Love & Loyalty? "Wow...That's Crazy"
Oh, Olubowale, one of the very few lyrical rappers that seem to make love songs about knowing the kind of woman they desire but not knowing how to pull it together and act accordingly to keep her. It’s mind-boggling, but what’s more fascinating is that these are the albums and songs we seem to love the most from the DC native.
If you loved the impeccable “Lotus Flower Bomb”, “The Break-Up Song” or my ultimate favorite Wale post-relationship-borderline-situationship song to date, “The War” then “Wow…that’s crazy” just might be your favorite Wale album.
Wale has always put his background on his back (that pun, was intended) and never failed to make listeners aware of his Nigerian roots, before this whole “afrobeat to the world” movement. As a result, it is only right that one of the first songs on the album “Love & Loyalty” featuring Mannywellz (another Nigerian artist from DC) is undoubtedly an afrobeat song but also, what I’d consider the alternative intro to the album. While listening to this wonderful compilation, most songs fit nicely in the framework of either a song discussing Wale’s quarrels in love affairs or his longing for loyalty. Stay with me here…
L O V E
Wale is in a lane of his won when it comes to introspective love songs. He manages to make you feel like you are currently going through a hard patch with your lover or think back to a time when you were, daydream about your wedding and children’s births all before the end of the song.
One undeniable take away from “Wow…That’s Crazy” is Wale’s incredible ability to create sonic compounds like a chemist and handpick the perfect feature artist, almost as if he chooses the melodies with singers in mind. With every great love story and song, comes the expectancies of partners on the receiving end, that play on our psyche but never quite get the chance to share their side of the story.
After listening to “Expectations” with East Atlanta’s 6lack on repeat, it’s hard to imagine that these two haven’t collaborated up until this point. Wale opens up about his journey dealing with his demons
“I’ve been sorting through a lot of sh*t that’s in my head now / a lot of sh*t that has me scared now / don’t you leave me here for dead now”
-Wale, “Expectations” 2019
and opens up about taking on the pursuit of betterment in therapy, a venture we know is taboo in the Black community especially by Black men…
“Black men in therapy ‘cause white terror don’t sleep / I got to roll up my leaf, might stop the PTSD”
-Wale, “Expectations” 2019
and again.
“Don't got homies, the IRS kinda close to me though / Know what's crazy? I'm tired of makin' music but how my anxiety set up / My therapist get my show money “
-Wale, “50 In Da Safe” 2019
Outside of therapy, Wale seems to have honest conversations with women in his life, who he believes are working through their own issues like body dysmorphia and shares that he is '‘neither here nor there” when it comes to women altering their bodies - but is very clear that he is not judging as he too, has mental battles he is working through.
“Just like me / Just like us / Just like her / Just like you / Just like us”
-Wale, “Expectations” 2019
On “Love… (Her Fault)” with trapsoul originator, gawd Tiller, “On Chill’ with R&B hook legend Jeremih (– duh), “Cliché” featuring the shea butter baby Ari Lennox, “50 In Da Safe” with Pink Sweat$ and “Black Bonnie” with eee-eee Jacquees, are all worth mentioning in the god-level R&B collaborations on this album. Outside of a few, Wale managed to create very good songs with almost every great R&B act of the new school. (Say what you want about the King Of R&B Jacquees, but you know what it is when you listen to B.E.D).
There are enough bars in those songs to fill up our Instagram captions for weeks to come (since it seems no one is playing albums for longer than that anymore – sigh).
“Break My Heart (My Fault)” featuring Lil Durk, is the counterpart to the song with Bryson Tiller. I love when rappers create stories within stories that listeners could follow; it takes me back to the good ol’ album skit days.
“I’m sorry I said, “sorry” so much./ That’s what I’ve become”
Its clear love is always a topic of conversation for Wale, yet as a fan, I struggle with his depiction of himself because it’s as if he is aware of his b.s, but has almost given up on himself before he can make amends with the women in his life. I can though, respect his public appreciation for the women who helped him come to his epiphanies and the admittance of the truth, that he could not possibly know how to love a woman if he hasn’t learned to love himself.
“Picture that, a black man learning to love himself / Wow, that’s crazy right?”
Still with me?
L O Y A L T Y
The intro track “Sue Me”, is a slight ode to the beloved Issa Rae, judging by the fact that Wale declares his love in the second verse and includes the popular phrase that Issa has now famously been noted for, “I’m rooting for everybody [that’s] Black” on the hook. God bless Kelly Price, who graces the likes of Wale’s album twice (again on the outro “Set You Free”). At this point, Price is solidified in the realm of Godly ballads and elevating just about any song to higher heights, borderline gospel status - even if the song has no business being that soulful.
