Wale is an American-based Nigerian artist. In 6 years, Wale has gone from an estimated net worth of $705,882 in 2011 to an estimated net worth of $6 million in 2016.
The rapper became famous thanks to the uniqueness of his music, which he has maintained and nurtured. He has collaborated with other artists such as J. Cole, Lupe Fiasko, Rick Ross, Meek Mill, Olamide and Wizkid.
biography and family
Known professionally as Wale, the chillin rapper was born Olubowale Victor Akintimehin on September 21, 1984. He was raised in a middle-class family with both of his parents being Nigerians. Nevertheless, his parents moved from Austria to the USA before he was born.
Growing up, he attended Quince Orchard High School in Gaithersburg, Maryland and moved to Largo, Maryland in Prince George’s County.
His love and skill for football earned him football scholarship scholarships to Robert Morris University and Virginia State University. He was later transferred to Bowie State University.
For certain academic reasons, Wale did not complete his university education. He left the company in 2012. Despite this, he was determined to rise to the top with or without a degree. He had gained admission to the school by winning a soccer scholarship.music career
The “rap ambassador for the capital,” as he calls himself, managed to garner some attention and airplay with his debut single, Rhyme of the Century. The song was released when he was only 20 years old, and it was 2014. From that moment he was able to continue building and in 2005, thanks to the considerable success of his first single, he got the opportunity to appear in The Source magazine column in the spotlight .
The Washington DC rap artist quickly rose to fame courtesy of his unique style. Wales’ style was largely influenced by the popular Washington go-go style of music. The prolific international star has popularized the regional genre, effectively fusing it with modern hip-hop. This came with the release of his well-received Paint A Picture mixtape.
Wales’ 2006 hit single, Dig Dug (Shake It) was the success that led to him being signed to Allido Records in 2007.
In 2009 he released his debut album, Attention Deficit. The album was successful, selling over 28,000 copies in its first week of release, although not many copies were reported to have shipped. His next album was Ambition , and it was released under the Maybach Music Group, to which he was signed at the time. This was more successful than the first album, selling 162,600 copies in the first week of its release.
He went on to release a mixtape, Folarin in 2012. His next albums are The Gifted (2013), The Album About Nothing (2015) and Shines (2017).
With ensuing success and the raw show of quality talent, Wale became a hot cake for record labels like Def Jams, Interscope and others. Wale was later signed by Interscope for a fee of $1.3 million, making it one of the highest an artist has ever been signed to.
Wale is without a doubt the most prominent rapper from Washington DC. He has been nominated for many awards including the Grammy for his Lotus Flower Bomb which was nominated for Best Rap Song in 2013. He has also been nominated for MTV Video Music Awards and African Muzik Magazine Awards. Among others, he won BET Awards, BET Hip-Hop Awards, Nigeria Entertainment Awards and Soul Train Awards.
Whales and His Fortune
In 2011 he switched to the Maybach Music record label. Rick Ross signed Wale for $1 million.
Wale is paid $25,000 per show and about $700 to $2,500 for organized events and concerts. In total, he has 5 studio albums, none of which have sold at least 50,000 copies in their first week of release.
Forbes estimated his net worth at $5 million in 2012.
Forbes wrote:
“This competitive character set the rapper on a natural path to fame, as evidenced by his recent success. Wale made over $20,000 a night performing more than 75 concerts over the past year. His new album Ambition provided the soundtrack. In the last 12 months, he’s raked in nearly $5 million and just missed the list of hip-hop cash kings. “
According to the star, he earns from record sales, tours and shows.
It was widely believed that Wale signed a deal with Nike to model his boots in 2013. The rap star also admitted that he’s working on some deals with a couple of athletes.
Wale also showed that he is conservative in investing and spending his money. In his interview with Forbes, the entertainer explained that ambition drives him more than money. He believes “you have to be good at what you do” and that will propel you to the top.
“I never had money; I like beautiful things, but I won’t give up on that. “
“At the same time, I have to be driven by something… so now I’m being driven by money.”
The idea for the rap star is to reach the peaks of his career while making more money. Even so, Wales’ wealth might not be noticed by his looks and accessories.
Wale says he’s sensible and frugal with his money. He says it’s not his style to buy and wear “blings” for public praise. Though he may not need as much money as he would like, he is sure he would need it for a rainy day.
From his early days performing as a local American entertainer, big bucks weren’t exactly the motive. Wale wanted his voice to be heard and his actions to be perfected.
More than just Wale’s fortune, Wale aims to make a name for itself in the global entertainment industry. He wants to be the best there can be.
Fast Facts
- He describes himself as the ambassador of rap for the capital.
- Both of his parents are Yoruba from Nigeria but due to his place of birth he is an American from Washington DC.
- He did not complete his university education.
- Wale is among music’s elite, having gone platinum with some of his singles and gold with further singles and Ambition and The Gifted
- Aside from being good with music, he’s also great at sports, especially football.
- His song “Dig Dug” was produced entirely by himself.
