I’m sure a majority of the dopeheads think that Wale is the latest act to go the way of the Black Eyed Pea, but there are some folks (myself included) who don’t necessarily believe that is true. Anyways, TheWellVersed and RefinedHype debated on whether or not one Wale Victor Folarin has. Ambition is in stores now.
READ: No [via TheWellVersed]
READ: Yes [via RefinedHype]
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I don’t think he sold out in terms of Black Eyed Peas and nonsense like that, but he definitely sold out a little bit.. I would say he sold out to do what he had to do to make money but theres is still some, and I say some artistic integrity to his music
He did go hard on a bunch of tracks on Ambition but some are garbage pop songs.
Go listen to “Artistic Integrity” though off of Mixtape About Nothing and say he didn’t sell out a little.
Wait cansome1 explain to me how he supposedly sell out? What exactly did he do that was bad I dont see any rihanna featured pop songs
I wouldn’t say that he sold out, but I was somewhat disappointed with Ambition. and this is coming from a fan. he needs to stay with those Tone P/BKS beats!!!
and why do both articles refer to him as Mr. FLORIAN??? Folarin…
this article is an album late…when he came out with the song “artistic integrity” on mixtape about nothing, then his very first single was featuring lady gaga? of course he sold out, but at least ambition is a solid effort on his part….attention deficit, was an abortion of a debut
he still makes the same type of music that represents his style.
yes Wale sellout he did songs with Rick Ross. now its not so far to do songs with Justin Bieber too. add some Lady Gagas.
YES. if you say otherwise you’re dumb. Listen to 100 miles and running and mixtape about nothing. He did a complete 180 on his style of rap. shit is trash now he doesn’t care about his music as much and his music reflects that. man i’ve been rockin with wale since 06-07 and it truly dissapoints me to say this but it’s factual
If you’ve been listening to Wale for a while, and I mean a while (such as myself), then maybe you could say he sold out. Mixtape About Nothing, More About Nothing and AD were his natural zone. Every since he signed to MMG, he seems to want to make “club shit” that he always said he did not support and would never become back in his old days. But hey, I guess the money does change people. I am not knocking his hustle, though. He is making money now and I respect hi, for that.
JUST MY OPINION, NO NEED TO FLAME.
THAT NIGGAS A SELLOUT STRAIGHT UP AND DOWN, AND I AINT MAD ABOUT IT – IM JUST SAYIN.
I was afraid before I bought Ambition that the album would be filled with heavy beats and Rick Ross adlibs. I couldnt have been more pleased with the outcome. Holding the Rick Ross features to 1 is just a part of how the album reflects Wales artistic integrity roots. Straight from the jump you get “Dont hold your applause” which to me took me straight back to Paint a Picture with better production. The album moves along perfectly with Legendary, Illest Bitch Alive and DC or Nothing. For anyone thinking Chain Music is about ice and cars need to be slapped.
Wale nailed this album plain and simple. I was HATING the stuff he was putting out with MMG and Ross all over it. They didnt fit his style. Even ‘Ambition’ with Meek and Ross fits Wales style more than their own. You can tell Wale owned this album- the sound, the production, the features.
I can totally see why people would question whether Wale sold out when songs like Tatts on My Arm were released but those cuts didnt even make the album.
9/10. XXL gives if an XL- same as Thank Me Later.
DMV Stand Up, a job well done Wale.
He didn’t sell out. What’s wrong with wanting more peopple to hear your shit. The problem is these internet niggas just want to feel like they’re the only ones listening to an artist. Once they get popular they are on to the next. The only question you have to ask to determine if someone has sold out is”has their message changed? So,nah he dindnt sellout
Yes he sold out. He sold out a little bit lyrical and alot musically because go back and listen to his early mixtapes. Even though I never thought he was as lyrical as people make him out to be, he did have some level of substance with his wordplay. Now most of his shit his him taking someone else perspectives and subject matter and just adding metaphors about sports and clothes and hoes and then calling it a new song. Musically he left his go go and boom bap sound and has been using the Ross Bmf sound over and over and if not that some soft R&B shit that should be on Chris Browns albums. He still has traces of his old style from time to time and some of his beats are cool but he stopped making music for real people long time ago. He makes music to compete with sales for the interests of MMG now and even before that Jimmy Iovine had him doing shit with Gucci Mane and Waka. Now people are gonna say oh why cant Wale play on both sides of the field artistically but thats not the issue because I believe a dope artists can still remain true to them selves and still do whatever a commercial sell out artist can do. The Dreamer The Believer > Ambition.
