Wale has never been one to shy away from poetic, deep-cutting lyrics that directly reflect his life, and his latest single, “Blanco,” is a clear indicator that he won’t be giving up that recipe anytime soon.
With 20 years in the game following his 2005 debut mixtape, Paint a Picture, the Washington, D.C. native has quite eloquently painted a picture of his life for fans through versatile and thoughtful lyricism. He explores everything from Black consciousness to female empowerment and personal growth—much like what’s on “Blanco,” as he gets vulnerable about using alcohol as a form of escapism.
Wale on his performance at the final Dreamville Festival
“Drownin’ in sorrow, I’m back on the bottle,” said Wale as he performed the song during the 2025 Dreamville Festival with an enlarged black-and-white visual of himself that almost looked as though he was looking in the mirror on the stage.
Blavity caught up with the emcee just moments after he graced a lively crowd who sang along word for word, bar for bar, as he performed tracks like “Holy Matrimony,” “Clappas,” as well as his timeless verses on Waka Flocka’s “No Hands” and Rick Ross’ “Diced Pineapples.”
First, Wale admitted that performing “Blanco” a cappella without any music in the background was something that his team had to fight him on, but after seeing the crowd’s reaction, he says he’s happy that he obliged, as it was really fitting for a song that’s so deeply personal.
Released on March 19, 2025, Wale made it clear that this single is a nod to the fact that “we all fighting some type of…something.”
Although he decided to expose some of his inner thoughts and demons for “Blanco,” Wale said it’s not to be confused that he still possesses that boastfulness that makes him stand out among his peers in the rap game.
“I bring bravado when it’s time, and I bring the other s**t when it’s time, because I can be honest with everybody, and then when it’s time to get in the pit, I still know what to do when I get in the pit with everybody else,” Wale told Blavity. “When I’m making a song, I just be as honest as I can, tell my story, and when it’s time to do the bravado sh**t… This is [a] sport too. My gloves still work perfectly fine.”
What’s next for Wale?
The forthcoming album, which The Album About Nothing rapper said is 93.9% done in a post shared to X, formerly known as Twitter, is yet another release following Wale’s move to Def Jam in 2023.
His first release under his new label, “Max Julien,” was produced by D Woo and features a sample of fellow DMV legend, Baltimore’s Lil Mo. The intro has a more laid-back feel with soulful harmonies and a jazz feel. While “Blanco” has a similar melodic flow, Wale says that there’s more to come for the current era he’s in with the imprint that’s been home to some of the biggest rappers in the industry, including hip-hop trailblazers like DMX and JAY-Z.
“You gotta just get ready for what’s coming up,” he concluded. “We’re having conversations about what the release out of this thing [is], and there’s so many. Everything’s heavy. Everything’s really heavy.”
The fifth and final Dreamville Festival took place at Raleigh’s Dorothea Dix Park on April 5 and 6 and featured performances by Wale, Ludacris, Erykah Badu, headliners Lil Wayne and the Hot Boys, as well as an electric performance by founder and North Carolina native J. Cole to close out the weekend.
