Wale has quietly rattled off a string of ill records plus a banging tape (Summer On Sunset) in preparation for his newest effort, SHiNE. Wale is a great and precise demographic seeker and he’s built up that particular skill over the length of his career. With that being said, his “Ambitious Girl” song series may be one of the dopest female appreciation string of songs the game has ever seen. Parts “1-3” represent three different phases of Wale’s music, and he’s speaking to three women in three different phases of their lives. To see what he has in store for volume four, we’ll break down the classic ones for you.
“Ambitious Girl 3 (The Bloom)”
“I call you my flower, cuz you my boo, k? Good.” That will always be one of our favorite lines from The Album About Nothing, but what Wale did with this song, and the entire album was blend together one state of mind into a bunch of songs that sound, feel and play differently. Using a song about growth and blooming to assist the “AG3” efforts makes the “Ambitious Girl” series that much more potent, and perfect for queen appreciation.
Prediction on “3” connecting to “4?”
Our guess is AG4 will be strikingly similar to “The Bloom (AG3).” Records like “My PYT” remind us of songs from The Album About Nothing, even though sonically Wale is always progressing, certain tracks from different time periods can certainly give a similar feel. Part “3” and “4” of “Ambitious Girl” will reflect that quality.
“Ambitious Girl 2”
Wale has some of the best college rap we’ve ever heard. Along with J Cole, Big Sean, Dee 1 and a few others, Wale creates the most on-campus nostalgia moments ever. “Ambitious Girl 2” provides that exact vibe. The Eleven One Eleven Theory housed “2,” so we’re not sure if “2” was heard as much as “1,” but the impact and the time period of the drop was just as strong. “Ambitious Girl 2” is super connected to “1,” and it shows Wale’s attention to detail, and how intentional he can be in the timeline of his music making. And how crazy was the J. Holiday feature? He was putting up shots at that time.
Prediction on “2” connecting to “4”?
“Ambitious Girl 2” and “4” will sound like night and day in comparison to each other. Wale is in an entirely different place and it shows in every drop. Of course you have the listeners who can’t escape wanting the “old Wale,” but that’s never been what music is about. Like we said, he has records that give you the feel of his older music but for the most part, he challenges himself to evolve not with the time, but before the time. SHiNE as a body of work will represent this, and “AG4” will represent evolution within the series.
“Ambitious Girl”
This isn’t just a song, or a poem, or another “making one hit for the ladies.” “Ambitious Girl” is an anthem (DJ Khaled voice). Seriously, Wale created a moment with this record, and it’s one of those moments that’s going to live forever. One of the best things about the entire “Ambitious Girl” series is Wale never tried to recreated the original but rather build on it, and made each follow up its own thing. There’s a mental visual that comes along with the original, a nostalgia of the first place you were when you heard it, or who was the girl in your life when you heard it. There’s so many layers to this record, and it honestly means a lot to Millennials and Wale fans overall.
Prediction on “1” connecting to “4”?
Remember we said “2” would be the furthest thing from “4”? Scratch that, “1” will sound like an entirely different person. The spoken word approach may be hinted at, but not used as the primary theme of the song, as Wale is into making grooves right now. “4” will be something you can move to, while “1” was a digestive, sit down and vibe to. The evolution of just that particular practice is hype enough. To have someone start a series spitting poetry, and land on making a dancehall record potentially (who knows), shows how diverse Wale truly is.
We hope Wale drops kind of close to cuffing season and let’s us get through the summer without “AG4” (no one is trying to serenade anyone in the library right now, it’s too hot). Whenever it does come it’s going to once again prove when Wale targets a demographic, specifically the female species, he hits his mark more often than not. This time will be no different.