Ya’ll trip me out man. Hip-hop heads nowadays in general are some fuckin suckas. A rapper can’t reach a bigger crowd without people that fucked with him first saying “he wack now” or some dumb shit about him changing. Wale’s lyrical content is the same, and the issues are also. He may have dumbed it down so slow mufuggas can catch up too tho. I mean what if Jay-z came out around this time in the game? would people say he’s wack because he reached “pop status”?…follow me on twitter tho lol @VisionOnDaBeat
He kinda did & failed at the same time to be honest. R&B-Songs and trashy Lex Luger beats. Heeeeeelll yeah.
The dude was trying to be Kid Cudi or Drake.
Im wondering which songs ppl are calling “club shit”?
Did you even listen to the album? Second thought, prolly not. You see Wale in the title, hit the thumbs down then post some ignorant shit in the comment section.
I wouldn’t say he’s sold out. How can you sell out by making club songs when that’s what he started out doing in the first place???
“Niggas is Kemba Walker/ Tryin to see me pitfall”
Yall dont even pick up on shit like this… hit the link for an explination of that line. And believe me thats one of the more obvoious double entendres.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yyF6amZw82M
Wale is a complete sell out. His album was horse shit with a bow on top of it and some of you guys actually liked it? Either you have been listening to too much Kreayshawn and V-Nasty or you just have shit for ears! Ambition had two types of songs – r&b rap and every non-r&b song had the exact same beat. Im not kidding at all. The first 4 songs all had the same exact beat.
Im disappointed to say that i used to be a Wale fan. This nigga aint allowed within 100 feet from my ears again. Such a waste of talent. Thanks Officer Ricky for wasting a talented rapper for weaker sales than he woulda had on his own. U a fat piece of shit
selling out means SELLING OUT. not getting a little more poppy to draw in more fans. ambition stayed true to a lot of his mixtape style
wale did what he had to do, after his first album flopped he knew he had to switch it up a bit to get sales numbers that he wanted. yall gotta understand in the end the rap game is a business and in every business you either adapt or crumble and wale adapted but he still stuck to his roots on some tracks
Wale ain’t ever going to blow up. He just doesn’t have that X-Factor. He seems like he’s trying to hit that tumblr fan girl fanbase. Good look.
Song with Lady Gaga. Check. signing with rick ross. check. makes song like lotus whatever the fuck. check. yes, he sold out.
“you gotta play the game to change the game”
I defiantly feel as if he sold out.. but to a certain degree, Wale went from working with Mark Ronson & 9th Wonder to trash like Lex Lugar, and other dudes, He went from Making songs with a purpose like Family Affair, Contemplate, Diary, Goodbye, etc. would Wale still be making these types of songs if he was still with interscope/allido? sure now he is with MMG who is a “hard” mainstream label hes going to have to sell his soul a bit to be recognized by the radio drones.. but theres nothing wrong with wanting to be seen and heard more.. his buzz grew only because of his verse on “No Hands”
wally is trash & the only good tracks on his album are the 1′s where he has features. “focused” with cudi is the only track on that album that is worth listening to and thats only because cudi made it dope. as far as did he sell out or not who gives a fuck nobody gone be talking about this fool next week
freddie gibbs mixtape>>>>> asap rocky mixtape>>>>>> wally album
now say im lying
^ u aint lying
I’m not saying he sold out, but this album is straight up boring. It’s a safe album, not bad or good, just decent. I expected a lot more especially after the criticism of Attention Deficit. @MikeTomlin 9/10? I’d give it 7/10 maybe. @FuckWale is right in saying it’s too repetitious and he’s not talking about anything. I got bitches, money, Ambition, fuck the ppl who doubted me, blah blah. Sorry Wale, maybe you need to listen to your mixtapes. Atleast Attention Deficit has some memorable tracks like Mama Told Me, World Tour, Shades, Beautiful Bliss, and Contemplate. Ambition is forgettable.
Weird how Wale can make some dope mixtapes but when it comes to making one decent album he drops the ball. ????
#NowPlaying Wale – “Artistic Integrity”
did he sell out: NO… in order to make sales and get the numbers you want, you have to scale back ya lyrical penchant capabilities you have in order to appeal to more people… THAT is what WALE did…
I EVEN LIKE THE YOUNG GUNZ FLIPPED RECORD HE DID WITH BIG SEAN… sounds alot like that record… DOPE
but all verbal assault type artists gotta do that… CORY GUNZ is the same way… not comparing but in CORY GUNZ case he will be the best freestyle rapper who CAN’T make records… ijs
but WALE didnt sell out… HE SCALED BACK TO PUT CASH IN HIS POCKET… plain and simple…
” and some of you guys actually liked it? Either you have been listening to too much Kreayshawn and V-Nasty or you just have shit”
and this is the true definition of hate so because I liked the album you think I listen to them bucket mouth bitches? you so called hip-hop purist are hillarious you have no idea what the fuck I listen to
cosign @hotsauceinyourtaco
He can play the game, but with this album he’s going to lose. I bet Ambition does the same numbers as Attention Deficit. Hell Rick Ross can’t even go platinum so what makes you think Wale will? Your known by the company you keep. Ross can make hits, but he can’t make a hit album.
