Music review: “Ambition” by Wale

By: LucianaVee

I’m not going to lie, I overhype things sometimes, hoping that maybe this whole excitement building up will make them even better than expected, and in this case I’m partly dissapointed. I first heard of Wale in the song “Chillin” featuring Lady Gaga from his debut album ‘Attention Deficit’. I kept looking for more songs by him and was pleasantly surprised with a song titled “Ambitious Girl” from ‘More About Nothing’, and this song was the one that confirmed what I knew: Wale was a talented rapper, sick flow and ability to deliver rhymes. I was impressed by his ability to put together ‘The Mixtape About Nothing‘ featuring scenes from the TV show Seinfeld, so not only did I find him talented, I found him to be also resourceful and creative.
“Ambitious Girl” is more of like a poem, it showed me a side of hip-hop that is barely even seen: the side that actually appreciates women and doesn’t objectify them, a song that enhances women to be independent and encourages them to go after their dreams; little do you know, this song became some sort of my anthem and I guess it was the same thing for girls out there who knew about Wale. This for me, was a deal changer, so along with songs that I love like “TV in The Radio” and “Beautiful Bliss” I patiently waited for “Ambition” and what it would bring.

Note: I am aware he did THAT song, but you know sometimes.. you just have to do them, don’t blame him. And what did this song give Wale? Exposure. Yup, he did it with no hands…

Come along the Teflon Don, as known as Rick Ross, and Wale drops Interscope and decides to join Ross with his label Maybach Music Group. Some other mixtapes released, and there it was: Wale’s sophomore album will be released in the iconic date of 11-1-11 and the massive campaign started. I usually get excited with new albums, most of the time the albums being worth all the hype, in this case around however I feel as if “Ambition” was a partial dissapointment as I stated at the beginning of this review. Maybe it was the overhype, but I believe that Wale and MMG were very ambitious with the production of the album, this just establish them as a major label now.

However, it feels as if the Wale from the mixtapes, the one who would sing to those ambitious girls, the socially concious Wale was long gone, or perhaps he’s in hiding? In “Ambition” it feels like Wale is more materialistic and shallow Wale, the one who is just like any other rapper out there that sings about going clubbing and how many bottles they buy. The rhymes might be tight at points, but then again some of them dissapointed me because it represented to me a lack of effort:”Fuck rap, I get pussy off of haiku” really that’s all you had to say?  What happened to the Wale from ‘The Mixtape About Nothing’? Maybe this is MMG imprint on the music industry because it feels just like something from a Rick Ross’ album talking about possesions, but of course with a whole another level of production. While I liked some songs like “Focused“, and “Slight Work“, I wish I could have loved them.

This is one of the few songs of “Ambition” that I liked:

I can’t consider myself a Wale fan yet, I am appreciative of his work especially his mixtapes and some of his collaborations and I think the guy is incredibly talented, I just think he could have done much, much better lyrically. MMG, bravo! You have made it, you have made Wale commercial rapper enough, but please for the next album could you please bring the Wale who would write actual songs, not the one who gets it from haikus.

Ambition is in stores now!