Wale returns with his first Def Jam album, Everything Is A Lot, blending personal chaos and industry fatigue into a 16-track album.
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Wale begins a new chapter with Def Jam and releases four years of emotional stress on his upcoming album, Everything Is A Lot, due out November 14th.
The 16-track project marks his first full-length release since parting ways with Rick Ross’ Maybach Music Group in 2023.
Wales shared an emotional video trailer for the album on Monday (October 13)
“Ask me how I’m feeling,” Will says in the trailer. “everything.”
“Four years of self-reflection,” he wrote in the caption. “Giving up what I couldn’t change. Watching the industry change beyond recognition in real time… people forgetting about me. Trying to find purpose in a thankless industry. New n##### acting like I’m a new n####. (A lot of people are feeling this ### ngl and crazy) Changing labels. Finding love, but being afraid of being scarred by it. The highs and lows of most uncertainty in my career are ahead of me.”
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Weir reflects on the changing music industry landscape
The Grammy-nominated rapper debuted the album’s lead single “Blanco” at the Dreamville Music Festival earlier this year.
Other tracks include “Where to Start,” which flips SWV’s 1992 R&B classic “I’m So Into You,” and “Fly Away,” which samples Maxwell’s “Pretty Wings” and delves into themes of loss and emotional alienation.
The album’s title reflects the emotional and mental toll that comes with fame, expectations and the rapidly changing music landscape.
“One of the underlying issues was how heavy the world around me, my personal life and everything in this industry was,” Ware told Billboard. “I carry all of that with me and get it out of my system through this program.”
Ware said his main goal was to “express a level of vulnerability,” and he leaned more toward that this time around.
The record marks a new beginning for the Washington, D.C., native, who has been in the spotlight for more than a decade, often balancing commercial success with creative setbacks.
“This industry is completely different than it was four years ago,” he said. “They had a purge and a lot of people lost their jobs.”
Ware leaves Maybach Music Group after a long run that saw two No. 1 albums (2013’s “The Gifted” and 2015’s “The Album About Nothing”) and four top 10 albums on the Billboard 200. He reportedly left Maybach Music Group after friction with Rick Ross and Meek Mill, although Ware has yet to publicly detail the circumstances of the split.
“Everything Is A Lot” will be released on November 14th by Def Jam.
