GRAMMY® Nominee Wale Proves everything is a lot. and There’s Plenty Worth Talking About
“His eighth studio album, everything is a lot., is fueled by spirit-stirring samples and Unnerving candor.”
—Billboard
Wale has never been afraid to put a lot on his mind—and on everything is a lot., that becomes the point. His eighth studio album, released via Def Jam Recordings, finds the GRAMMY®-nominated rapper sorting through fame, family, love, isolation and the pressure that comes with trying to hold everything together. “Watching Us,” featuring Leon Thomas, is an immediate standout, pairing Wale’s thoughtful lyricism with Thomas’ soulful presence, while “City on Fire,” featuring Odeal, brings another texture to the album’s global sound. “Like I,” featuring Andra Day, makes room for one of music’s most distinctive voices, and “Power and Problems” gets right to the tension at the heart of the record: success doesn’t necessarily make life simpler. On “Belly,” Wale draws from Soul II Soul’s “Back to Life,” using that familiar R&B foundation to reflect on family, fame and fortune through his own lens.
The album’s reach extends well beyond one sound or one place. “YSF (You So Fine),” featuring Nigerian artists Teni and Seyi Vibez, connects Wale’s D.C. foundation with his Nigerian roots, bringing Afrobeats rhythms into the mix without losing his lyrical identity. “Lonely,” featuring Shaboozey, closes the album from a more exposed place, looking at isolation and the search for some peace when life starts feeling like too much. And “Watching Us” gets an additional spotlight through its music video, giving the Leon Thomas collaboration a visual life of its own. Across the album, Wale surrounds himself with an eclectic group of collaborators, but never disappears behind them. Instead, everything is a lot. feels like the work of an artist taking stock of where he’s been, what he’s carrying and what might be worth putting down.
Born Olubowale Victor Akintimehin to Nigerian parents and raised in Washington, D.C., Wale emerged as one of hip-hop’s most distinctive writers with his breakout 2008 mixtape A Mixtape About Nothing. His combination of social observation, wordplay, humor and introspection carried through albums including Attention Deficit, Ambition, The Gifted, The Album About Nothing and Folarin II, along with songs such as “Lotus Flower Bomb” and “My P.Y.T.” His music has long reflected both his D.C. upbringing and Nigerian heritage, while his writing has made room for everything from confidence and romance to anxiety and self-examination. Now eight albums into his career, everything is a lot. brings those threads together in one of Wale’s most personal statements yet—and proves there’s still plenty on his mind worth hearing.
For more information on Wale and everything is a lot., visit WaleMusic.com.
REVIEWS
“In an industry driven by constant output, and sole clout chasing, Wale’s return signals a
recalibrated creative direction rather than a simple re-entry into the cycle." —Forbes
“The album is Wale looking inward. It's a deeply personal exploration and reckoning with his own mental health and personal growth. Every tune is Wale giving himself permission to follow the threads he’s always pulled: vulnerability, pressure, identity, and the uncomfortable middle spaces most artists avoid when the spotlight starts to sting.”
—Health & Growth
“Wale’s latest attempt is his most gripping release to date, as he shifts the narrative from
validation to reflection.” —Billboard
“Wale has been a mainstay in hip-hop for over 15 years.”
—VICE
“Wale’s strength has always been his willingness to embrace vulnerability, a quality that shines in everything is a lot., his R&B-rap-hybrid statement album.”
—Complex
“Wale’s highly-anticipated everything is a lot. is a poetic album to say the least. In 18 tracks, he sifts through anxiety, ego, and evolution, never rushing the process.”
—Essence
