The hosts pressed him for more clarification. The song, which was a deep cut off The Gifted, is a dense analysis of consumerism, and it critiques rappers that claim to stand by religion without embodying its teachings. 'A lot of the mainstream artists that you're championing right now, I don't believe in my mind they're capable of making a song like 'Golden Salvation,'' Wale told Everyday Struggle when they confronted him on why Shine performed so poorly. It seemed his identity was reliant on being our friend. But as Shine suffered, the question resurfaced as to whether or not Wale was just a try-hard willing to do whatever it took to stay famous. It seemed he had realized that seeking everyone's approval is futile. Seinfeld & Wale Talk вЂњThe List' | Complex Frank conversations like these, ones which paint the rapper as passionate and relatable, are what made the lack of authenticity on Shine so surprising. 'Anytime your reactions are perceived to be emotion-based and Wale has emotionally reacted to so much.' 'They think he has reacted to too much,' said Joe Budden of Wale's haters. In a tense interview later that year, Wale stood by his antics, saying he wouldn't apologize to 'Williamsburg hipsters.' It was the perfect example of what has forever been Wale's Achilles Heel: He tries too hard to be liked. The phone call made the rounds online and painted Wale as cocky, corny, and overly sensitive. He called the magazine and berated the staff, at one point threatening violence. So when Complex's annual roundup of '50 Best Albums of the Year' exempted Wale's The Gifted from the list, Wale was fed up. For the first time since his debut, Wale's talent was noted in the public eye, and he wanted his due respect. 2011's Ambition and 2013's The Gifted were crowning achievements for the rapper, the latter going number 1 on the Billboard album charts, while the former spawned the single 'Lotus Flower Bomb,' which went platinum and earned a Grammy nomination. The rapper seemed to have found his footing in the early-2010s. His success has always come in the form of radio-ready singles, while his longer projects have historically garnered tepid critical reviews. To look at the history of Wale is to dive down a rabbit hole with many twists and turns.ДЄs a rapper, he travels in prominent circles but has never seemed to quite fit in with his mainstream peers.

Wale the gifted review