As far as selling out, after I thought about it he kinda did. Tattoos, weed, etc. Listen to his old stuff and look at his image a few years ago.
No. I listened to Ambition… sure some pop-ish stuff here and there, but all in all he stay the course. Honestly, I wish he had Sold-Out… the best songs he did to my ears were “Tats On My Arm” and “Best Night Ever” and they didn’t even make the tracklist.
Fuck it though… Ambition was a straight release, though I doubt it’s getting the record sales he is expecting.
My review of Ambition;
At first I worried about the same thing you guys were, I thought Wale would sell out, get a buch of Lex Luger sounding tracks (see: Self Made vol. 1) and dumb down his lyrics to an extreme level.
I’ve listened to just about all his mixtapes and even owned Attention Deficit. And, though I like the album, the problem was with that album was that the features kinda took the album (J. Cole & Bun B outrapped Wale on their tracks, plus you have Lady Gaga, Gucci Mane & Pharrell on there too). So while I was glad there was the perfect amount of features, I wasn’t sure how I’d feel. So once I bought it, listened to it 3-4 times and I’ll say this.
Wale never sold out: I know a lot of people will disagree, but he’s basically been doing the same thing on Mixtape About Nothing that he’s doing on this, just with more mainstream beats. “Don’t Hold Your Applause”, “Legendary”, “Lotus Flower Bomb”, “Ambition”, “No Days Off” & “DC Or Nothing” are standout tracks to me. Like I said, the production to me is more mainstream, but that doesn’t necessarily mean bad. To me, this album feels like Attention Deficit, but more upgraded. Yes, there are flaws, “Slight Work” just don’t fit Wale’s style, on “Sabotage” Wale sounds waaay too much like Rozay, despite though it was evident he had a sore throat. But all these flaws don’t really detract from the album, they’re just minor bumps.
Overall, Wale will either be loved or hated. He’s no where near BEP sellout. To me, he still has artistic integrity, but I can still see why people will still think he’s a sellout. But TWV did have on good point, poppy tracks & club tracks are not knew to Wale ever heard “Nike Boots”, “Chillin”, “Pretty Girls”, “Dig Dug (Shake It)” & “Pimp Hard”
Please don’t tell me yall bitchin because of the beat selection. C’mon now, you can tell it was all Wale handling his own shit. Ross was on featured on one song thru out the whole album.
Oh and if I were to give it a rating it’d be 7-8/10
I’ve never liked him so I can’t comment on the matter
Wale sold out? No, I think Ambition is true to who Wale is right now. All of his mixtapes had club joints, so those are no surprise. When that Ambitious Girl joint blew up and found him a new audience (women) he followed that lane too. In the process he left behind the raps about real shit like on Mixtape About Nothing, which is why I don’t like the album. The flow and witty lyricism is still there though.
THE BEST KEPT SECRET and Mark Ronson singles and a WHOLE mix tape by 9th Wonder to crappy Lex Luger pop-hop beats with shit southern features. Wale is the opitime of hip-hop preaching hypocrisy.
He was working with Joe Budden, Currensy, JEAN GRAE, ROYCE, KWELI, and Joell Ortiz; on TO MMG working with Meek Mill, Neyo and Miguel. This is devastating. Real hiphop lovers know he’s a joke now.
no lie i downloaded his shit and as soon as the 1st track came on i heard’em say “la la la la” that shit was introduced to my recycle bin immediately
I wouldn’t say he’s a joke, personally I liked Wale a lot more when he was under RocNation’s management… 9th Wonder, Jean Grae etc all respect the dudes talent but signing with MMG was a huge mistake IMO. The whole album doesn’t sound anything like the Wale I fuck with…. I will give you that on all his early mixtapes he claimed real hip hop jo’, real hip hop…. Right when he signed that dotted line it all changed… BAIT haha terrible. I really dig Stalley though so I hope he don’t change his style.
#NewVideo @TheRealTyQuan They Dont Know http://dlvr.it/tBxHV via @WeTheWest
A.J. you do realize tone p. is part of bks and made several beats on ambition don’t you?
thats fucking 2011. rap like public enemy don’t sell any more……WHAT T FUCK DO YOU EXPECT¿¿¿ go and listen mixtapes. NOW WE TALKIN BOUT INDUSTRY. BELIVE THAT,INDUSTRY,MONEY.LET RAPPERS MAKE MONEY ..FOOLS
a lot of people here are confused about what selling out means. selling out does not mean getting more listeners. being an artist means evolving your art constantly. nothing on ambition represents a break from anything he has done before, its just new in a lot of ways. every single song on ambition can be directly related to his previous work. somebody even said doing a song with lady gaga was selling out, thats when i know you all are crazy, because what ws the song about? DC CHILLIN, he put DC on the map with that.
