Wale Folarin returns with his third album and second since aligning himself with MMG,
The Gifted. Wale's follow up to 2011's
Ambition, is a more focused and polished record than it predecessor, where it seemed that Wale was going through some sort of identity crisis as he attempted to find his place on a label filled with trap and gangster rappers (I use the term "gangster" very loosely) and he vaguely addresses as much on the album's opening track "The Curse of the Gifted", where he spits "they thought I wouldn't win in a crew full of trappers / what I do, I f***** the game and came out a gold rapper" .
The Gifted finds Wale getting back to what endured fans to him the most, his lyrical and poetical talent in addition to his vulnerability as an artist. This album is also not as commercial as its predecessor as Wale's main focus is providing the masses with what he has been referring to as "new black soul", and for the most part the soulfulness of the album is it's strong point as it consistently puts Folarin in a zone he was found in more often pre-MMG, one he also seems to be more comfortable in as evident in tracks such as "Golden Salvation (Jesus Piece)" and one of my favorite Wale tracks "LoveHate Thing" featuring crooner Sam Dew. Wale even finds the time to show love to the home team with the Go-Go influenced "Clappers" featuring Juicy J and Nicki Minaj, which features a sample of "Da Butt" by EU and is sure to be a twerker favorite. The missteps on this album generally occur when Wale attempts to reach and step out of the lane he created for himself on this album with tracks such as "Vanity" and "Rotation" featuring Wiz Khalifa and the seemingly omnipresent 2 Chainz serving as examples. Wale is gifted enough as an artist to bring others into his world without compromising himself and needs to stick to doing so. Surprisingly, the strongest point of the album occurs during the albums closing tracks "Simple Man", "88", and "Black Hero's". All three highlight Wale's strengths as an artist and will definitely have you hitting the rewind button in efforts to attempt to break down some the intricate bars he drops throughout theses tracks. While
The Gifted is far from perfect and its production leaves a lot to be desired at times, it's definitely a step in the right direction for Wale after he left many fans questioning his musically direction after
Ambition. A solid album for a gifted emcee.
Final Grade: C+
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