instant success. I think this song can be looked at from both views. It's all about what you hear.
11. The Glass Egg
This song probably has the most in depth analogy on the whole album. Following the track "The Success", Wale talks about here the difficulties of maintaining the success. They say it's easy to get it, but keeping it is the hard part (Dr. Dre said this to Kendrick Lamar on To Pimp A Butterfly). Trying to balance family, friends, women, money and your music all at once without breaking or changing who you are and how you act towards certain folks. Now the difficult thing for me was figuring out how this ties in the title. Here's my guess: A egg itself is very delicate. It's even more delicate and fragile when it's a glass egg. The glass egg represent every thing Wale is trying to balance during his success. The money, the women, family, friends etc. They are in this case considered fragile too and should be handled with care. If you can't maintain all of that and keep it upright, you'll lose it all, it will fall and your success will shatter. Just like a glass egg if you don't properly handle it. I love the emotion within the production and especially the two samples of Isaac Hayes and Groove Theory. It helps get this great message across perfectly.
12. The Bloom (AG3) (featuring Stokley Williams)
Here we have another uplifting song for the ladies. This is part three in the "Ambitious Girl" trilogy. In this song, the girl I guess he's involved with, he sees as a beautiful blooming flower. He doesn't want to see her struggle with things like work, school, self esteem among other issues. He wants to take her away from that stress. Telling her he wants to take her places, show her things. Help her to just enjoy life and "be free" as Stokely Williams says on the hook. I'm willing to bet many young women will gravitate to this song because many of them are waiting for that one man that can't take their stress away and make them happy. The production is very instrument heavy. From plenty of horns, to pianos, to drums. It samples a hip hop favorite "Impeach The President". While the song is not bad, this begins the string of love songs with R&B singers that Wale notoriously throws at us.
13. The Matrimony (featuring Usher)
Here's the second one and the second single of the album. It's basically talking about Wale being ready for commitment. How he's trying to convince his girl that even though he's a celebrity and has done dirt in his past, he's ready to change and be with her forever. What I like the most is Jerry's view of marriage that he tells Wale in the beginning. He describes it as being a roller coaster. It starts off slow and every thing is cool. The engagement is the very top of the roller coaster and the drop is the marriage. In which you start screaming. It's meant to be funny but it makes so much sense. Even when someone plans to get married, they deep down probably wasn't ready. Just like they made plans to ride that roller coaster but wasn't ready for that drop. Yet another amazing analogy. The song itself is just average to me though.
14. The Body (featuring Jeremih) [BONUS TRACK]
This album ends with it's first single. I don't know why he made this a bonus track when there are other songs that should have been bonus tracks instead. Anyway, this is nothing but Wale taking an R. Kelly classic and making it his own. Describing the beauty of a woman's body and comparing it to a nice looking car. I just think that's silly honestly. I didn't like when R. Kelly did it and I damn sure don't like it here. What woman would be turned on hearing a man tell her that she reminds him of his whip? This is just another simpified R&B assisted track to add to Wale's mile long arsenal of them. Even in context with this album I still don't like it.
In closing, The Album About Nothing for me, is my first big surprise of 2015. It pleases me so much to see that Wale listened to the critics, to his fans and everyone else and got back to what he does best. What gained him popularity and got him a MMG deal in the first place. Great theme, messages, deep poetry, and brain teasing analogies. I give this a final grade of a B. All I can think about is if Ambition and The Gifted went down the same direction as The Album About Nothing, Wale would have one of the most impressive discographies in hip hop today. I'm glad he realized that's this is the MC he truly is. He's not the guy that made all those R&B duets, he's not the guy that made "Slight Work" or "Clappers", He's the guy that made "The Helium Balloon", "The Glass Egg" and "The Pessimist". Hopefully he never goes back to that. He had two strikes, but he didn't strike out. He knocked it out the park. Finally giving us a top notch album. An album about...something. End.
Lyrics: B+
Production: C
Collaboration: C
Originality: B
Concept(s): B+
Final Grade: B
CREDITS
Executive Producers
Olubowale Akintimehin
William Roberts
A&R
Brock Korsan
Dallas Martin
Lead Artists
Olubowale Akintimehin
Production
Julian Gramma
Dacoury Natche
Sonny Uwaezouke
Reese Cummings
Osinachi Nwaneri
Dave Bayley
Robert Williams
Jacob Dutton
Alex Fonseca
Julian Nixon
Craig Balmoris
Khalil Rahman
Kenneth Coby
Collaboration
Jerry Seinfeld
Jermaine Cole
Solana Rowe
Stokley Williams
Usher Raymond IV
Jeremih Felton
Label
Maybach Music Group/Atlantic Records
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