Wale is set to return with his new album Everything Is a Lot, arriving November 14 via Def Jam. The project serves as the Grammy-nominated rapper’s first full-length release under the label and his eighth studio album overall.
The D.C. native describes the album as a reflection of the weight he’s carried from personal experiences and broader global changes over the past four years. “One of the underlying things is how heavy everything is in the world around me, my personal life, and the industry,” Wale shared. “I carried all of that with me and got it out of my system through this project.”
The album features production from BNYX, Salaam Remi, Kel-P Vibes, Go Grizz, Streetrunner, Emil, and Genio. Among its 16 tracks are the blues-infused lead single “Blanco,” first performed at Dreamville Festival, and “Where to Start,” which samples SWV’s 1992 classic “I’m So Into You.” Recorded mainly in London and Los Angeles, Everything Is a Lot blends hip-hop, R&B, and Afrobeats, with guest features yet to be announced.
This release marks a new chapter in Wale’s career following his departure from Rick Ross’ Maybach Music Group in 2023. During his MMG tenure, Wale released six albums under Warner Records, including The Gifted (2013) and The Album About Nothing (2015), both debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. Reflecting on the industry shift since his last project, he said, “The industry is a completely different place than it was four years ago. They had a purge, and a lot of people lost their jobs.”
Through Everything Is a Lot, Wale aims to embrace vulnerability. Songs like “Lonely” and “Fly Away” explore themes of self-reflection and emotional struggle. The latter samples Maxwell’s “Pretty Wings,” addressing attachment and abandonment. “It’s never as contrived as people think,” Wale explained. “If I’m in the mood to write something, I just get to it. It’s all about capturing that feeling in the moment.”
Discussing the modern music climate, he added, “It’s always been hard to keep people’s attention. That’s why my first album is called Attention Deficit. It’s become increasingly harder in this day and age, where fans are rewiring themselves to only like what the algorithm tells them to like. It’s an uphill battle, so it’s a blessing to be in the conversation still.”
Tracklist — Everything Is a Lot
- Conundrum
- Belly
- Where to Start
- Blanco
- Michael Fredo
- Power and Problems
- Mirroronnabenz
- YSF
- Tomorrow Today
- Big Head
- City On Fire
- Fly Away
- Corner Bottles
- Like I
- Survive
- Lonely
