Album Review: Everything is a lot

Wale's album cover for "Everything is a lot"

Wale is one of the most underrated rap artists. Coming from the same class of phenoms like J. Cole, Drake, and Kendrick Lamar has led to him not getting the spotlight he truly deserves for being one of the most consistent artists of the last 15 years. Many great projects (Ambition, The Album About Nothing, etc.) and classic records (Bad, Lotus Flower Bomb, The Matrimony, etc.).

Bear in mind, this is studio album number eight, which itself is incredibly impressive. Not all artists produce that many projects over this long of time. He released singles throughout this year in the lead-up to a new full-length project. “Blanco” dropped in March. “Where to Start” dropped in June. “Mirroronabenz” and “City on Fire” both released in October. Safe to say, Mr. Wale kept himself busy in 2025.

Which brings us to the new album that was released on November 14, 2025. With a title that is very true: “Everything Is A Lot.”

Now I want to kick this review off by saying, I am a massive Wale fan. I love this album. Oftentimes, you open a book and it hooks you with the very beginning lines, chapters, etc. I was hooked off the opening lines of the intro. “Conundrum” features Wale explaining a lot of the problems he has going on.

The opening lines being:

“My baby mother told her new husband she had to move on. I was like, ‘Wild,’ then, ‘Nah,’ then, ‘Hallelujah.’ She’s tryna be a wife and we’ve been fightin’ for too long. That’s the price of this life, I pray for guidance and coupons.”

Immediately, I was like “Wow.” And from there, I knew where this album would likely take me — personal subject matter and top-tier lyricism. It takes a lot of talent to catch someone’s attention that lightning fast. And the rest of this album offers you so much throughout the full listen.

You’re immediately taken into “Belly,” which samples a classic ‘80s record by Soul II Soul called “Back to Life.” A couple tracks later, you get to “Michael Fredo,” which is a song in tribute to labelmate and longtime friend Rick Ross. He even does his best to resemble Ross’s voice on the record, albeit not my favorite record, but I think it’s dope he paid homage to his friend.

You then get to one of my favorite records within the project, “Power and Problems.” Wale describes within the song a very unfortunate duality within himself:

“My power, I’ll never need no one. My problem, I’ll never need no one.”

Knowing you can handle situations by yourself is impressive, but it can also lead to you shutting others out because you feel you don’t need anybody else to succeed. And to close out that post-chorus with more vulnerability: “My trauma, I’ll never be comfortable.”

The standout hit on the album is “Watching Us” featuring Leon Thomas, another man who has been having a hell of a year with various hit songs. The song discusses having a relationship within the public eye as a celebrity and what that comes with.

Wale opens his verse saying:

“Okay, I’m famous, you famous, they seen us, so now what? Right now, we gotta decide how we feel inside and the outcome.”

Do you hide from the public or do you embrace it? Both sides have their positives and negatives. And Leon Thomas rounds the track out with outstanding vocals and the chorus of the song.

“YSF” is a song with an afrobeats vibe, paying homage to Wale’s Nigerian heritage. Towards the end of the album, you get to a song called “Survive,” which features Ty Dolla $ign and Nino Paid. The track details the feeling of simply living — not in prosperity, but living to survive. In some cases, that brings joy. In other situations, constant stress.

The album closes out with the track “Lonely” featuring Shaboozey, in which the song speaks about needing to be around others, yet also avoiding saying you need anyone — hence leading to self-inflicted loneliness.

Wale, nearly two decades into the rap game, found a way to potentially give us one of his best projects yet. Offering vulnerability, hard-hitting lyrics, and overall an incredible body of work. And the title still rings true: Everything Is A Lot.

If you look at music this year in 2025 as a basketball game, Wale with this album might’ve just won the game at the buzzer.