This was easily one of my most anticipated albums of this year. He created a great buzz for himself after that "More About Nothing" mixtape. I've been a huge fan of the guy since "Nike Boots" first dropped. After his first album was mediocre, I've been waiting for him to put out some incredible shit. And I can safely say he did it on this album. As with most CDs this year, Ambition grows on you. Update: Brought this back to the top.. well for no reason. It's just a good album ahah I don't want people sleepin' on it.
Tracklist:
1. Don’t Hold Your Applause [Prod. Tone P] - Very typical Wale sound.. which is good for an intro. It shows that he hasn't lost his old sound. But his verses show serious development. You can tell he's taking that potential from "Attention Defecit" and turning it into something great. He remembers when he was on the front cover of the GQ magazine with Cudi and Drake. Nice track to start with.
2. Double M Genius [Prod. Mark Henry] - Very DMV sounding track here. It's got an old school beat that coulda been on a soap opera or something. "Loud smoker, so pass the L like a semi colon." Ahah classic creative punchline from Wale. His flow seems to be on fire in this albums so far. The hook is iffy, but his lyrics are dope here nonetheless.
3. Miami Nights [Prod. Mark Henry]
4. Legendary [Prod. Toomp] - The moment this beat drops you just say "ohhh shit this one's gonna be epic." I mean forreal, Toomp cooks up a real slapper here. "Only fear is mediocrity, every time I got a beat I feel like I don't gotta sleep, you keep praying on your break, I hope you got a sling, shot for all them shots coming out them beaks, sort of like Socrates in a prada tee, you can't kick it, your pockets thinner than soccer teams." Yep.. Wale went in over this dope beat. I can safely say that his fear of mediocrity shouldn't be a big problem. Wale hasn't sold out at all on this album.
5. Lotus Flower Bomb (feat. Miguel) [Prod. Jerrin Howard]-Review for this song
6. Chain Music [Prod. Tone P] - One of the dope club songs from the "Eleven On Eleven Theory" tape. This song is ridiculously deep. It sounds like a song about riches, but it's actually about how people tend to treat him differently just because he's signed with a major label. It's deep and it's a great radio hit!
7. Focused (feat. Kid Cudi) [Prod. Kore] - Review for this song
8. Sabotage (feat. Lloyd) [Prod. Cloud Eater] - This one is a lot softer, but I like it. This is clearly for the ladies. The guitar driven beat is pretty nice and I love the way it switches up at the chorus into really complete bandstand sounds. Lloyd's chorus is gorgeous. Wale talks about various stories and makes some great points: "people want you single every time you got a spouce." Not gonna lie, even on a track for love, he gives an awesome flow and some very nice punchlines. "Sabotage all the time, Avatar, blue balls." Ahah he's got some really funny punchlines on this album. Very fun song. It grows on you. Oh and the outro is fucking gorgeous. "I need some motherfucking cough drops" describes this song perfectly. Wale sounds raspy as fuck!
9. White Linen (Coolin’) (feat. Ne-Yo) [Prod. Deputy] - This one is gonna have to grow on me. The beat is kinda forgettable, but it builds. Wale does some decent lyrics. I don't love Ne-Yo's chorus. Overall it's a very summery, Caribbean track.. and it's a little late for that. But if this is one of the weaker tracks, then this album is dope. Cuz Wale's lyrically on point.
10. Slight Work (feat. Big Sean) [Prod. Diplo] - This one was reallyyy anticipated. Unfortunately, the beat is a little too basic for some peoples' liking. I actually like it, because it makes the listener focus on the lyrics. Wale does a really different and choppy flow that works well with the bouncy beat. Big Sean comes in and does a solid guest verse. It's a nice cut. The only thing I dislike are the cop car noises. When I listen to this song in the car, I'm gonna think I'm gettin pulled over ahah.
11. Ambition (feat. Meek Mill & Rick Ross) [Prod. T-Minus] - T-Minus returns after a lackluster Drake beat (what's up with dope producers making shitty beats for Drizzy?). The intro starts off slow and mellow as Meek speaks about his childhood (as always ahah). Mill sets as the perfect intro as the beat drops. It's got that typical T-Minus drum beat with some nice piano. The chorus is dopeee and simple. Then Ross comes in and gives it that aggression it needs. Wale finishes it off.. and gives the best verse of the three. The beat switches up a bit as a different piano line comes in with dope bars: "But every n*gga who can read gotta get his issue, subscribe, n*ggas reside where all the lions and killers be, and I ain't spend a minute up in the streets, but I’m limitless mentally, I’m lyrically MC, Lebron shit, I was in that 6 after 23." This beat is sooo amazing, and these three are seriously the perfect team. By far my Favorite Song!!!
