By: Amanda Anderson-Niles
Wale made headlines weeks ago after her had a massive blowup with Complex Magazine that resulted in him threatening to beat up the magazine’s editor after he got left off the “Top 50 Albums of 2013” list.
As a result of the controversy, he’s decided to calm it down some and take a break from social media.
He recently penned an open letter about the situation and why he feels society is way too critical of passionate people.
He writes:
What I’ve come to grips with is the fact that I am not superhuman, BUT super human. I think our culture has made it almost a prerequisite to be “too cool” or “swagged out” carrying a “nothing can phase me” image. It’s to the point that the ones who show they care, get attacked the most. Who ever thought we’d see a day when somebody used the word “poetic” as an insult? I certainly never thought that. “I can’t f*ck wit Wale ‘ol poetic a*s.” Really? These are the same people who probably have every Pac album embedded in their head. But, I digress. I took an absence from Twitter because I started to care tooooo much. I still don’t know the root of what makes me care THAT much, but I’m quite sure it started by wanting to lead people in a direction that wasn’t as cliché as some of my peers.
I’m no saint. I f*ck with ratchet b*tches. I say b*tch. I b*tch about things my damn self. But, I can honestly say, that I try to use my “human” traits as a means of relating to other humans. If I can bare my insecurities and flaws before you, maybe you won’t feel so insecure and flawed.
Wale then admits that a sense of entitlement played a role in his controversy regarding Complex Magazine but he does feel that he was unfairly targeted too:
There came a point where people went out of their way to remind me that I’m missin my mark. Albeit, I made myself a target to slander and criticism. I think it became a trend to f*ck with anybody that cared about people’s opinion. I’m not one of those people who make music for material things. I strive to make music for a public that appreciates raw emotion. And I will continue to.
I went through stages of frustration in my career with publications because of my own selfishness and sense of entitlement. I admit that. Nevertheless, I think if we calling a spade a spade, some media outlets be on they bullsh*t with me for reasons outside of music. But, my goal moving forward is to focus less on THEM and more on US. We all have goals and mine is simple. Empower the people. Empower MY fans and focus on MY fans and their energy . I don’t think it’s humanly possible for me to appease some of these outlets no matter what I create. It burns my soul to hear there’s no message tho. So knowin that I may have fell short of connecting with some of them, I’ve decided to use my energy on US. The guy with all the mixtapes. The guy who listens to every song twice because they know there’s things hidden in there. The girl who can’t wait to hear “Ambitious Girl 3” (Oh, it’s coming). The girl with the “Ambition” tattoo, who gets dressed to “Illest B*tch Alive” every morning . The ones who understood my frustration, hated my rant but understood it nevertheless . I may never be the biggest rapper in the world (still one of the best doe) but, I’ll be the most dedicated to my fans and it starts with this right here. This is rare. This is REAL. This is about us. This is about the music again. My ReRE -Dedication to greatness. What we got doesn’t happen often, nor with too many people. This is an rare occasion when a rare bond… Happens
Everybluemoon
-Folarin
I’m not reading all that. lol
LOL!
Oh goodness. It’s not even that long. LOL.
I don’t mind Wale being passionate about his music and what he does but he’s lying to himself if he thinks the album he just put out was quality.
He takes himself way too seriously for me. Anyway, he may not like that people say he’s too sensitive but he has to develop thick skin to survive the business. People will always have an opinion and always have something to say. But you can’t be out here throwing temper tantrums when you’re a grown man. Maybe one day he will understand that.
I hate that all these new rappers want to compare themselves to Tupac so bad.
I second that. The thing they always seem to overlook is how real Tupac was outside of music. He didn’t care about accolades or magazines praising him.
I feel the same way. There will never be another Tupac.
I like Wale I just think he needs to mature a little and stop reacting so much to criticism. It’s a really big turn off because I know it overshadows one’s music.
Wale reminds me a lot of Kanye. They just don’t understand that part of being successful in music is also being liked. When your antics, anger and temper tantrums start to make more headlines than your actual music, then you’re in trouble. I like some of Wale’s music, but I can’t help but think he won’t be around much longer if he doesn’t toughen up.
Sigh…I don’t even really care. I liked him at first but now he’s just like a more annoying version of Kanye. Lord knows we don’t need two Kanyes.
I saw the list and by the looks of all the trash they did put on there, I can see why Wale felt the way he did. But with that being said, he’s still fresh in the game so he shouldn’t be feeling like anyone owes him anything yet. He hasn’t put years into his music yet and he isn’t even one of the best out here right now as far as the young cats are concerned.
I feel like he made some really good points. But he does need to chill out a little bit and learn how to handle adversity and disappointment a lot better than he does. He has talent and I like what I’ve heard from him so far. I just kind of wish he would go back to those pre-maybach music days though. His music was better then.
Crybaby.
he’s so annoying