WALE: speaks to the link between his Collaborations and his Staying Power

Wale (pronounced “Wha Le“) has been around the block a few times, he first emerged in a almost completely different era of modern hip hop, a time when online mixtapes were the norm, but for the rapper, of Nigerian descent, to still be relevant and even thriving today in such a different sonic landscape is truly a reflection of Wales’ staying power.

In a recent interview, Wale spoke to and reflected on his staying power… “Hard work and dedication,” he stated. “I just been working hard. I work myself to exhaustion. That’s the only way guys like me can survive.”

Wale first burst on the scene in 2006 when his song “Dig Dug (Shake It)” became popular in the DC / Virginia / Maryland region, and instead of fading away after that first spark, as many artists have, Wale has managed to hang in by way of his talent, business instincts and his many collaborations.

Olubowale Victor Akintimehin, born September 21, 1984, who is now better known by his stage name Wale, is the Washington DC bred rapper who explained in that interview how he’s managed some adversity, and gone the distance.

Emerging first as an internet tastemaker favorite back in the late ’90s, Wale is a man whose career turns have blossomed into an surprising journey in the eyes of many, perhaps even Wale himself may be a bit surprised. It may explain why Wale isn’t taking anything for granted.

Staying power in the rap game is like swimming in choppy waters with riptides and strong and unseen currents, but somehow, when it comes to riding the waves and ever-changing tides, Wale has proven to be a wily navigator.

Wale began his journey rapping over go-go, over the course of the last 16 years, he has since gone on to forge a reputation as a crowd-pleasing hitmaker who has seen the industry highs more often than the lows, and a couple of his releases, “Lotus Flower Bomb” (earned Wale his first Grammy nomination in 2013) and “Bad” featuring Tiara Thomas won him the Soul Train Music Award for best hip-hop song of the year in 2013… But, Wales’ staying power seems to lie in his collaborations.

Wale has collaborated freely with many artists across many genre’s, his first major label album Attention Deficit, released in 2009 featured the singles “Chillin” (featuring Lady Gaga), “Pretty Girls” (featuring Gucci Mane), and “World Tour” (featuring Jazmine Sullivan), those early collabs set the mold, since that time Wale has collaborated with such diverse artists as Dua Lipa, and John Mayer to Lil’ Wayne, and even Westside Gunn, which is all the more amazing given Wales lyrical style, which frequently references pop culture and politics, contains elements of Go-Go, while steadfastly avoiding gangster-rap bluster.

Wale’s collaborations also made him a bit of an enigma in the rap universe. You would have a hard time accusing Wale of being biased musically. In that interview, Wale stated “I’ve so many different influences: whatever I gravitate towards, I can rock with it,” he asserts. “If Garth Brooks wanted to do a record, I’d find out how it could work… ”

Here on the latest release by Wale, entitled “Poke It Out” we find Cool & Dre, and his bud, J. Cole contributing, the song is taken from the album entitled Folarin II and was released October 22.

Over the years, Wale has been a consistent Hot 100 presence, with 20 career songs on BillBoards Hot 100 chart, and now, Wale is flexing his muscles as an actor: he co-stars in Ambulance, a new Michael Bay action film due out in February of ’22.

Check out Wales’ latest, “Poke It Out”, but first see Wale from 2011 and see what you think.