I feel the same way by 'Clappers,' the album’s obligatory strip club anthem, and while 'Bricks' has some true depth, hearing Yo Gotti’s verse is only a reminder of what street rap can more powerfully sound like.įor the record, I’m not interested in something as cliché as wanting Wale to only make “conscious” records. 'Rotation' has an appropriately hypnotic beat, but it feels more like a song he felt like he should make, not something he was genuinely inspired by. Having already covered “intricate lyricist” and “hit single relationship rapper” territory, for the last third of The Gifted he turns to the streets, and here’s where the album falters. He’s still not done circling the bases though. Switch out Wale here with a host of rappers, and it wouldn't sound much different, and the same can be said of the Ne-Yo assisted 'Tired of Dreaming.' By contrast, 'Gullible'’s a much more interesting selection there aren't many who would use a chorus from a certified hitmaker like CeeLo to talk about social ills, give Wale credit where credit’s due. The 'Bad (Remix),' which for the album’s purposes has effectively replaced the original bad, might just find its way to a radio near you solely on the strength of a Rihanna hook, but otherwise, it’s a frankly unremarkable song. He spends the rest of the album ensuring he crosses off everything on the “Make a hit album” checklist, and now that he’s got 'Lotus Flower Bomb' to his credit, he can’t help but take another shot at rap/pop/r&B crossover magic. Throw '88' into this group and you've got a solid album… The similar album opener, 'The Curse of the Gifted,' falls a little flat, he sounds oddly disinterested in his own song, but that’s not a problem on album standout 'Heaven’s Afternoon.' With MMG’s Meek Mill riding shotgun, this is some of that classic dope rhymes over a dope soul sample hip-hop lovers won’t be able to avoid.

It’s a style that he used on Ambition, and it returns in full here, most powerfully on 'Golden Salvation.' A full choir, a soaring piano line and some seriously lyrical rhymes that flow from unabashed stunting to thoughtful introspection, this is when Wale is at his best.

Wale the album about nothing clean