Today in Hip-Hop: Wale Drops ‘The Gifted’ Album
On this day, June 25, in hip-hop history...
2013: Wale delivers his second Maybach Music offering and, in the process, continues thriving as a conscientious lyricist who's as at home on the Billboard Hot 100 charts as he is in an outright freestyle session.
Released just a bit under two years after Ambition, The Gifted was spearheaded by "Bad," a Tiara Thomas-assisted tune that ended up peaking at No. 21 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. With infinitely tweetable lyrics and a memorable hook, Mr. Folarin's first single from The Gifted typified Wale's best qualities and made some serious noise. The best part was, Wale didn't have to sacrifice his substance, either. Known as a poet, Wale uses "Bad" to wax poetic about problematic romantic archetypes.
"Bad girls ain't no good, and the good girls ain't no fun/And the hood girls want a smart nigga/College girls all want a thug/So it seems that we fiend what we don't need," Folarin reflects on The Gifted's lead single.
Upon its release, The Gifted, which includes features Meek Mill, 2 Chainz, Yo Gotti, Juicy J and Rick Ross, ended up moving 164,000 copies in its first week. Ultimately, the LP ended up being certified gold and earned an XL rating from XXL. It remains the DMV rapper's most commercially successful project to date. Salute.
Take a moment today to reflect on the awesomeness that is The Gifted. Peep Wale's video for "Bad" to help you do so.
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