Wale retained his own personality and lyricism while putting it into a different package that is more popular. thats not selling out, that in my opinion is a legitimite way to achieve commercial success. the only way to say he sold out is to ignore a significant part of his work and pretend some songs that you happen to like represent all of wale.
I dnt think Wale sold out i jus feel like if u go back and listen to the mixtape about nothing its so deep and personal if it was an album it wuld be a clasic and i think people are waiting for wale ta be dat guy again but he’s not n dat frame anymore its like waitin for nas ta release anotha illmatic it jus aint gon happen…i think ambition was a dope album imo it jus lacked the content u expect from the earlier wale…
You guys clearly need to listne to the lyrics or look it up cus maybe yall can’t comprehend any of his lyrics smh. And feel free complain. And music is music. If you don’t like it, don’t enlist his album under your version of genre in Hip-Hop. Plain and simple.
@Geena totally agree. He didn’t sell out. You can still hear some that go-go flow in some of the beats. Good album. Not bad.
Is this even a debate? This dude has a song on his album named Lotus Flower Bomb. This dude used to be on some real unnecessary emotional and suicidal shit about his girl and now he’s making videos throwing money at naked bitches…..but still find’s time to rap about his emotional shit. When I look at a track list and see some sellout ass titles like Miami Nights, Chain Music, Legendary, Illest Bitch, White Linen…come on son thats on top of Lotus Flower Bomb…it’s not hard to tell this dude is a sellout bitch. This shit will be in the dumpster by the time his fan base graduates high school. WHY DO THE MAJORITY OF MAINSTREAM RAPPERS HAVE SUCH SHORT CAREERS? the people listening to that shit are between the ages of 8-14 and realize the music is garbage after puberty.
^^^ CO-SIGN @CRASH
this man just said some of the realest shit ive ever heard. about how internet fans want to be the only people to like an artist and as soon as they reach bigger heights, they suddenly believe the artist is selling out and they move on to the next. realshit crash, forreal
Heres a video of Rick Ross havin a seizure….shits crazy!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Uy9Xl6V3EA
@Shawnkemp False you did a horrible job exaggerating. 8-14, c’mon yo. Some kids that age don’t even know who this guy is (0bviously) but his music isn’t even directed towards that audience. That wasn’t even a opinion, it was all pure hate. If you give some facts, then your hate is considered an opinion.
Heres a video of Rick Ross havin a seizure….shits crazy!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Uy9Xl6V3EA
First off not a bad album. Secondly he still held to his core sound and he still has lyrics. One thing that has changed is the atmosphere of the music. He made it more accessible to an average listener. I can’t say he sold out on the album but you can say he sold out when he signed to Maybach. Some of y’all haven’t gave the album at least one skim. There’s no Luger beats on the album at all. It still has the DC live sound.
I guarantee that most if not all of the people who commented on this before me didn’t even know who Wale was back when he dropped one of his first mixtapes “Paint A Picture”. Dude didn’t sell out, he’s making the same music he’s always made. I think that Ambition is a commercialized album but he still killed the album lyrically and I think Ambition is much better than Attention Deficit.
@Trey Bones you said it best. Best comment of this whole post ~~~> First off not a bad album. Secondly he still held to his core sound and he still has lyrics. One thing that has changed is the atmosphere of the music. He made it more accessible to an average listener. I can’t say he sold out on the album but you can say he sold out when he signed to Maybach. Some of y’all haven’t gave the album at least one skim. There’s no Luger beats on the album at all. It still has the DC live sound.
“rap is now suckin ass, full of new school niggas i wouldnt fuckin pass” -eLZhi
How does that sum it up? Wale a Fuckin ass, only contribution is $$$ to himself. No more substance….
Uh, the song that blew him up to begin with is called “Nike Boots.” He was collabin with Pusha T before the fame. He was never “a conscious rapper” just a rapper with concious songs who did em nicely. Dude still wrecks, his style’s different a little, but it’s still Wale.
my theory is this: just as there is an offseason in sports, there is an offseason in hip-hop. in sports, athletes might film a reality show, go on dancing with the stars, take up pottery, and a host of other things that have nothing to do with the actual sport they play. the “season” for rappers is when they drop an album and all things related to it. the off-season is when they drop mixtapes, get featured on songs they would have no business putting on their own actual album, and generally try to expand their fan base (if they’re smart). Wale was very judicious with his off-season. What did he do? He went after the largest demographic of hip-hop listeners, the people he had failed to reel in after 5 mixtapes and a debut album (for goodness’ sake). Who are these people? These people are the people who will make a record like “No Hands” go double platinum. They are the people who will sing the shit out of “Tatts on My Arm” and they are the people who listen to Rick Ross and will undoubtedly listen to a guy who Ross is promoting. In other words, Wale had a very, very productive off-season and he’s comeback with Ambition, an album that very much resembles the Wale we heard before the “season” ended (Attention Deficit), except he’s worked on other areas of his game and has grown as a “player”.
