New York, NY (Top40 Charts) After protesting on the front lines, Wale couldn't stay silent. Inspired by the
Black Lives Matter movement on the streets, he hit the studio and quickly recorded a brand new surprise project, The Imperfect Storm. Fittingly, it impacts on Juneteenth-the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States. It's available now via Warner Records.
Among these six tracks, the GRAMMY-nominated rapper/actor/poet rhymes with a revolutionary spark and his ancestor's spirit. On the single "June 5th / QueenZnGodZ," his heartfelt flow burns bright over a beat, punctuated by laidback keys and bass. He confesses, "I try to watch the news, but I'm lashing out" before crying out, "Yo America, tuck your shirt in, your devil is showing." The powerful, poetic, and politically charged piece spans the intense one-two punch of "MOVIN DIFFERENT" through a liberating finale on "MAAJO."
Wale enlisted Kenny Huyng (@shadowmoses) for the equally provocative cover art. In the background, protestors assemble in darkness as flames rise from a fallen street sign towards a cloud-covered sky, signaling the oncoming storm.
This week, BET announced that Wale's #1 single "
On Chill" [feat. Jeremih] is nominated for "Best Collaboration." The 2020 BET
Music Awards air on June 28th on BET and CBS.
IMPERFECT STORM TRACKLIST:
1. MOVIN DIFFERENT Ft. McClenny
2. EMPTY WISHING WELL Ft. Eric. Bellinger
3. BLUE YELLOW GREEN PINK WHITE
4. JUNE 5TH /QueenZnGodZ
5. s DONT STOP
6. MAAJO
There's only one Wale. Since arriving in 2006, he has consistently gone against the grain. An old school lyricist with new school energy, otherworldly hooks, and a sense of irony tailormade for its own Seinfeld episode, he instantly set himself apart. 2008's inventive Mixtape About Nothing cemented him as a critical favorite and preceded the major label debut Attention Deficit in 2009. Bowing at #2 on the Billboard Top 200, the now-classic and gold-certified Ambition yielded the GRAMMY® Award-nominated platinum-selling "Lotus Flower Bomb." Two more blockbusters followed as The Gifted [2013] and The Album About Nothing [2015] both crashed the Billboard Top 200 at #1
back-to-back.
Shine [2017] gave the world "My PYT," which is RIAA certified platinum, as Wale continued dropping heat. The release of Wale's 6th studio album Wow...That's Crazy spawned the #1 single "
On Chill" ft. Jeremih, which received a 2020 BET Award nomination for "Best Collaboration". Along the way, Wale performed for NPR's Tiny Desk concert and The Daily Show with Trevor Noah. He's covered magazines such as Complex, Billboard, XXL, and Vibe, and would receive honors at the BET Awards, BET Hip-Hop Awards, Soul
Train Awards, and more. To date, Wale has achieved four platinum or multi-platinum singles, three gold singles, and two gold albums. Wale has over 7 million monthly listeners on Spotify and has reached over half a billion channel views on YouTube.
