Wale Celebrates Black Women As The Beautiful Gold They Are (Video)

Wale chose the last month of 2016 to find his best stride in some time. Earlier this month, J. Cole released “False Prophets (Be Like This).” Without naming names, the song challenged some of Cole’s peers and greatest inspirations. Less than 48 hours after it released, Wale responded with “Groundhog Day.” The gold-certified MC with multiple #1 albums appeared to take the nudge from his former Blueprint 3 tour mate. Even if he presumably did not agree with Cole’s take (if it was ever truly intended for Wale), the DMV veteran started churning out fresh material that has excited the masses. Clearly, Wale has a freshly charged battery, and is ready to put in work.

It started with “Folarin Like,” a freestyle single (over DJ Premier’s 1999 hit for Nas) that arrived again a day later as a video. Now, Wale starts a new week off with “Black Is Gold.” Updating D’Angelo’s 21 year-old single “Lady,” Wale keeps the focus. He creates a Rap ballad for Black women. Like last week’s two-piece, the video chased the audio in the same 24 hours. He uses the beat and chorus, making this song more of his own than simply adding a verse to a proven Soul classic.

The visual features a number of Black ladies that exemplify Wale’s idea of Black beauty. They take selfies, beaming with admiration and pride of their own qualities. Folarin specifically serenades Lupita Nyong’o, Viola Davis, and Issa Rae, among others. “Hey Miss Issa Rae / Beautiful Senegalese leader with shit to say / We should meet today, maybe at a Best Buy / Lawrence high, still I’m proud Issa a savage, actually Issa’s nice,” raps the MC. “Let’s celebrate the awesomeness that is our sisters,” Wale later touts, as he deftly does just that.

Wale Channels Nas & Shows Other MCs What He’s Really Like (Audio & Video)

#BonusBeat: The audio only:

Without giving it a name, perhaps the mixtape master has reignited a series of covers.