The Drake album Wale said “changed music”
Wale was one of the first rappers from the DMV region (DC, Maryland, Virginia) to break through to the mainstream during the late 2000s and 2010s. The Washington, DC, emcee was part of Rick Ross’ Maybach Music Group, which, during its prime, was one of the most potent label crews in hip-hop.
His 2009 debut project, Attention Deficit, saw the lyricist collaborate with Gucci Mane, Pharrell Williams, and even Lady Gaga for his lead single, ‘Chillin’. Only a year before, Gaga had burst onto the scene with The Fame and was a newly famous megastar.
With features from some of the era’s most prominent musicians, Wale received vast exposure for Attention Deficit. The DC native then released his sophomore body of work, Ambition, in 2011, which saw even bigger hitters on the tracklist, including Meek Mill, Kid Cudi, and Big Sean, who featured on the Diplo-produced fan favourite ‘Slight Work’.
However, although Wale had relative success as part of Maybach Music Group (MMG) alongside rhymers like Meek Mill, French Montana, and Rick Ross, the collective had competition from another label crew that would ultimately surpass them in every way—Young Money.
Founded in New Orleans by Lil Wayne, Young Money is renowned in hip-hop, and it launched the careers of stars including Nicki Minaj, Tyga, and, most notably, Drake. Upon the release of their 2009 posse cut ‘Bed Rock’, their movement exploded, and even Wale himself once revealed that Young Money’s Drake completely changed the game for him and everyone in hip-hop.
During a 2011 interview with Complex about some of his favourite hip-hop projects ever, Wale spoke about Drake’s 2009 mixtape, So Far Gone and explained how it changed rap forever. Emphasising its impact, the ‘Chillin’ lyricist asserted, “It changed music, for real. Nobody’s been able to balance melody and consistent raps that well since Lauryn Hill.”
Speaking about Drake’s versatility, he continued, “And it’s a completely different vibe than Lauryn, but the dude proved to everybody that he could rap with the best of them, sing, and make great records that connect with the people. Every song on there is an amazing record.”
Wale admitted that he was already in contact with Drake before the mixtape landed on iTunes and recalled a chat he had with the Toronto musician. Recounting their exchange, Wale told Complex, “I remember talking to Drake for an hour the day before he dropped that mixtape. I was on my way to Australia for the Good Vibrations Festival, and we had an emergency landing in Hawaii. We talked, and I just knew like, ‘Young’n is going to blow up after this mixtape.’ He was like, ‘Man, what do you think people are going to say? I’m singing a lot on there.’
Reflecting on how he assured Drake he was destined for success, Wale concluded, “I said [to him], ‘Dog, you’re making good records though. You’re singing, but you’re making good records.’ You can’t deny good records, it doesn’t matter. Fucking Andre 3000 can wear a yarmulke with fireworks on it. If he’s making good songs, nobody says anything.”