Wale wrestled with perfectionism and creative fatigue while finalizing everything is a lot, his eighth studio album set to release Friday, revealing the uphill battle during a no-holds-barred conversation with JB Smoove for Interview magazine.
The Grammy-nominated rapper opened up about the mental and logistical hurdles that came with wrapping the project, admitting the process was anything but smooth.
“I think finishing it was kind of hard, because I wrote so many great verses and then it’s like, ‘Maybe I should end the song here.’ Then it’s like, ‘Nah, nah, I’ve got to do another one.’ Or just trying to make certain things better, or sometimes a feature didn’t finish it all the way or whatever. Trying to fix things that weren’t me, but I had to fix it anyway. It was challenging, but it tells me what I’ve got to do,” he said.
The 41-year-old DMV native, who first broke onto the scene in 2009, reflected on how the Hip-Hop landscape has changed over the years.
“A lot done changed about this industry,” he told Smoove, pointing to the heightened level of scrutiny and content restrictions artists now face.
The two creatives bonded over the shared struggle of writer’s block and the pressure to keep their material fresh. Wale admitted that he didn’t fully grasp the importance of timelessness in music until his fourth album.
“You could really say something that just dates everything, and then you lose the oomph for real,” he explained.
The rapper’s latest effort follows a string of recent collaborations, including a track with Pusha T titled “Damage Control” and a feature on NBA star Anthony Edwards’ compilation album Legend In My Hood. Looking ahead, Wale hinted that his creative ambitions may stretch beyond traditional musical partnerships.
“I’ve got to push the envelope creatively, so it might not even be a traditional musician. I’ve just got to see where I lead me, man. I’ve got to follow what makes me excited,” he said.
everything is a lot. dropped Friday (November 13), adding another entry to Wale’s growing discography and marking his first full-length release since 2021.
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