SEARCH FOR: WALE

Going to High School in D.C. had it’s perks, but none rivaled getting put on to the local music scene. As a 14 year old freshman, I was eager to attach myself to any artist or musician who peaked my interest and it seemed like everywhere I turned, Wale was the topic of every discussion. From songs like “Lotus Flower Bomb” all the way to “Legendary”, it was evident that Wale was not just someone you listen to in passing, but a true genius who you needed to appreciate. The D.C. native has single-handedly put the community on the map while paving the way for prominent artists to come up behind him. What’s even greater is that Wale is in no way ready to slow down after all that he’s accomplished. Today, the seasoned veteran is making it on to our pages after announcing his new Album, with a new song featuring J. Cole called, “Poke It Out”. The new offering that we’ve been blessed with is nothing short of classic Wale as he never disappoints on any song he puts out. The inclusion of J. Cole was the perfect feature as it completely fills out an already impressive and …

It’s obvious that 2020 didn’t turn out nearly how anyone expected at the top of the year. With a global pandemic shaking things up, a pivotal presidential election coming to a head, numerous generational talents passing away, and racial injustice protests taking place across the country, it’s safe to say that this year was beyond unpredictable from even the most seasoned psychics. Nonetheless, Chicago persevered like only we know-how, bringing attention to these issues while also divulging into a plethora of other, more personal narratives in the form of music. Throughout the year, some mainstays in the city continued to impress us here at Lyrical Lemonade while other up-and-comers made some very valid, attention-grabbing claims as to why they’re the next rising star that deserves a place at the table. Also worthy of note, Chicago had some truly excruciating losses this year in terms of music legends whose work still shined through as some of the most impressive of the year, primed to carry on their legacy for years to come. All of that said, we’re more than excited to round this farfetched year out with Lyrical Lemonade’s Top 50 Chicago Projects of 2020. This is our 5th year bringing …

Seeing as Wale is someone who I consider one of the best in his class, and one of the most underrated artists of this era, new Wale releases will always excite me. Being one of the most versatile lyricists and overall hitmaker, Wale never fails to deliver top-tier quality music. After the success of his 2019 album Wow…That’s Crazy, and the ever impactful and fitting visuals to his song “Sue Me”, Wale seems to be gearing up to release yet once again. It’s been over a year since his last album, and artists are already gearing up for their 2021 run. That said, Wale is back with a brand new single and visual to accompany it–“Flawed” featuring Gunna. Not going to lie, when I saw a picture circulating of Wale and Gunna in the studio, I wasn’t sure what to expect. While Wale can adapt to any vibe and deliver, the vibes set on “Flawed” is right in the pocket where Wale is most comfortable in. The song itself speaks on the idea of ridding those from his life that no longer serve a purpose to him. Whether that be a love interest, fake friends, disloyal homies, so on and so forth. …

IDK is an artist out of Maryland who I have been a huge fan of for some years now, but over the last year or so, he has been hitting a stride + getting a ton of love from plenty of people all over the globe. I watch plenty of sports/basketball podcasts, and I have been seeing a ton of promotion about the new basketball documentary titled Basketball County: In The Water that’s executed produced by big names such as Kevin Durant & Quinn Cook. You might be wondering why that’s relevant with this release, well that’s because this project is the soundtrack to that documentary, which makes perfect sense because the story is about PG County basketball players, so it made perfect sense to get a fellow native such as IDK to handle the soundtrack. IDK didn’t handle this one all by himself though, he recruited a star-studded lineup with talents including A$AP Ferg, Wale, XanMan, Juicy J, Denzel Curry, Maxo Kream, PnB Rock, Ronny J, Rico Nasty, YungManny, Alex Vaughn, Big Flock, Big Jam + Weensey (plus plenty of talented producers). When you get this many talented creatives to come together to create one body of work, you …

Today’s latest find is from my neck of the woods which means you should only expect the best. The DMV is notoriously known for breeding a myriad of talent that is circulating throughout the industry right now. From the likes of Wale, to Shy Glizzy all the way down to GoldLink; The DC, Maryland and Virginia area will always be known for producing game changing artists. The latest DMV product is a 20-year-old who hails from Upper Marlboro, Maryland. sportvvs is making it onto our pages today for the release of his latest song called, “Only Chance”. The two minute and five second offering produced by Noah Mejia and Rio Leyva is the perfect introduction to this up and coming artist. As you take a listen, you will notice there are some amazing elements that allow sportvvs to be his most authentic self. The production makes it possible for his voice and stylistic approach to bounce off the top of this one. The upbeat yet smooth offering can truly be played during any time of the day. If you’re looking for a quick vibe to turn up to, “Only Chance” is definitely the track for you. Whether you’re cruising down …

