S. Samuel
Maybach Music Group rapper Wale has already started putting in work for his upcoming third solo album and explained why it is vital he turn into a risk-taker this time around.
Rather than embrace his growth since joining MMG two years ago, Wale said he is taking fans back to his pre-Rick Ross days.
“It probably sounds the most like 100 Miles & Running and a little bit of Attention Deficit. I just wanna show range. I’ve proven a lot to my peers and to myself and to my fans, so I just want to take it back to something a little bit more exciting, when the music was most exciting to me,” Wale told MTV news of the album, which he’s hoping to prep for February release. “I’ve been [swamped with] my own stuff, doing [MMG compilation album] Self Made and all of those things, and I haven’t had an opportunity to stand on my own sonically as an artist, as much as I would like. But this new project I’ve been working on is definitely allowing me to do that.” (MTV)
Last fall, Wale’s Ambition sophomore LP moved over 160,000 copies in its opening week.
Maybach Music Group rapper Wale’s Ambition debuted on the chart at No. 2. After seven days in stores, the LP has sold 164,100 copies. (SOHH Sales Wrap)
Prior to the ink drying, Rick Ross revealed his interest in building MMG with Wale at the forefront in December 2010.
“I look for next year to be an even bigger year,” Ross said in an interview. “We just brought Jah Cure to the team. That’s one of the biggest reggae superstars in the game. We just did a deal with that. Look for that first quarter. I’m talking to an artist out of Philly that I think is the future of Philly. Meek Millz, I’m talking to him right now about Maybach Music. As well as I’m talking to Wale.” (The Source)
Since joining Maybach Music, Wale has reportedly banked around $5 million.
That competitive nature has set the rapper on a course to stardom, as his recent success shows. Wale grossed over $20,000 per night while performing more than 75 concerts over the past year; his new album, Ambition, provided the soundtrack. Over the past 12 months, he pulled in nearly $5 million, narrowly missing the Hip-Hop Cash Kings list. “I don’t want to be one of those guys that you see who made $4 million, invested $3.5 million, and now you work at Wendy’s,” he says. “I want to get the highest score on Pacman or Frogger … [and] I want to make sure I’m on the FORBES list in a year or two.” (Forbes)
Check out some recent Wale footage below:
