Wale has many looks, styles and presentations. Since the days of “Nike Boots,” my favorite Wale channel is when he seems to close his eyes in the booth, and get bigger than life with the inspirational music. Without ever being corny, Wale’s “Ambition,” and the aforementioned mixtape cut sound so good, and they truly are uplifting moments when music can be so breaking. “No Pain, No Gain” falls into this space. The percussion, the mix, and most importantly the words. It’s easy to understand why this song was applied to a Robert Griffith, III documentary. This music is so much more than a soundtrack entry; remember this similar gem from Black Thought, Common, Mos Def, Dice Raw and the Jazzyphatnastees?

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