Wale drops his new album “Folarin 2”.
After teasing it for some time now, Wale has finally released his brand new album “Folarin 2“. The project is a follow up to his 2012’s mixtape “Folarin“. The project is laced with previously released songs, “Poke It Out” with J. Coke, “Down South” with Maxo Kream, Yella Beezy, and “Angles” with Chris Brown.
The MMG rapper recently sat down with XXL, where he was asked why did he want to release a sequel after 9 years. “My daughter is talking to her mother one time and she was like, “Respect the kids. Respect the kids.” They were playing, but she was being serious and that’s part of it. The inner child of me, you know, “Still Tippin’,” “Vivrant Thing,” “I Need a Girl,” all these samples are coming from back in the day when I was a kid. I’m sampling way more than normal, so, it feels like a mixtape. I’m giving people their flowers and I’m getting mine,” he said.
On this follow-up to his 2012 mixtape Folarin, the D.C. rapper embraces his entire career. Wale spits with the ferocity of a gifted athlete who was always chosen last for a sports team. He has a chip on his shoulder, but it doesn’t bother him. Instead, he channels his displeasure with the business into Folarin II, a lyrical smoothie of sorrow, passion, and tenacity. The path to rap stardom hasn’t always been kind to him, but on this track, Wale embraces the things he can’t control while still taking time throughout the record to show his thankfulness for what he’s done.
Wale sat down with Uproxx ahead of the album’s release to reflect on his career and how he’s been able to shut out the negativity with all the love he’s received “I’ve done a lot of things that I probably shouldn’t have done out of frustration and feeling like I’m not being heard, but I’m blessed,” he said. “And I’m just grateful. [I] got a legion of people that still f**k with me through my good and bad. Even though my bad hasn’t been as bad as some others bad, but my good and bad.”
The project contains 15 tracks and it is executive produced by Wale and Rick Ross. The additional guest appearances come from Rick Ross on “Light Years”, Jamie Foxx on “Dearly Beloved”, Ant Clemons on “Extra Special”, Boyz II Men & Sauce of Backyard Band on “More Love” and Lil Chris of T.O.B. on “Jump In”.
Folarin II earned 20,000 album-equivalent units (including 2,900 pure album sales) in its first week and debuted at number 22 on the US Billboard 200. Additionally, the album reached its highest point at positions twelve on the US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and eleven on the US Top Rap Albums chart, marking Wale’s eighth appearance on both lists.
Stream the album below.
