Wale

Olubowale Victor Akintimehin, known professionally as Wale, is an American rapper born September 21, 1984. He came up in Germantown, Maryland, where 2006’s “Dig Dug (Shake It)” made his name and follow-up releases built local momentum. In 2007 he signed with English DJ-producer Mark Ronson’s Allido Records, which, after a three-label bidding war, entered a joint venture with Interscope Records the following year for $1.3 million.

Attention Deficit (2009) was under-shipped and underperformed, but drew positive reviews and gave him his first Billboard Hot 100 entry with “Chillin” featuring Lady Gaga. His guest appearance alongside Roscoe Dash on Waka Flocka Flame’s “No Hands” (2010) reached number 13 and went diamond. His second album, Ambition (2011), on Rick Ross’s Maybach Music Group, peaked at number two on the Billboard 200 behind the Grammy-nominated “Lotus Flower Bomb” featuring Miguel. The Gifted (2013) and The Album About Nothing (2015) both debuted atop the chart; the former was led by “Bad” featuring Tiara Thomas, his highest-charting single as a lead artist.

He shifted toward a lighter, commercially-oriented approach on Shine (2017), Wow… That’s Crazy (2019) and Folarin II (2021), producing the Hot 100-charting “My PYT”, “On Chill” featuring Jeremih and “Poke It Out” featuring J. Cole. Folarin II closed his Maybach Music Group run; he signed with Def Jam Recordings the following year.

Discography

• Attention Deficit (2009)
• Ambition (2011)
• Folarin (2012)
• The Gifted (2013)
• The Album About Nothing (2015)
• The Girls on Drugs (Remixes EP) (2015)
• Shine (2017)
• Free Lunch (2018)
• Wow… That’s Crazy (2019)
• The Imperfect Storm (2020)