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That was a rough read. And not the type of read that makes you want to 'try' to give him a shot, but eff it...I listen to cats rap in my spare time. I'll get to him. I already bought it.
>http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/the-juice/6516931/wale-drugs-depression-the-album-about-nothing-interview
>
>On paper, you'd expect Wale to be a happy guy. His last album,
>2013's The Gifted, topped the Billboard 200, and 2011's
>Ambition (his first on Rick Ross' Maybach Music Group imprint
>under Atlantic after an album on Interscope) hit No. 2. His
>new album, The Album About Nothing, in stores Tuesday, March
>31, is inspired by Seinfeld and features Jerry himself. "We'll
>crack on each other," Wale, 30, says of his relationship with
>the comedian. "He'll be like, "Oh, you watch wrestling?
>Really?' And then he'll talk about the little dumb shit that
>he does, like, 'I spent the day watching a documentary on
>making boots.' And I'm like, 'Bro, really?'" But behind the
>good times, the D.C. rapper says he's got issues, and they're
>just under the surface on the deceptively titled The Album
>About Nothing -- drug and alcohol use, a miscarriage and what
>he sees as a lack of respect.
>
>What are you talking about on this album that hits closest to
>home when it comes to your life?
>The music industry. You can say I'm sensitive, but music is
>why I live. Other people have kids or a strong woman in their
>lives; all I have is my music. I constantly work my ass off
>and I'm not in these magazines -- all I can go by is the
>people and what they say. People ask, "Why do you check
>social-media comments?" But what else do I have, bro? I don't
>get no major articles. Nobody talks about Wale like that. So
>what do you do when you're busting your ass and taking pills
>to stay up and be able to provide the right energy, and you're
>not seeing the proper response?
>
>What kind of pills?
>My confidence was shot, so I'd be taking whatever to keep me
>in a good mood, to get me in the right mood for an interview.
>I'm not going into the details as to what I was taking, but
>there's definitely something for that. Just like there's a
>fuckin' app for everything, there's a damn pill for
>everything. Or something you can pour in your glass. I was
>depressed not being where I wanna be in my career when I've
>put the work in. I wasn't sleeping. I was drinking all day and
>I didn't have anyone to go to. I couldn't fight it. Those are
>some of the demons I talk about on the album.
>
>On "The Matrimony," you rap about going through a
>miscarriage...
>The girl I was with, we tried for a long time to have a child.
>And when she finally did , she miscarried at 10 or 11 weeks. I
>was visualizing my child's face. We gave it a name and
>everything. All of that went away. And a couple of months
>before that, one of my closest friends died in a car accident,
>a cousin that was there for me through blood, sweat and tears.
>So I go through all that and I go online and some white kid is
>saying, "You dumb ni---r, you'll never be as good as J. Cole."
>You put all that together…
>
>That's a lot at once.
>All these rappers, they do songs about their mothers. I'm
>Nigerian -- my mother didn't encourage me to do this. Even
>when Attention Deficit came out and I had kind of made it,
>most parents would have been like, "My baby did it!" but I
>don't have that. My mom didn't come to my games. I posted a
>football picture on Instagram the other day. That was my
>fuckin' rec' coach on my senior night. My mom didn't come to
>that. I can't even explain to my mom what my job entails. She
>just knows that all of her bills are going to be paid. I
>didn't have one-on-ones with my mom or dad. I was in juvenile
>facilities a lot. My point is that I grew up with the outside
>world meaning the most to me. This is in hindsight -- I'm
>trying to figure out why I'm this way. I rely on the people's
>opinions, because I don't have much outside of that. I'm
>already on the side of Meek and Ross trying to squeeze in the
>picture. And I'm trying to keep a smile on my face. Imagine
>how you'd feel if someone who put in less work than you blew
>up? People say, "You're such a bitch online." That's all I
>have -- my opportunity to connect with you. I didn't want to
>be the guy that everyone was like, "He's got such a bad
>attitude." But I've been through shit.
>
>What else have you been through?
>Getting dropped from a label is only fun to people who can't
>feel it. Everybody was laughing at Trinidad James when he got
>dropped. Damn, what if you just lost your job today? What if
>your friend got shot at and crashed his car and wasn't picking
>up the phone? I was in tears when Ross got shot at . He
>doesn't even know that. I was scared. I was thinking the
>worst. He wasn't picking up the phone. But I was seeing all
>these people laugh at him on social media. That's my friend!
>Someone said , "I wish it had been you" when A$AP Yams died.
>What did I do to you? Is a retweet or laugh that important to
>you? I'm sensitive, okay? God gave me the ability to feel
>twice as much so I can write, twice as much maybe.
>
>What did you get from your time from hanging with Kanye West
>in Paris a few weeks ago?
>How organized his shit is. He's very organized and people
>listen. He has a staff that will listen to him. I have a staff
>whose mind tends to wander or they'll act like I'm working for
>them. Even when Kim is in there, things are centered around
>the breadwinner and creator. And he has the same thing as me,
>where he tries to make sure he's not offending anybody. That's
>something I recognized. He'll say something and then follow it
>up with, "You know, I wasn't trying to…" And the person will
>say, "It's all good!' I'm like that too. I want to make sure I
>don't offend anyone. In this industry, you can be so offensive
>to somebody and not even know it, like, "Bruh, I could've
>sworn that I kissed every baby in here."
>
>Your last album hit No. 1. Do you think this album will get
>you the respect you want?
>I gave this my all. I'm not trying to whine about being
>critically acclaimed or getting in the door, but it breaks my
>heart. Everyone says, "Be patient. It'll happen." But all
>signs are showing, "No, it won't happen." I'm okay with people
>not liking my music but provide an intelligent reason for why
>you like or don't like something or you're a hater or a
>dick-rider. This is my fourth album. I want some respect. I
>want to go to a party and not have Katy Perry tell her
>security to move me out of the fuckin' way. We do the same
>thing. I know there's no union in the music industry, but have
>some respect. I want people to be like, "Your album's just as
>good as Kendrick 's or Esperanza Spalding or Beck." I work
>just as hard as them.
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