Wale believes online conversations, especially around hip-hop, have been completely consumed by “hyperbole.”
In a new interview with Jordan Rose for Complex News, Wale discussed the evolution of music consumption, social media’s influence, and what it takes to stay relevant in hip-hop. He pointed out that online discourse has grown increasingly toxic, with people rushing to extremes.
“The past 15 years, everybody’s had an opinion [on] the internet, you know?” he said. “I think they’re so loud now. We’re just in a room full of like a gazillion people screaming. A million album reviews, 15 minutes the album’s out… Hyperbole [has] done irreparable damage to discourse on anything. Sports, football, basketball… Some people only understand hyperbole; it’s either a classic or the worst. I think it’s cooked us a little bit.”
Wale highlighted how bad the culture has gotten by referencing people questioning Kobe Bryant’s legacy. “They do it a lot more with music, because it’s subjective,” he explained. “That might be one of my most frustrating things about music, or art in general, but especially Black music. People will be like, ‘That’s trash.’ Just because they don’t like the person.”
He contrasted this with sports, where stats like LeBron James’ four championship rings can’t be debated. “In hip-hop, you could write a song that has so much depth into it… But because the popping reactor or streamer hasn’t dived into it…”
Still, Wale acknowledged the influence of streamers like Kai Cenat and PlaqueBoyMax, comparing them to 106 & Park for the current generation. “They got powerful very quickly,” he said. “The sustainability of it all, I’m not sure. When you put someone like Kai [Cenat] on the cover of Billboard, you’re saying that this person is a pillar of music. … That’s fine and dandy, but does he want to be?”
Wale also touched on his now-viral interaction with Kai Cenat at the 2025 BET Awards, when the streamer didn’t immediately recognize him and mispronounced his name as “Wally.” Wale later commented on the clip, writing, “This is crazy. I didn’t know we was bein filmed both times… we played in a celebrity football game last year … I was reallly [sic] confused.”
Despite his concerns about the current landscape, Wale continues to navigate the industry while emphasizing the importance of substance and longevity over hype.
