Wale made an album with Jerry Seinfeld, so we had a comedian review it
The Washington Post asked me to review the latest album by Wale, D.C.'s most famous rapper, who also happens to be a serious "Seinfeld" fanboy. It's called "The Album About Nothing" and it is the fourth "Seinfeld"-themed release from Wale, following his 2008 breakout, "Mixtape About Nothing" (which featured a cameo from Julia Louis-Dreyfus), 2010's "More About Nothing" and 2014's "Festivus." Because Jerry Seinfeld is actually on this new album, The Post thought it would be relevant to have a stand-up comedian who used to live in D.C who talks a lot about rap (me, Brandon Wardell) review it. Full disclosure: I've publicly hated on Wale semi-regularly online, having once posted a picture on Twitter of me and a full trash can, with the caption "finally got a picture with Wale." But I've hated on lots of rappers. And myself. And while I definitely still hate every single Wale interview I watch, it turns out I may have to apologize for calling his music trash.
Wale’s past couple of years have been strange; after signing to Rick Ross’s Maybach Music Group, he’s released some popular singles, mostly his “R&B feature on the hook/songs you can have sex to” tracks (e.g., “Bad,” “Lotus Flower Bomb”), and he found significantly increased commercial success inversely proportional to critical success. The artist who rose to fame rapping over go-go beats strayed from his earliest work in a way that felt less like creative growth and more like a boring attempt to appeal to everyone. For years now, it has felt like there was a loss of a specific artistic voice.
His public brand morphed into “rapper with the ego of Kanye West, without the songs to justify it.” He made it increasingly difficult to root for him, antagonizing himself to the point where it seemed like a hobby. On this album, however, he responds to critics in a way that isn’t insufferable with the song “The Middle Finger.” Seinfeld — who appears throughout the album — says, “Let ’em talk. ... They don’t believe half the s--- they say. ... It’s fun to talk.” When I was writing this review, I had the mentality of “uh-oh, Wale is gonna read this and whine about me on Twitter,” but now I realize he already responded on the album. It literally made me question my review and the nature of criticism in general. I enjoyed the song, but listening to it while writing this, I had a real chill little existential crisis. Also, I was really high.
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Seinfeld homage-wise, he really upped the ante for this album, scoring heavy studio collaboration time with Jerry Seinfeld himself, who previously made an appearance on Wale’s last album, “The Gifted.” Wale’s favorite sitcom is “Seinfeld,” naturally, since it is one of the funniest sitcoms of all time. Seinfeld’s favorite rapper is Wale, naturally, since he is definitely the only active rapper Seinfeld knows about. The two have enjoyed a very public friendship recently, sharing a Complex magazine cover and Seinfeld listing him among his top five rappers of all time during the credits of Chris Rock’s film “Top Five.” (The other four were Sugar Hill Gang, Eminem, Ice Cube and Sir Mix-A-Lot, proving that Seinfeld is probably not keeping up with hip-hop.) Seinfeld shares equal space with Wale on the album cover, but don’t expect anything silly. His presence on the album may lead some to assume the album has comedic tendencies, but that’s not really the case. Every track begins with a snippet from a conversation between Seinfeld and Wale or an exchange from the sitcom, but none of this is intended to make you laugh. It is actually Wale’s most serious album yet. There are no jokes or any pandering club bangers.
This album feels much more cohesive than any recent album of his. The first track, “The Intro About Nothing,” is immediately impressive — soulful, textured and a good addition to any positive-energy playlist. It is lyrically sharp, beautiful and actually inspirational on a level higher than anything on his recent albums. Another highlight is “The Pessimist,” a conscious-but-not-boring track about the current state of Black America, which has the misfortune of dropping right after Kendrick Lamar’s masterful “To Pimp a Butterfly,” which handles the same racial issues in a more nuanced way.
Obviously the album isn’t without its faults. Following Kendrick’s album isn’t a big issue for any of the conscious tracks holding their own, but following Drake’s “If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late” is an issue with a “catching feelings for a stripper” ode like “That One Time in Houston.” Drake has consistently made incredible songs about falling in love with strippers in Houston since 2009, making Wale’s take on the topic feel like being gifted a Playstation 1 by your stepdad Wale, when your Uncle Drake already gifted you a Playstation 4, Xbox One and a Wii U.
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Overall, Wale is more introspective than whiny and more legitimately profound than fake poetic on this album. It’s the biggest step he has made creatively in a long time. I’ve made a habit of dismissing Wale and this album actively shook my beliefs. I’m questioning my core values. I don’t know what to believe in or whom to trust in this world anymore. I’m going to have to find some new material.
Brandon Wardell is an L.A.-based comedian who was recently featured on Bob Odenkirk’s album “Amateur Hour.” Find out more at brandonwardell.net or follow him on Twitter, @brandonwardell.
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