And the truth of the matter is, the first song anyone heard by Wale was Dig-Dug in 2006, which is more akin to “No Hands” than “The Artistic Integrity”, and he’s consistently been able to make both types of records for his 6 year long career.
So, no, Wale did not sell out.
Back To The Feature- 5 Minutes ft Skyzoo. First 10 seconds of the song.
“you wanna hear that bullshit turn the radio on”
the man said it himself
“im in love wit my god , dats in love with the money”
“GOD gave us the talent, but the devil make us famous”
those 2 verses from wale along with this picture should tell it all smh
I CAN TELLL NONE OF YOU LISTEND TO THE ALBUM THERE WAS NOT ONE LEX LUGAR BEAT ON THE ALBUM BESIDES THAT WAY THATS SOUND SNTN LIKE A LEX LUGAR BEAT THE MAJOIRTY OF PRODUCERS WERE TONE P AND MARK HENRY THE SAME NIGGAS THAT PRODUCED ALL HIS MIXTAPES FUKN DUMBASS NIGGAS I SWEAR YALL JUST FOLLOW WHAT SOMEONE ELSE SAYS GO FORM YOUR OWN OPINION
Who cares he sucks. #myopinion
LMAO @Yo the same Rick Ross that has yet to go platinum even with two of the biggest singles of his career Hustlin and BMF? That Rick Ross. You guys attribute single success to a successful career and that’s pathetic. I agree Wale maintained himself in his music, but if you listen close he’s not saying anything. I’ve listened to the album twice and it’s boring. He made his music more accessible to women, not the average listener because it’s the same Wale with a bunch of love songs. I’m not knocking him, but to say he hasn’t changed is just stupid and blind. True there aren’t any Lex Luger beats on there, but Chain Music and Ambition are close enough. Not bad songs, but one was on a mixtape? This album sounds much like the MMG album, which has little replay value. Just because ppl don’t like the album y’all want to call it hate. It’s just an opinion and I believe Wale can do better. As far as Wale’s image goes he’s a sellout, musically no he’s not. But you got to do what sells I guess?
The fact that the “yes” article started with a made up false premise shows you all you need to know about that argument …. No wale didn’t sale out …. No wale didn’t change his style …. Yes certain individuals are complaining …. And … Yes that’s what they always do…
Fobbie Chillson believes that Wale is a sellout coz he’s a bitch boy… And he hangs out with that faggot Rick Ross.
Meanwhile Mratty Raing says that Wale’s music is and always has been dope. Ambition has a different sound to it than his debut, and who said it will sell well anyway.
Shout out to big sean, keep dropping bombs on ‘em my lil homie. Peace
No, he didn’t sell out at all. The RefinedHype article is beyond flawed.
@fukyolife nowhere in my statement did i say Rick Ross is successful. I was implying that he has visibility and would bring more visibility to Wale. That’s all.
But to think Rick Ross isn’t successful because he hasn’t had a platinum selling album is naive. Watch the Throne isn’t platinum yet, and yet Jay and Ye’ are about to make millions for the WTT tour. Thank Me Later still isn’t platinum and yet Drake is…I mean he’s fucking Drake ($$$).
@Yo Rick Ross is successful in his region, but as far having a national and international following I doubt it. This album doesn’t have that change hip-hop feel. You could honestly live without it. Comparing Wale or Ross to Jay-Z, Kanye, or Drake is crazy and the keyword is “yet”. This tour will make WTT a platinum album. Rick Ross’ career started at a time when everyone was going platinum. I’m not saying Wale’s album sucks, but it’s not special. That’s all I’m trying to say. It doesn’t have that classic feel, it’s just average. Projections are in though 170-190K first week. Not bad.
@Yo Rick Ross is successful in his region, but as far having a national and international following I doubt it. This album doesn’t have that change hip-hop feel. You could honestly live without it. Comparing Wale or Ross to Jay-Z, Kanye, or Drake is crazy and the keyword is “yet”. And “Thank Me Later” is platinum look it up. This tour will make WTT a platinum album. Rick Ross’ career started at a time when everyone was going platinum. I’m not saying Wale’s album sucks, but it’s not special. That’s all I’m trying to say. It doesn’t have that classic feel, it’s just average. Projections are in though 170-190K first week. Not bad.
No he didn’t sell out and I thank those who didnt’t like his album and stated their reason why. For those who didn’t, your just pure hating about his album you never even listened to yet.
@TreyBones you said it best. Best comment of this whole post ~~~> First off not a bad album. Secondly he still held to his core sound and he still has lyrics. One thing that has changed is the atmosphere of the music. He made it more accessible to an average listener. I can’t say he sold out on the album but you can say he sold out when he signed to Maybach. Some of y’all haven’t gave the album at least one skim. There’s no Luger beats on the album at all. It still has the DC live sound.
