Few rap artists have been as versatile for as long as Wale. Since unloading his breakout project, 2008’s A Mixtape About Nothing, the DC rhymer has helped permanently collapse the worlds of backpack rap and the Billboard Hot 100, packaging spurts of striking social commentary with braggadocious bars, Seinfeld-indebted irony, and anthemic tales of romance and aspiration. In the process, he earned Platinum and Gold plaques while establishing himself as the one of most accomplished MCs the DMV’s ever produced. And he’s still pushing forward with his newest album, Folarin II, a sequel to 2012’s fan-favorite mixtape Folarin. With its kaleidoscopic blend of fly-guy theme songs, infectious R&B collaborations, and genuine soul-searching, the record reaffirms his status as one of rap’s most innovative, exciting, and enduring curators.

“You could say it’s a reminder of my contributions to the game,” Wale says, and he’s right.

Those offerings are alluded to throughout Folarin II, which is, itself, a thrilling new addition to the canon. On the triumphant “Tiffany Nikes,” he jumps into his legacy as a fashion tastemaker while offering a word for anyone complicit in racism—a juxtaposition he manages to align through wit and strength of conviction. He also delves into flirty wordplay (“Angles” with Chris Brown), trades nimble bars with J. Cole (“Poke It Out”), and reflects on romantic ambivalence over a classic Faith Evans sample (“Caramel”). Meanwhile, on the confident “Name Ring Bells,” he doubles down on the not-so-humblebrags. “Bring the DMV up, bet they think of me now,” he raps, referring to his rightful place atop the D.C. area’s rap pantheon.

Before he had a legacy to contemplate, Wale was born and raised Olubowale Victor Akintimehin to Nigerian immigrant parents in Washington, D.C. After graduating from Quince Orchard High School in 2002, he attended Robert Morris University and Virginia State University on football scholarships before transferring to Bowie State University. Soon enough, though, he dropped out to pursue a rap career, with “Dig Dug (Shake It)”—a playfully confident introductory tune inspired by his hometown’s go-go movement—becoming his first local hit immediately upon its release in 2006. That same year, he was featured in The Source’s Unsigned Hype Column.

After a trio of mixtapes—Paint a Picture, Hate Is the New Love, 100 Miles & Running—Wale consummated his rise with 2008’s A Mixtape About Nothing, a project inspired by his favorite TV series, Seinfeld. For that project, the then-ascendant rhymer spit over go-go-inspired beats as he tackled subjects like fashion, the rap game, everyday racism, and domestic abuse with his now-signature blend of nuance, critical thought, and machismo. In an era where rap subgenres were debated and more obviously stratified, Wale’s style was disruptively inclusive. Naturally, compromising his subject matter was never an option. “My goal was just to be successful and stay true to what I want to do,” he says. Wale has made good on that for a decade and a half.

By the time he released his major-label debut album, 2009’s Attention Deficit, Wale was named a member of XXL’s prestigious Freshman Class, and his status as one of hip-hop’s premier rising artists had crystallized. In the intervening years, he transitioned from a promising up-and-comer to a venerable rap star. After aligning with Rick Ross and Maybach Music Group in 2011, Wale released Ambition, a sophomore LP coated in reflective rhymes and bars meant to inspire. It also includes the glittering ballad, “Lotus Flower Bomb,” a track that’s since been certified Platinum. Between 2012 and 2020, he continued fortifying his catalog with albums like The Gifted (2013), The Album About Nothing (2015), Shine (2017), and Wow…That’s Crazy (2019). During this period, he collected a Platinum plaque for “My P.Y.T.”; Gold for Ambition and The Gifted, and his Rick Ross and Jeremih-assisted single “That Way;” and more accolades.

Near the beginning of that run, Wale released the now-beloved Folarin (2012), a project laced with far-ranging features—it’s got appearances from Nipsey Hussle, Jhene Aiko, Scarface, and 2 Chainz, among others—bursts of introspection, and ambitious myth-making. It also features “Bad,” a smooth, Tiara Thomas-assisted single that has since been certified triple Platinum. Looking back, Wale says Folarin was the moment he came into his own. Nine years later, he’s in a similar space, even if he says his approach has changed. “I’m talking to people more than rapping at them now,” he shares. “I’m just excited for people to get into it as a whole.”

What fans are getting with Folarin II is Wale in all of his eclectic, uncompromising glory. It’s the calling card of an artist who’s thrived, and never stopped evolving, from the dawn of the blog era all the way up to now—actually, tomorrow. While the title taps into nostalgia, Folarin II’s content, along with its release, means that Wale’s eyes are now locked onto the future. Next year, he’s set to appear in Michael Bay’s new movie, Ambulance. Heading into 2022, he’s looking forward to hitting the road and tapping in with his fans, the audience that’s helped sustain his career to date. “I’m just grateful for my family and the people that genuinely support me,” he says.

While Folarin II is an argument for his role as an era-defining artist, Wale, confident in his place, isn’t pushing forward for individual accolades as much as for the process itself. “I’m passionate about what I do, so that’s just what it is,” he says matter-of-factly. “I get up and I go to work.”