Wale is no stranger to evolution in the rap world, but staying relevant in today’s fast-moving music scene is a whole different beast. Sitting down with Cam Newton on the “Funky Friday” podcast, the DMV native opened up about the toll longevity takes on artists who have been grinding for years.
“It’s hard, man,” Wale admitted when reflecting on the uphill battle of maintaining his presence in the culture. “I mean, there are so many things that throw you off. I lost a lot of friends in the streets or just otherwise, but jumping in the industry, being here for about 16 years… The amount of friends that I lost… It’s not a normal life to live.”
Get this: he didn’t sugarcoat how isolating and unpredictable the music industry can be, calling it “not the brightest place to be.” The perception of greatness, Wale explained, often has nothing to do with talent or skill. “You could be the greatest rapper of all time, but everybody could be like, ‘Oh I don’t like you, you’re not good,’” he said. “So that can just throw you off … The longevity is no joke, man. And the game done change, it keep changing.”
With so many artists emerging daily and fans’ attention spans getting shorter, Wale emphasized how crowded the space feels. “There’s so much stuff going on right now,” he said. “So much distractions and so much… Everybody is bloodthirsty right now in hip-hop,” he continued. “So it’s like, how many people’s attention can you get, you know what I’m saying? How do you enter the zeitgeist? How do you enter the mainstream, the algorithm? It’s busy. It’s tough, it’s a tough game.”
Despite the noise, and we agree there’s a lot of that, Wale remains committed to creating timeless music. He’s not interested in clout-chasing or hopping on trendy sounds just to keep up. Instead, he looks to legends for inspiration and aims to make music that will age with grace. “I had to grow up a little bit before I understood how great Reasonable Doubt was,” he shared. “I didn’t understand how good it was in middle school. When I got older, I was like, ‘Oh snap.’ Everything he’s saying, I didn’t get. That’s why I got to try to make the music evergreen, because it’ll catch up eventually.”