The beauty that lies within the power of music, is the multiple things it allows humans to do. Music can be used as inspiration, motivation, or simply just to feel. Using music as a tool to make people utilize all aspects of their brain and make them really think is something that takes an artist of great creativity and skill to be able to perform. As if the world needed any more clarification that Wale is one of the most talented artists in the music industry, he recently premiered the visuals for his song “Sue Me” from his 2019 album Wow… That’s Crazy. For those who may not have heard the album yet, “Sue Me” is one of the deeper cuts from the project, and importantly enough, the opening track for the project as well. This song is about Wale being proud to be a firm supporter of all things black. That would be supporting all black businesses, black entrepreneurs, black entertainers, so on and so forth. After the album dropped, he even went on Twitter and retweeted many accounts that were promoting black excellence and black accomplishments. “Sue me, I’m rootin’ for everybody thats black” the chorus says; showing that …

Griselda Records is taking no prisoners in 2020. From Conway The Machine’s recent collaborative Lulu EP with The Alchemist, to their latest signing Boldee Jame’s The Price of Tea in China album, (also with The Alchemist) it is frightening to think what the group has left in store. Exceptional projects serve as a thorough reminder that music is art and art is music. Westside Gunn has publicly shared via his instagram to never call him a rapper, since he is an artist; I have no objections to his request. Gunn’s latest, Pray For Paris album exemplifies just that, with the cover art responsibility handed to Off-White CEO Virgil Abloh. The cover is specifically an edit of Italian painter Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio’s David with the Head of Goliath painting, with Virgil adding two iced-out necklaces. One necklace is a Jesus Piece and emblem of Westside Gunn as a child; whereas, the other features his present self with a rightful crown on his head. The album’s run time is a balanced forty-one minutes and nineteen seconds, with twelve tracks total not counting the epic “400 Million Plus Tax” introduction, which gave me heavy Uncut Gems PTSD. Ironically, Tyler The Creator mentions Josh Safdie on “327,” referencing the …

In this music industry, we speak time and time again about the rappers who have the skill set to be one of the top players, yet still feel under appreciated. For me, that artist is Wale. Having first made his debut in the era alongside Drake, J. Cole, Kendrick Lamar and Big Sean, Wale was someone who stood toe to toe with all of these artists and was still able to shine bright regardless. I covered Wale’s album last year Wow…That’s Crazy here on the site and despite it being one of his best bodies of work, he still feels that he can do more. Wale as of late, still feels as if something is missing in his career, and he sits down with Joe Budden for his interview series “Pull Up” to add some clarification to some of the conversation revolving around his name. Joe Budden has become one of the most unique conversationalists that we currently have in the music industry. The way he really taps into the artists mind and really get some of those non-traditional answers out of these artists, really makes for some pretty compelling content and leaves all viewers very informed on whoever he happens …

Pure artistry when it comes to music creation is something that I will always respect when it comes to those who produce as such. The artists who take lots of pride in every single aspect of their work without diminishing their craft, and sticking to their integrity goes such a long way and is something that I will forever praise. An artist who I can with most certainly say that has maintained true to himself over the last decade has been Wale. Back in October, I wrote my review here on Lyrical Lemonade of his latest project Wow… That’s Crazy which aged tremendously since its release. Of course, it’s only been a few months since it’s release, but we know that a lot of music ages like dog years. This album was one of my favorite picks for Album of the Year in 2019 (not only just my opinion but according to my Spotify Wrapped as well)–and today, he premiered the official visual of my personal favorite track off of the album “Love … (Her Fault)” feat. Bryson Tiller. I always speak very highly of Wale not only because I have been a fan of his for so long, but I always …

New Orleans native Lucky Daye burst onto the R&B scene this year with the release of his debut album Painted. Making a name for himself with some silky smooth crooning, the album garnered Lucky Daye four different Grammy nominations. Another one for the resume, Lucky Daye caps off an already special year with a remix of “Roll Some More” featuring two R&B mainstays. The effort, already nominated for best R&B song and best R&B performance gets an extra dose of R&B with the additions of Wale and Ty Dolla $Sign.  For the re-up, Daye’s more traditional output– driven by his buttery vocals– is sandwiched between the spoken word approach of Wale and Ty’s signature fluttering voice. This one is a refreshing spin on one of the best R&B songs of the year and a great reminder to add Painted into your year-end listening.