WTT did go platinum already.
What? Do you guys understand that he’s now doing the stuff that he said he wouldn’t do before? That’s a sell out dumb fucks. That’s like me saying I hate foamposites and then I go get a pair
Why do you all care? Wale ain’t SHIT!!!!!!!
Who Cares Tho? This arrogant Foo Is The 3rd Wheel On MMG, Yea He Put Out His Album 1st But You Coons Want To Hear Meek Mill More. Which iThink Both Is Wack
Stalley > MMG
Wale is still dope to me, but you gotta be blind or deaf (or both) to not realize he’s sold out at least a little. Just take a look at the tracklists and you can tell just based off the names of the tracks. Big difference between 90210 and Diary to Tats on My Arm and Chain Music. C’mon now…
you fake hip hop fans are only mad cause he blew up and he’s not “your” artist anymore. happens to every successful artist. drake, wiz, even j cole, rap fans are so self absorbed. they always want to “claim” artists BEFORE it becomes cool to. Then they feel betrayed when the artist gets new fans on some stan shit. rap fans dont want you to be successful period.yall loved wale when he did 28k cause you still felt like you could claim, now he projected to do 200k in the 1st week and you cant stand the niggas success because nobody cares that you liked him first. bitch ass rap fans. you only support niggas when theyre down!
I think he actually is just hypocritical. He has an album called ambition and he made a song called ambition, he says girls need to respect theirselves, but then he makes stripper music and tell them to fuck and it makes him look like a liar
he has gotten better though
I hate to say it but he did sell out faster than a Michael Jackson concert, he doesn’t even sound the same with his over metaphorical verses now. For example “That Way” versus anything on More About Nothing. That shit would clearly be looked at as a joke and people would think that it was intended for the mixtape instead of an album. He confuses me 80 percent of the time with the back and forth thoughts on different subject matters and he is trying to hard to fit in with MMG. Honestly before he was with them he was the biggest artist on the label other than Ross, but now he has tried to hard to fit in and Meek Mill is getting the shine that should of been his. If he can go back to that More About Nothing and Attention Defecit he should be str8. As for the new album, he did do a great job, but it seems to me that the production was making the songs as opposed to him. He got time though, he will figure it out.
I thumbs down because this debate is stupid ass shit and wale did not sell out………….been fucking with him since paint a picture and i was like 13……..he didnt sell out………his change of course signing with ross…he has way more weed lyrics and he cuss more……..dugh…..but nigga wale havent sold out…..ambition shudd go platnium…….its mix of everything……..he still same rapper just change of couple of shit for ross taste….yea if u hating and one minded niggas say he sold out then why dont yall niggas come for drake or cudi cuz cudi was a rapper with mixtape now nigga pop singer……..but you dnt come for them cuz there sooo put on pedle stool………….bull shit……and i kno how 2dope boyz niggas hate wayne and bird man…..ymcb…….one thing im mad at wale been out in past……now niggas want fuck wit him now cuz he with rick ross smh he gonna get his shine i stamp DVM all day
@tmase
nigga shit yo pussy ass up. drake that nigga & cudi is the next jimi hendrix/andre 3000/kanye. cudi still making music like he was makin on “a kid named cudi” & cudi can do what the fuck he wanna do who gon stop him? thats what the fuck i thought nobody.drake that nigga 2.dont ever put wale name in the same sentence with kid cudi or drake you lame ass bitch.
Legendary
not to mention cudi is kanye favorite artist in the game everyone from kendrick lamar/tde to asap rocky fuck with kid cudi music. dont ever put wale name in the same sentence with kid cudi you fuckn bitch.
Hip Hop Heads need to die. Seriously. As soon as an artist gets “mainstream” y’all (not all of them, obviously) are all “he sold out” “he wack now”. SMH
I’ll listen to the album when I have the time and I hope that Wale will give me a good experience…
wale just seems kind of generic to me, i agree with what someone said earlier about not having that “x-factor”. i don’t think he does either
I dont’ think he sold out, he’s still on the same general subject matter as always and he’s still just as dope as he always does. When “More About Nothing” came out it was one of the better mixtapes I heard in the last couple of years.
