Wale’s ‘everything is a lot.’ Taps Leon Thomas, Ty Dolla $ign & More

Key Takeaways:

• After a four-year hiatus, Wale returns with a deeply personal album that explores grief, growth and emotional clarity.
• The album features standout production and samples, with guest appearances from Ty Dolla $ign, Leon Thomas and more.
• Wale describes the project as a journey toward peace and reconnection.

Wale’s pen game is the gift that keeps giving. On Friday (Nov. 14), the DMV mainstay delivered what’s possibly his most personal album to date, everything is a lot.

Opening with “Conundrum,” Wale revisits a conversation with his child’s mother, who tells him her new husband thinks it’s time to move on, and, in a moment of maturity, he agrees. A few tracks later, on “Power and Problems,” he wrestles with his trauma and emotional battle scars when it comes to love.

Arguably the best part of the album — aside from Wale’s verses, of course — is the production. “Belly” flips Soul II Soul’s “Back to Life (However Do You Want Me),” while “Michael Fredo” opens with a triumphant, almost fight-night energy, like Apollo Creed is about to step into the ring. Elsewhere, “Watching Us” finds him and Leon Thomas reworking Goapele’s “Closer.”

Whatever Wale’s budget was, it’s obvious that a big chunk went toward securing great samples and even better features, most of which appear in the latter half of the tracklist. He unites with Afrobeats stars Seyi Vibez and Teni on “YSF” (short for “You So Fine”), while Odeal brings a Brent Faiyaz-like warmth to “City On Fire.” Other guests include Ty Dolla $ign, Nino Paid, Shaboozey and Andra Day, to name a few.

“I called it everything is a lot. because that’s exactly how life feels sometimes. But even in the madness, there’s meaning,” Wale said of the LP’s title in a press statement. “This project follows me as I find peace in the noise, reconnect with my roots, and remind myself that heaviness is a part of growth.”

Although he hasn’t officially announced a tour yet, Wale is set to hit the stage at Washington, D.C.’s The Anthem on Friday night. Jeremih and a handful of “special guests” are scheduled to join the “Lotus Flower Bomb” artist for his second annual homecoming show.