On these songs, and many others, Wale is there but not there, his lyrics contractually obligated, though every so often he finds time to drop a regrettable line, like “she penetrating my mind, I penetrate that physique,” on the single “PYT.” But “Fine Girl” stumbles around blindly, wasting features from the Nigerian artists Olamide and Davido. The former, which features Major Lazer, Dua Lipa and Wizkid and on which Wale doesn’t rap until nearly two minutes in, is pleasant enough to wiggle into a spot on a backyard party playlist. “My Love” and “Fine Girl” chase the Caribbean muse that Drake has exploited so successfully. neighborhood and features the reggaeton superstar J Balvin, whose presence livens up a meandering track. The Don Cannon-produced “Colombia Heights (Te Llamo)” refers to the largely-Hispanic D.C. The album hopscotches its way through a varied set of production styles, with Wale performing his usual acrobatic routine through hoops positioned by marketers and focus groups. There’s not a song here that feels grounded in much more than the desire to enjoy the moment or at least feign doing so well enough to make radio playlists. “And I’m just like, ‘Wale, man, just be happier.’”Īccordingly, Shine is a more buoyant album than his back-to-basics 2015 offering, The Album About Nothing. “I put myself through a lot of doom and gloom,” he said. (The album’s title is an acronym: “ Still here ignoring negative energy.”) In an interview with Complex, he said he wanted to put less pressure on himself. Wale has promoted the new project as a record overflowing with contentment, thanks in part to a newborn daughter, Zyla.
Five studio albums, and one mid-career reinvention later, we arrive at Shine, the rapper’s fourth full-length with MMG.
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