12. Illest Bitch [Prod. Tha Bizness] - Tha Bizness cooks up a nice guitar driven beat. Wale spits some real uplifting shit hear for the ladies. This has got to be one of the best messages of the year on a song. Mad respect for him on this. Don't really get the idea of uplifting females by calling them the illest bitches.. but whatever. I get the idea. The first verse he shows admiration for his lady for the work she does for him. The second one he does some storytelling. "Baby father bullshittin', you two don't even speak, ain't seen his seed in 14 days, that n*gga too week, couple shy of a month, I ain't runnin' you up, when it be too loose or you be too late, we ain't tyin' no knot."
13. No Days Off [Prod. Toomp] - Another hardhitting Toomp beat. Wale spits here: "Higher than high school Mariah tunes and fire flutes on fights and hoopers in light shoes." He does a very epic chorus over this slow but powerful beat. It's a ending.
14. DC or Nothing [Prod. Tone P] - Tone P cooks up one of his better beats. It's mostly guitars, but it's got some cool violin breakdowns. On the second verse it has a brief piano breakdown, too. Ambition has had some really good beats. Anyways, the guy on this chorus does an excellent job. It sounds a bit overdone, but it fits with the complex beat. Oh and not to forget, Wale (the star of the show aha). Wale speaks some real deep shit about death: "Caught up and slipping for fearing a McDonald’s position, seen it over a dollar, got him under a flower, funeral drama, n*ggas mystery baby mamas, they ain’t really for condoms, I just think that it’s shocking, got no fear in no officer, they be scared of them doctors, I’m aware that there’s problems, know Obama gon’ stop it, where there’s minimal conscious and there’s thousands of choppers, I know Howard that college, but that town has some problems, I done seen embalming fluid ruin a n*gga promise." In that 16, he talks about how husbands will kill themselves because their lady is pregnant, about how death ruins potential, and about how Obama's gonna fix the "death" of the economy. One of the more political songs on the album. In case you didn't know, Wale references politics a lot. This album is really turning out to be the complete project.
15. That Way (feat. Jeremih & Rick Ross) [Prod. Lex Luger] - You've probably heard this song. Lex Luger switched it up a lot for this one. And Jeremih does the smoothest hook of this year. I've talked about this one before so I won't talk much here. Basically, it's Wale spittin' classy, lyrical excellence over some smooth lounge music. Even though it's a little old, it's my Favorite Song!!! on this album... and maybe of this year.
As I said before, the album grows on you. Give it two listens before you decide. It's got some great chapters to it. And it covers every part of his career. He's got some throw back songs (like that first song, Don't Hold Your Applause) that remind you of the Wale from back in the day, some new posse cuts with MMG (Ambition), and some songs you would never expect Wale to make (Sabotage). He's proved his versatility while maintaining his dope lyrics, content, flow, and style. Two things can be sure after hearing Ambition.
One: MMG was a great choice for Wale. He turned his career around. With better features and beats, Wale really put it together. It took some months of bad music, but he came around with an amazing album. If you think that the singing helped him, then listen to "Focused." The old Wale never woulda made a song like that. But this song is quite honestly one of his better songs. Wale made the right moves.
Two: Wale didn't sell out. He still showed the hunger that he possessed when he first got on that XXL cover. He made music to rep his hometown and didn't ignore his roots. A lot of his stuff on the album sounded like stuff from his tapes.. but it was more developed. If anything, I'd say Wale has improved.
"Ambition" marks the comeback of the year. It's easily in my list of favorite albums this year. In the last two months, this is the best album I've heard (it's better than Cole World). Both Wale and I hyped this album up for a reason.. it was the best piece of music this year.
Ambition (Deluxe Version)
10. Slight Work (feat. Big Sean) [Prod. Diplo] - This one was reallyyy anticipated. Unfortunately, the beat is a little too basic for some peoples' liking. I actually like it, because it makes the listener focus on the lyrics. Wale does a really different and choppy flow that works well with the bouncy beat. Big Sean comes in and does a solid guest verse. It's a nice cut. The only thing I dislike are the cop car noises. When I listen to this song in the car, I'm gonna think I'm gettin pulled over ahah.
11. Ambition (feat. Meek Mill & Rick Ross) [Prod. T-Minus] - T-Minus returns after a lackluster Drake beat (what's up with dope producers making shitty beats for Drizzy?). The intro starts off slow and mellow as Meek speaks about his childhood (as always ahah). Mill sets as the perfect intro as the beat drops. It's got that typical T-Minus drum beat with some nice piano. The chorus is dopeee and simple. Then Ross comes in and gives it that aggression it needs. Wale finishes it off.. and gives the best verse of the three. The beat switches up a bit as a different piano line comes in with dope bars: "But every n*gga who can read gotta get his issue, subscribe, n*ggas reside where all the lions and killers be, and I ain't spend a minute up in the streets, but I’m limitless mentally, I’m lyrically MC, Lebron shit, I was in that 6 after 23." This beat is sooo amazing, and these three are seriously the perfect team. By far my Favorite Song!!!
