Ranking Wale's 4 Albums From Worst To Best

For years, we have tried to decode the enigma that is Wale. Rather than being lauded for his gift of gab, he's been overshadowed by his shill cries for acceptance. You see, Wale always had the skills to be a special artist in hip-hop. Nobody questioned his motor in the booth. Nobody questioned his scintillating wordplay. We just wanted him to make the best music that we thought he was capable of making.  After being slapped with criticism by the hands of social media, he finally learned how to hit the mute button and focus on building himself up as an artist. With a bevy of albums sitting in his catalog, including his recent release, The Album About Nothing, we dive into his archive and examine his best body of work to date for our latest ranking.

The Gifted (2013)

After stringing together some radio friendly hits on Ambition, Wale decided to keep the momentum going with the release of “Bad.” “Bad” was originally on his mixtape Folarin and later segued over to his album as his leading single. Because of its overwhelming success on Billboard, “Bad” received the remix treatment with Rihanna serving as his guest appearance. After his core fan-base displayed their disdain for his newly developed sound under the tutelage of MMG, Wale wanted to showcase more “range” on his album, The Gifted. In doing so, Wale forged a well-put together album. His prodigious rhymes and knack for storytelling still were all intact, despite a couple of lapses here and there. With The Gifted, Wale showed that he can make something for everybody to enjoy. While he should be applauded for his efforts, Wale still wasn’t giving us the real him wholeheartedly like he did on his first album. Yes, he notched another top-selling album, but something was lacking. In the eyes of hip-hop purists, he still didn’t have that one project which really wowed us. Tracks like “Golden Salvation,” “Black Heroes,” and “Simple Man,” were shades of the Wale that fans wanted. But then, he had “Clappers,” which left us completely puzzled. With The Gifted, Wale was grappling with wanting to be a commercial act and wanting to be a hip-hop artist.

After floundering on Billboard with his debut album Attention Deficit, Wale was on the precipice of failure. Even though fans weren’t buying his album, many people realized that if he was in the right situation and was anchored by the right ship, it would be smooth sailing for the D.C. rapper. After nose-diving into oblivion with his former label Interscope, in 2011, Rick Ross signed him to his imprint Maybach Music Group. Not only did signing with MMG bolster Wale’s confidence, it signaled a shift in power, as Rick Ross’ team ascended quickly to the top of rap. With a renewed sense of swagger in his step, Wale dropped his sophomore album Ambition. Straying away from the poetic ambiance that his core fans adored him for on Attention Deficit, Ambition was drenched with bravado and swag talk. Tracks like “Double M Genius” and “Miami Nights” displayed a more colorful Wale backed up behind brighter sounding productions. Wale’s decision to sprinkle a tinge of MMG over his music proved to be a great move on his part commercially. Also, this album showcased his ability to woo the female demographic. Tracks like “Lotus Flower Bomb,” “Sabotage,” and “That Way” were all dope records that grabbed the hearts of your everyday Jane. On “DC or Nothing,” Wale grabs his conscious cape and morphs into the spokesperson of DC, which showed that despite his successful move to MMG, he was still weary of the ongoing problems plaguing his city. While the album sonically was a joy to listen to, his decision to escape from his poetic roots left us a bit disappointed. 

This album was very, very slept on. Despite Wale’s album underperforming on the charts, the quality was definitely there. Label heads may have gasped at his week one numbers, but his fans appreciated the sound of his debut album. Tracks like “Shades,” “90210,” “Diary” conveyed the promise he possessed as a rapper. The album was so easy to digest, with a balance of lyricism and digestible production. His decision to tackle self-hatred regarding skin tone on “Shades” was admirable. His decision to stroke verses about a girl’s high-level of insecurity on “Diary” was appreciated. His decision to stay true to his DC sound on “Pretty Girls” was honestly dope. Now, he did get manhandled on “Beautiful Bliss,” by J. Cole, but that’s beside the point. The album wasn’t forced. It was him. Granted, Interscope force-fed him “Chillin’” with a younger Lady Gaga. Other than that blemish, he still managed to put together a more than solid debut, despite it being overlooked by the masses.

Wale has always been chastised for caring too much about what others had to say. For years, he has been arduously trying to gain just about everybody's acceptance. Instead of playing tug-a-war with the mainstream and his heart, he chose the latter for The Album About Nothing. After showing his versatility with past album cuts like "Bad" and "Lotus Flower Bomb," he returned to his roots with the Seinfeld theme.

As fans of Wale (if you count yourself among them), we fell in love with his music because of his banter and sense of originality-- which he used to lure listeners in on The Mixtape About Nothing. On his fourth album, depression, drug use, and an unfortunate miscarriage served as integral talking points. “The Pessimist” found a hopeless Wale scouring life for a ray of optimism, but finding nothing in sight. “White Shoes” was a unique cut by Wale. Rather than gush about his sneaker collection, he reflected on how shoes determine the value of a man today in society. This once again proves how Wale is uniquely able to inject a sense of creativity into song concepts that have been done ten times over. His single, “Girls On Drugs,” reminded us of a vintage Wale who sympathized for a woman’s malaise and failure to stay clean. Wale finally created a very personal opus, that not only satisfied himself creatively but his fans too.