i fucking hate hip hop purists. they have no real imput in the culture besides bitterness. if you like something they dont they try to undermine your credibility by claiming you must listen to lil b soulja boy or v nasty. yet these are the same niggas who spend all day on the internet and never buy cd’s… not even artists they like. they just sit back and judge every other nigga in the game actually contributing. fuck you fake ass purists. you’ll never influence the game… all you do is complain about the current state of things and talk about how things used to be better…. when in reality you were complaining back then as well the exact same way you do now. there is no pleasing a hip hop purist. they think “keeping it real” means selling 3,000 copies, to which they didnt even contribute. fuck them
This whole shit about how you have to alter the integrity of the music by making it more commercially acceptable to get a bigger mainstream audience is bullshit and saying people are mad when a artist blows up is also bullshit. Real recognize real and as a artist if you stand for something then you dont water it down unless you really dont believe in the message strongly enough. Wale been on this ambition hype for a while and all I have to say is that is a vague and weak message because the definition of ambition is the desire for personal achievement or the desire for rank, fame or power. That is a soft point and a easy message to sell so on the album there is little to no real emotion or substance that hasnt been said already this year in hip hop. Ambition is just a Big Sean mixtape subject matter wise except Sean has better lines. Me personally am not mad when a artist blows up but when a artist has a basic recycled message or sends mixed messages or has a whole party album but the strongest message they wanna get across is about tricking on hoes or wifing them or simply just having ambition, thats just a weak message to base an album off of IMO. What does he take a stand for on the album? Nothing much but making Ross his money to keep the bawse happy. That in itself is selling out in some aspects because if he truly believed in his own ability he wouldnt ride Ross beats and style for a album. Now all the hater shit is gonna start but seriously though the proof is on the table and being real and telling and selling the truth IMO is always more marketable then just spinning off a single about the bad girls club or dedicating half the album to strippers lyrically. WTT may have gave you Lift off and Niggas In Paris but they also had way more to give you besides just commercial junk food.
For real man WHY is this an argument? yall are acting like wale is a top spitter or something. I could name 20 rappers RIGHT NOW better
http://rapgenius.com/posts/Wale-the-antithesis-of-j-cole <—-pretty much sums up my feelings. I can honestly say, if ambition was J. Cole's album this debate wouldn't even exisit.
@peterock also get Kid Cudi’s dick out your mouth. I’m a Cudi fan, but seriously don’t take some shit like to heart, it just makes u look stupid
obviously the nigga the wrote the “yes” didn’t listen to ambition, he listened to self made, and decided to write some shit
I used to be a huge Wale fan when he was doing shit like Mixtape About Nothing and 100 Miles & Running. I even liked Attention Deficit, Back To the Feature, and More about nothing; although they were definitely not as good as their predecessors. After those albums, i feel like wale has gone way downhill and has basically been rapping to attract club listeners. everyone always jizzes over mixtape about nothing but i honestly believe that 100 miles is still his best work. i havent listened to ambition in full yet but from what ive heard, i hate it. he needs to find his dc roots (and get people like the roots -speaking of roots) on his albums. he definitely has good connections.
-this is coming from someone who lives in the dmv
people change yall…85% of rappers do it so what’s the big deal?…wale’s case isn’t as bad as others…he still has the hunger and bars in his raps…just on a more commercial setting…he got just as much slack for all those mixtapes all you niggas wanna scream you love so much now…yet his debut album went wood…now, dude is about to triple it off the first week alone…i’m from maryland and been rockin with dude since day one…nothing wrong with pullin’ a fab in your career
turftalka is def right. Wale didn’t sell out at all. Yeah he has that mainstream type of music but that doesn’t mean he sold out. He still making good music we can all relate to and enjoy. Some songs on Ambition don’t suit him, i agree on that. Slight work for example. The beat, lyrical content, and flow just isn’t him but what rapper hasn’t rapped messed around with similar kind of tracks… Yall just too critical haha
I don’t blame him, because at the end of the day, they are all in the game to MAKE MONEY. Saying that, Wale absolutely sold out. Since he signed with MMG he is too worried about which dudes from his camp he is going to have as a feature, and changing his flow to fit his camp’s. His flow, only a year ago, was extremely different. Again, I don’t blame him, but it is disappointing from a listener’s standpoint, because he definitely has the talent to be great and it is a shame to see MMG take it from him. Click my name to check out my blog if you are looking for another source for new music. Thanks.
better to be called a sell out than a lloyd banks type nigga who been making the same song for the last 7 years. yall call that “keeping it real” though smh
If people are asking if Wale sold out, the same can be asked about J.cole. Be fair people. I like both, don’t think either sold out but haters gon’ hate I guess.
^or KiD CuDi
Ill be tna first to say I havent hear ambition yet but if you gear the records he been puttin on in the pastyear you can see a big difference in his subject matter, production, his music videos etc but then again he live a diff life style but I wouldnt say he sold out. But im sure this album might not sell just sayin
I been a fan of Wale for a while…I wouldn’t say he sold out, but I will say I liked Attention Deficit better than Ambition. AD dealt with a wider variety of topics and was equally if not better lyrically then Ambition. Also, my personally like the BKS type beats better then MMG sound. With that being said, I’ve liked all of his mixtapes (aside from 11/1/11 Theory or w/e its called) better than both of his albums, which is sad. I like Attention Deficit, but IMO, Mixtape About Nothing is his best work to date. I like Wale, but I miss the old Wale. I can;t be mad at him wanting a wider audience or growing as an artist, I wish him success, I don’t think e sold out, I’m just saying his older stuff was better IMO.
