For more than a decade, Wale stood at the intersection of multiple avenues with his annual WaleMania event, a hybrid concert, convention and wrestling celebration that brought together artists, athletes, and fans. This year marked the end of that chapter, and REVOLT’s Elsie (“Off The Record”) attended the celebration to have a candid conversation with the DMV native about what comes next. From leaving his label to reigniting his creativity, Wale dove deep into artistic rebirth, emotional honesty in Hip Hop and what fans can expect from his long-awaited next album. The Grammy-nominated wordsmith also reflected on the rise of Afrobeats, his Nigerian roots and why he still has something to prove.

This wasn’t just an album promo sit-down. Wale spoke openly about vulnerability and navigating burnout, the pressure to perform and the evolving standards of success in today’s fractured rap landscape. His reflections on identity — both as a Nigerian-American and a pioneering artist from the nation's capital — revealed a man reckoning with his legacy while still pushing to innovate.

Check it out below. REVOLT’s WaleMania special, in collaboration with Netflix, premieres on April 29 via the REVOLT website and app. Be sure to tune in for the full interview.

So, you just finished up the final edition of WaleMania’s 10th anniversary. “A labor of love” like you called it. How does it feel to be closing this chapter?

Free a little bit. I think I'm processing a little bit. My man Kaz -- you know, we brought it from a long way. My man Emilio Sparks, he was with us a long time. Court Bauer started this joint with me... Just feeling a lot of things. That's the best way I could describe it. Just a lot of things because this is one of the most nuanced kind of things that I'm involved with... It's my love letter to the culture of wrestling. It's not about me. It's about my friends. Sometimes, I give the stage to people who never had that stage...

When you first started it, did you think it would run this long?

I think after the third year... yeah. [After the] first one... I didn’t know. It was in a little bar... There are a couple wrestlers that came to the first one. They're not with us no more... Scott Hall was there... Shad Gaspard passed... This is really [a] community, for real.

You dropped a new single, “Blanco.” Feels like the start of something. What season are you in right now?

I ain't dropped no major projects in like five years, four and a half years... A lot has changed since then. I'm still the same artist I was... I wrote “Blanco.” Make sure y’all get that... It's one of the worst-kept secrets in the industry that I’m a really great rapper, but I’m also a great songwriter, too.

When you take periods away from music, is it about rest or more of a reset for you?

I’m not really taking a break. I’m not really taking one... This break right now is like, you know, I just left a label, you know what I'm saying? And sometimes when you leave a label and they know you leaving... they might try to... You know, “He’s not ours no more.”

... So, that happens. I changed management, changed some things around... and I just been writing.

That’s a lot of change. How’d you navigate all that?

I mean, it's hard... Bro, ain't nobody gonna shed no tears... I get it. But yeah, for me, it was difficult because I know the standard of music that I want my fans to have. And I know the standard of music that people who are not my fans need to hear... I wanted to do things the past four or five years musically, or the past two or three albums, that I wasn’t really able to do. So, that takes some time.

One thing that stands out in “Blanco” and your music overall is your vulnerability. That’s not always celebrated in Hip Hop. Do you think the genre still has room for emotional honesty?

Probably not...

The best way I can go to sleep at night is knowing I was telling them what’s real. But yeah — we in this era of hypermasculinity, feminism, tribalism, tradition... It’s a lot. I got a lot of friends in the industry that don’t give a f**k. I be caring -- because I know what words do.

The news cycle kind of thrives off controversy. The more outrageous they make what you say, the more it sells.

Before, they used to have Barbara Walters. That was, like, maybe the top. And maybe The Source magazine. Now everything’s over-informed.

I saw a tweet from you recently about writer's block, which was really interesting to read because I feel like you have one of the sharpest pens.

I was asking that ‘cause I was talking to one of my homies, and they was asking me. That wasn’t even for me... If you read it back, I’m just literally asking how everybody else do it... I got my thing, but I was just curious how everybody else do.

There were some really interesting answers... It’s just interesting how everybody get to their meal. Everybody get to their thing different. Rappers, designers, editors, writers... That’s one of the things I was highlighting. Anybody could go in that thread and be like, “Wow.”

What does your process look like?

It's different, but I get driven around sometimes and lay in the back, probably smoke, just think... just try to get lost in it.

