Yesterday, President Barack Obama delivered his final State of the Union address, publicly championing VP Joe Biden as the person “in charge of mission control” in the fight to cure cancer, and reminding Americans that it’s time to start making decisions that will bear fruit 5-10 years down the line, and not just during the next elections.
Prior to the speech, during the night’s opening ceremony, none other than Wale–who’s no stranger to White House dealings–took the stage at 1600 Pennsylvania, and performed for a packed house, making history as the first rapper to ever open up a State of the Union speech. It’s not by chance that the D.C. native performed at the prestigious festivities last night. Last year, following the release of his chart-topping The Album About Nothing album, Wale teamed up with the First Lady, Michelle Obama, for an education initiative, “Reach Higher,” and the MMG rapper performed at the White House in celebration of it this past July.
Last night’s ceremony was significant for yet another reason, as Wale formally announced the title of his 5th studio album, Shine, a term Wale’s been using over the past few days on Twitter to uplift fans and promote new music. No further details came with the announcement, but Wale will be in search of his third consecutive #1 album, and his second in as many years if Shine is released in 2016.
