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The word is out: surprise shows and fly-by-night album drops are the new thing in hip-hop and R&B. First Beyonce, then Drake and now, Wale has made sure to add his name to the list of artists surprisingly popping up in some way, shape or form.
While the album has undergone some serious promotion for months, Wale hit fans in New York City with a last minute show at SOBs nightclub to celebrate the release of his fourth LP, The Album About Nothing, on Monday night (March 30).
With a line that stood around the block for almost an hour, the Washington, D.C.-bred rapper hit the stage just after midnight to honor the only date that matters: “3:31.” Since the crowd was anxious to rock out with the Maybach Music Group rhyme slinger, the DJ wasted no time in bringing him out on the stage. Unfortunately for the DJ, Rap Radar’s Elliot Wilson was slated to do the honors, and Wale wasn’t moving until the hip-hop journalist hit the mic. After minutes of back-and-forth banter about nothing, the go-go-influenced lyricist entered the stage boxing ring style.
With his hair wrapped up, shades on and a coat covering his shoulders, Wale hit the floor in child’s pose form with his hands raised in the air like he knew he was king. And then, the beat dropped. An excited and very passionate Wale opened the show with “Chain Music,” and the only thing the crowd could say was, “Now them broad gon’ follow / Chain so big can’t pop my collar.”
Before the show went on, the rapper let a go-go beat take over the room, informing those in the room that his latest project was going back to his roots. Intoxicated and full of life, the punchline MC went on to perform “Pretty Girls,” “90210″ and “Slight Work” while his crew stood off to the side screaming “Go Wale, go Wale!” But just as fans thought the artist hit his peak, the beat kept rocking and J. Cole popped up. As the two freestyled back and forth, firing shots at one another, they closed out Cole’s set reminiscing about their “freshmen” year. But J. Cole wasn’t the only one brought out to celebrate The Album About Nothing.
With lights out on stage, fans went wild when they realized Meek Mill was hopping around next to his partner in rhyme. When MMG gets together it’s always a party, especially when they make “Intro (Dreams and Nightmares)” a must on the set list. After Meek performed, he didn’t exit stage left, instead, posing for a few photos for Instagram and even took a selfie or two with a fan. With him, it was all about the social media.
After a near two-hour show, Wale and his cohorts brought the night to an end with an elaborate drum roll done by the man of the hour himself. It was actually a show about something brought to fans by pure ambition.
Wale’s new album, The Album About Nothing, hits stores today. To purchase or check it out, head to iTunes here.
Watch Wale in action below.