The hardest thing sometimes is when life be happening and you’re a boss... trying to get lost and bring yourself back to the place where you was a kid. Or a place where you didn’t think about managing four businesses and taking care of, like, four families.

You just was like, “I’m riding... I’m driving to New Hampshire Avenue in a Camry... I’m freestyling, I’m getting my stuff together.” That was kind of carefree. Now you doing this, that — there’s so much going on.

And the stakes are higher now.

Yep... I know. I don’t know if there’s an absolute best, but I know I’m one of them.

Do you think the bar for success in rap has changed? Is it different from when you were coming up?

I don't know how, but it definitely changed. 'Cause what is a successful rapper? Like, I don't even know. There’s so many different styles now. It’s so fragmented...

You got Akeem Ali — he's a wordsmith. Deante’ Hitchcock... These guys are wordsmiths. But then there's people that just turned up... They got their thing going. You don’t want to undermine either one of them.

A big part of your identity is being from the DMV and Nigerian.

... I know who I am... I think in D.C. and Maryland, when I was growing up, it was a lot of Nigerians around. Like, there wasn’t nothing to run from.

A lot of Nigerians party. So, a lot of the time, when I get with my cousins, our most memorable moments as children, we were at parties, up at 2 o’clock in the morning playing PlayStation... I embrace it because that’s all I know.

Do you listen to a lot of Afrobeats? Are you paying attention to the current scene?

ODUMODUBLVCK... Tems is becoming global right now. She hasn't even scratched the surface of what she's going to do. And she's rooted in songwriting. I don’t really know her like that, but I know she’s going to do well. Ayra Starr... Don Jazzy — I met Don Jazzy years ago. It’s all coming to fruition. Davido... I took Wizkid to his first show... Rema got my favorite record out right now. I really wish there was a better bridge between the diaspora.

And you were also kind of ahead of your time... I feel like if you [experimented with those sounds] today, it would have made more rounds.

All I’m gonna say is: Buckle up for the album. Just tell your group chat Wale told you he’s coming crazy for the summertime. So, if you hear me and Seyi Vibez on something... or me and ODUMODU... that ain’t random. When I went to Ondo to bury my grandfather, we came back to Lagos. We was chilling with ODUMODU and Teezee. That’s real stuff. Before “Blood on the Dance Floor” was even a thought.

... I toured with Mark Ronson for two years before anybody even heard me. And on my first album, I tried to do some Afro-inspired stuff without having no knowledge of none of this. They don’t know that. But I’ve come to understand that proximity is a big thing.

What do you expect people to take away from this new era [and album]?

It’s busy... You gotta fight for everybody’s attention. I know a lot of my stuff is going to be a slow burn. So, it’s more about me trying to make sure I just stay the course ‘cause I know the music is exceptional. I ain’t tripping.

... We’re going to get to a different level of y’all understanding who Wale is as a person... You’re going to see me spread my wings as a songwriter and as a producer.

[What’s some] advice that you could give to emerging artists on songwriting? ... That's something you’re so strong at.

Be good in the room and make people feel comfortable. Make the producers feel comfortable...

When I first met Travis [Scott] early on, I just saw how good he was in the room at that age. And I was like, “Oh, okay... I get it.” You just get in the room.

That can’t always be easy, though, because some people are introverts...

And I think the younger they are, they’re becoming more introverted because of social media... I relate to Gen Z [in that way] ... Most of my songs, period, just been emailed and then I write ‘em... I didn’t realize how unorthodox that was... But eventually, you’ve got to learn to be in the room with people.

Is there anything you haven't done yet that is still on your list? [Anything that would] surprise people?

I want to win some awards. I want to put some awards in my mom’s room, my daughter’s room. I want to do a little bit more film, probably. Produce more. And get back into my first love — football. Just some kind of way. I don't know how, but yeah.

What do you hope people take away from your story at this point in your life? Or do you even think that matters anymore?

I don’t know... The jury’s still out on if people pay attention to the actual story... It’s a busy business. It’s an ever-changing industry. I don’t know if they’re actually noticing what's been happening and what's going on. So, I can’t answer that.

But I think if I just leave with the honesty that I’ve been leading on, God willing, they’ll put it together. The days of me trying to explain or lead people to water, [that’s] gone. I just gotta do it. Let the work speak for itself.