From the very beginning of the album, Wale wants listeners to know he is unapologetically Black, so much so that he drops “10k on Pyer Moss –[because] he favors Black business”. The loyalty of his treads are sewed far deeper than his garments, even transpiring into his love for Black women.
“Womanizer probably could’ve been a feminist’/ ‘cause I respect ‘em but Lord, I got polygamy problems”
I hope when Wale mentions that he has polygamy problems, he means that every party of these said relationships are aware of the others, although that would eliminate the existence of a problem. This dude means he has issues with cheating, huh? Oh, Folarin – you’ve got to love him. If you don’t, he doesn’t fail to tell you he loves you and shows his appreciation for Black women like no other on BGM.
BGM is such a feel-good record! The moment the song begins it calls for a two-step and what better way to make Black women groove than to inquire about our magic. If you haven’t listened by now or spent the last few seconds playing “guess the acronym”, BGM = Black Girl Magic, by which Wale spits two verses confessing his undying love and loyalty to the Black woman, some of the likes of which are the mother of his child and daughter.
His admiration this time around is less based on our ambition or the strong Black women trope but simply pleading for the gift of having a Black woman love him – duh, there is nothing quite like it. And he’s been paying attention to the Black women around him as he mentions a few essential stats, “white boy paid more / same job as you”. We stan an ally.
“Every Empire needs a Taraji.”
Gimmicky? Perhaps and strategic – of course, because every rapper needs a birthday drop that is “In da Club”-esque that women can dance to on their birthdays - I’m not mad at it. Wale does * Frank Ocean Voice * make [all these] songs for women.
“Black is beautiful, shorty Black is bold / Black is Black, true but Black is Gold”
The last song I think is work mentioning (and stand-out song for me) in the loyalty to Blackness department is “Love Me Nina” starring Nina Simone. The track opens with an empowering sound bite of the late, great poet and jazz artist in an unreleased interview entitled “The Blackness”.
“So it’s weighin’ on me, Nina / It’s weighin’ on me, Nina / They playin’ with me, Nina / Send ‘em on they way to meet ya”
The snippet plays on the notion that Black people have a collective “culture that is surpassed by no other civilization.” A culture Wale does not take lightly or for granted and shares his love for, as well as what he plans on doing in case anyone chooses to test his patriotism and well…I’d propose loyalty.
Nina, we just wanna be black and legendary / Be us and be proud by any means necessary
-Wale “Nina Simone/Semiautomatic” 2019
Folarin flips the third bar on the last hook
“they playing with me Nina / you staying with me Nina / they hating on me Nina / send ‘em on they way to meet ya”
-Wale “Nina Simone/Semiautomatic” 2019
with intention, as the latter half of the two-part song “Semiautomatic” plays. So that just in case the homonym wasn’t clear before, it is now.
“A scatterbrain, I’m shooting out of aim / Since I’ve been famous, it’s hard for me to hit up a target /… /I speak how I feel, I feel like a gun / Yeah, a semi-auto with a novice aim, uh / A lot of thoughts and a lot of pain, yeah / My ammunition come from all your hate / My brain a loaded semi, I’m too offended to concentrate”
Wale gets flack for being the great artist with the not-so-likable personality, and on this album, it’s as though he’s done the introspective work to realize that although people “don’t like his personality” that it’s part of his artistry. The only thing he owes the world and in turn himself, is to concentrate on perfecting his craft, making great music and allowing whatever hate that is generated in the meantime to fuel his fire.
If you haven’t listened to “Wow…That’s Crazy”, it’s definitely worth a listen.
Mr. DC chillin’ has always been vulnerable but for the first time, Wale seems to be working towards becoming self-aware and acceptant of his shortcomings rather than trying to be everyone’s favorite. This album feels like a bit of every previous album in one, or what I refer to as “what I thought Gifted would have been”.
I could have done without “Routine” on this project although it’s great to see MMG has worked through their tensions and the song would be a great “turn-up” single. I could have also done without “Poledancer” featuring Megan Thee Stallion and “Black Bonnie”, but they did serve as the perfect bonus add-ons, like when people use to buy physical copies and deluxe versions. Do artists still make deluxe albums?
If you aren’t the one to listen to self-loathing adult Black men wallow in their poor life and love decisions – skip it, it’ll save you some second-hand heartache and mismanaged anger. As for my take, “Wow…That’s Crazy” is probably my favorite Wale album thus far because “Mixtape About Nothing” takes the cake for me (I’m a slave to nostalgia) but after a few more spins of this, I might have to swap favorite wale projects.