Peace & Love
How can making better music be selling out? The only one this year who truly sold out is J. “my music is for dumb fucks” Cole.
It’s funny how this whole argument is people comparing his MIXTAPES to his ALBUM, but u can’t. Mixtapes are suppose to be raw, and his ALBUM is well put together it flows from track to track. And for him selling out I would have to say no as being from the DMV and seeing him grow from where he started at has been a great journey to watch. He raps about what’s real to him, just cause his rap isn’t about guns and drugs like everyone else people think he sold out.
Take a shot for arguing about this… “The Official Rap Blog Drinking Game”: http://www.kidswastingtime.com/2011/11/official-rap-blog-drinking-game.html
bottom line: HE COMPARED THE ALBUM TO REASONABLE DOUBT.. some sappy ass features and songs but he did have me hyped with the first couple of tracks (like 3 or so standouts, the same amount of disasters and the rest result in tracks u end up indifferent to and ultimately could second as elevator music)
At first i was impressed, because it seemed as if he found a good middle lane in between Go-Go Wale and MMG generic subject/beat Wale (who IS still dope, or so i thought)..
At a time where im buyin most rappers albums who seem to actually respect the craft and carry on tradition, i cant give Wale thee co-sign that i really fuckin want to.
cookie cutter radio features, lack of originality in subjects and production.. Wale can still spit and is a gifted orator but i dont think he’ll ever make the album i thought he was capable of, listenin to old mixtapes..
I had to come back to this again. It’s funny how all the people that are saying Wale sold out are only mentioning songs from Attention Deficit. Yall are funny of course he’s not going to continue doing something that’s not selling or probably didn’t want to do in the first place. Name one artist that hasn’t changed their style from their first album…….I’LL WAIT………..IT AIN’T HAPPENING! If you liked his first album so much go out and buy 3 more copies and sit down and STFU!
Honestly, I haven’t heard Ambition. But the one thing that everybody seems to agree on is that it’s not as good as Attention Deficit.
The problem I see comes along when some people seems to be pretending that Attention Deficit was actually good. That was the most average, boring album I’d ever heard in my life; literally a one-spin tape. And this one doesn’t live up? How bad does it have to be for that to even be possible?
Officially uninterested.
I been listening to this nigga since Hate is the New Love (his first mixtape back when he was with studio43) and it’s pretty clear that the dude has several personalities. He puts out conscious shit, club shit, lyrical shit, etc… You could look at it one of two ways: 1) the dude is just a versatile with his shit or 2) he just can’t figure out who he wants to be/or what he wants to say.
The dude’s trying to appeal to a larger audience now (since he signed with MMG) for the first time in his career and his album reflects him not really knowing where to go with himself.
Fact is, anybody that’s been fucking with Wale since the beginning knows that he’s repeatedly talked about how he thinks hip hop is just a reflection of the audience. So it’s not a matter of him selling out or not, it’s really about what we want to listen to. All you conscious niggas out there should have bought AD…you didn’t, so he switched his shit up. He’s just continuing his number 1 mission of putting “DC on the map” by just staying relevant.
nigga that call me pussy bitch is simple ass nigga and i will put wale in any catagory………….and shut the fuck up don’t ever put cudi and drake in same catagory with andre 3000 and jimmy hendrix……..u can kill yourself for that comment and just tell you i dont have problem with drake or cudi…..its just funny how niggas get mad cuz nigga sign with ross and niggas want to hate……if you dont like nigga then why fuck u listening to it..i respect a person who go both side of arguement than basic ass nigga just hating…… AND jaffejoe i agree with you 100 percent my mens
the latest act to go the way of the Black Eyed Pea, but there are some folks (myself included) who don’t
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@Meka
lol wat a hypocrite…explain how the BEP sold out if wale didnt?… wats ur distinction?
I highly doubt half of the niggas on here even listened to Wale from the jump. I know I didn’t, it wasn’t until his “100 miles and running” mixtape that I got hook. On that mixtape he had club jams, and crossover joints (smile remix, D.A.N.C.E remix, anyone?). So it didn’t surprised me that he did a joint with Gaga, and ANOTHER club banger. So why is there doubts about him selling-out? Or is it that the ones that claims he sold-out never actually listen to him. Has his subject matter change? No, it’s still the same shit. Has his beats change? Definitely, it’s a lot more catchy. Now if all it takes is a mainstream beat to consider him a sell-out then yall niggas are some fucking weirdos. As J.Cole said, “You hate it before you even played it”. Shit, speaking of Cole, that nigga made a song with Trey Songz (the most mainstream R&B artist can be) and nobody calling him a sell-out.