12. Illest Bitch [Prod. Tha Bizness] - Tha Bizness cooks up a nice guitar driven beat. Wale spits some real uplifting shit hear for the ladies. This has got to be one of the best messages of the year on a song. Mad respect for him on this. Don't really get the idea of uplifting females by calling them the illest bitches.. but whatever. I get the idea. The first verse he shows admiration for his lady for the work she does for him. The second one he does some storytelling. "Baby father bullshittin', you two don't even speak, ain't seen his seed in 14 days, that n*gga too week, couple shy of a month, I ain't runnin' you up, when it be too loose or you be too late, we ain't tyin' no knot."
13. No Days Off [Prod. Toomp] - Another hardhitting Toomp beat. Wale spits here: "Higher than high school Mariah tunes and fire flutes on fights and hoopers in light shoes." He does a very epic chorus over this slow but powerful beat. It's a ending.
14. DC or Nothing [Prod. Tone P] - Tone P cooks up one of his better beats. It's mostly guitars, but it's got some cool violin breakdowns. On the second verse it has a brief piano breakdown, too. Ambition has had some really good beats. Anyways, the guy on this chorus does an excellent job. It sounds a bit overdone, but it fits with the complex beat. Oh and not to forget, Wale (the star of the show aha). Wale speaks some real deep shit about death: "Caught up and slipping for fearing a McDonald’s position, seen it over a dollar, got him under a flower, funeral drama, n*ggas mystery baby mamas, they ain’t really for condoms, I just think that it’s shocking, got no fear in no officer, they be scared of them doctors, I’m aware that there’s problems, know Obama gon’ stop it, where there’s minimal conscious and there’s thousands of choppers, I know Howard that college, but that town has some problems, I done seen embalming fluid ruin a n*gga promise." In that 16, he talks about how husbands will kill themselves because their lady is pregnant, about how death ruins potential, and about how Obama's gonna fix the "death" of the economy. One of the more political songs on the album. In case you didn't know, Wale references politics a lot. This album is really turning out to be the complete project.
15. That Way (feat. Jeremih & Rick Ross) [Prod. Lex Luger] - You've probably heard this song. Lex Luger switched it up a lot for this one. And Jeremih does the smoothest hook of this year. I've talked about this one before so I won't talk much here. Basically, it's Wale spittin' classy, lyrical excellence over some smooth lounge music. Even though it's a little old, it's my Favorite Song!!! on this album... and maybe of this year.
16. Bait [Prod. Tone P] - What better way then to end with a DMV club hit. This one's been gettin' some serious buzz. I'm happy he included it as a bonus (I wish he had included "Tats on My Arm" also). I love the guitar addition at the end. And the slowed down interlude at the middle of the song is dope also. "Girl stop being fallacious, this Mercedes is spacious, black and white through the city guess this is gentrification, that fire flow the finest women I adore, I'm cool with all these broads in here but I do not date Lucaya hoes"... only Wale would flex his excellent vocabulary on a club track. Overall, it's a great up beat bonus.
As I said before, the album grows on you. Give it two listens before you decide. It's got some great chapters to it. And it covers every part of his career. He's got some throw back songs (like that first song, Don't Hold Your Applause) that remind you of the Wale from back in the day, some new posse cuts with MMG (Ambition), and some songs you would never expect Wale to make (Sabotage). He's proved his versatility while maintaining his dope lyrics, content, flow, and style. Two things can be sure after hearing Ambition.
One: MMG was a great choice for Wale. He turned his career around. With better features and beats, Wale really put it together. It took some months of bad music, but he came around with an amazing album. If you think that the singing helped him, then listen to "Focused." The old Wale never woulda made a song like that. But this song is quite honestly one of his better songs. Wale made the right moves.
Two: Wale didn't sell out. He still showed the hunger that he possessed when he first got on that XXL cover. He made music to rep his hometown and didn't ignore his roots. A lot of his stuff on the album sounded like stuff from his tapes.. but it was more developed. If anything, I'd say Wale has improved.
"Ambition" marks the comeback of the year. It's easily in my list of favorite albums this year. In the last two months, this is the best album I've heard (it's better than Cole World). Both Wale and I hyped this album up for a reason.. it was the best piece of music this year.
Ambition (Deluxe Version)
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