Concert Review: Wale Proves His Popularity Goes Beyond Music and Fame at Cleveland Show

For decades, Wale has given us hits and has proven to us that his pengame is lethal. With verses packed with witty wordplay, poetic flows and romance, the artist has never had to overcompensate. Monday night’s show at the House of Blues was a perfect example of quality over quantity.

Warming us up for the night was Swavay – a rapper, singer and producer from Atlanta – who knew how to keep the crowd entertained. Coming by surprise, the crowd enjoyed his fun presence, which can be hard to do as an up-and-coming artist for fans who just want to get on with the show.

Coming out of Washington, D.C., Wale took the hip-hop world by storm 15 years ago, when he dropped his debut album Attention Deficit, featuring hits such as “Pretty Girls” and “Chillin,” and leading him to a decade of collaborations with some of the most influential artists such as Mark Ronson, J. Cole, Rihanna and more.

Starting off the show with his 2013 hit “Bad,” that features singer-songwriter Tiara Thomas, Wale attempted to make a replica of its music video with animated graphics plastering the four screens that surround him.

His set didn’t overwhelm his stage presence. In a day and age where artists rely on popularity more than talent, some may have called his performance underwhelming, but the simplicity made it easy to focus more on Wale’s lyricism and the memories that came with his songs.

Throughout the night, he sprinkled many gems including “The Break Up Song” (where he samples Stevie Wonders’ “All I Do”), “The Need to Know” (another sample of Musiq Soulchild’s “Just Friends”), “Bag of Money,” “LoveHate Thing,” “Matrimony” and “Lotus Flower Bomb,” where pink lotus flowers spawned on his stage screens.

Better yet, throughout the night, Wale hinted that he is currently working on his eighth studio album. “I’m trying to do the impossible,” he said.

The night bloomed with romance and dedication to hard workers and his loyal fanbase in Cleveland. The crowd was composed of different generations, many of whom could remember most of the songs being constantly played on the radio.

“I want everyone to leave here with a memory tonight,” he said. “[I want you to say] ‘Something that he did made me feel something.’’’

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