Ambition (Wale album)

Ambition
Studio album by Wale
Released November 1, 2011 (2011-11-01)
Recorded 2010–September 28, 2011
Genre Hip hop
Label Maybach Music, Warner Bros., Roc Nation
Producer Tone P, Chris Barz, Mark Henry, DJ Toomp, Jerrin Howard, Kore, Cloudeater, Deputy, Diplo, T-Minus, Tha Bizness, Lex Luger
Wale chronology
Attention Deficit
(2009)		 Ambition
(2011)
Singles from Ambition
  1. "Lotus Flower Bomb"
    Released: October 11, 2011 (2011-10-11)

Ambition is the second studio album by American hip hop recording artist Wale, released November 1, 2011 via Maybach Music Group, and Warner Bros. Records.[1][2][3][4]

Contents

Background

On July 20, 2011 Wale began releasing video blogs titled "#NODAYSOFF VLOG: WALE - THE MAKING OF 'AMBITION'" through the Maybach Music Group Channel.[5] On August 22nd, 2011 in a interview with MTV Wale revealed he and Kid Cudi reconciled and were working on a song for the album, tentatively titled "Focused".[6] This will be the first time Wale and Kid Cudi have collaborated musically since the release of "Is There Any Love?" in 2008. The two were previously not working together, because of a small falling-out that they had in September 2010. Guests for the album are Rick Ross, Lloyd, Ne-Yo, Big Sean, Miguel, Meek Mill, Kid Cudi, and Jeremih. On September 28, 2011, through his Twitter feed, Wale announced he officially completed the album.[7]

Promotion and singles

On August 17, 2011 Wale released a mixtape titled The Eleven One Eleven Theory, in reference to Ambition's release date. The mixtape features production from DJ Toomp, Sonny Digital, and Tone P, and features songs such as "Bait", "Chain Music" and the single "That Way".[8] To promote Ambition, Wale is going on the Ambition Tour.[9] It is set to start October 2, 2011 in Minneapolis, Minnesota and end December 8, 2011 in Atlanta, Georgia. The tour will feature Black Cobain from The Board Administration as the opening act.

The first promotional second single "Chain Music" was released to digital retailers on September 6, 2011. The second promotional single "Bait" released to digital retailers on September 6, 2011.[10] The first official single "Lotus Flower Bomb" feauting artist Miguel was released to digital retailers on October 11, 2011. The third promotional single "Focused" featuring artist Kid Cudi was released to digital retailers on October 19, 2011.

Reception

Commercial performance

The album debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200 chart with 164,000 copies sold in its first week.[11] In Canada, the album debuted at number seventy-seven.[12] As of December 2011, the album has sold 293,000 copies.[13]

Critical response

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
Source Rating
Metacritic (69/100)[14]
Review scores
Source Rating
AllHipHop (7/10)[15]
Allmusic [16]
BBC (negative)[17]
Billboard (favorable)[18]
HipHopDX [19]
Pitchfork Media (6.7/10)[20]
PopMatters (5/10)[21]
Rolling Stone [22]
Slant Magazine [23]
XXL (XL)[24]

Ambition received generally favorable reviews from music critics.[14] At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 69, based on 15 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable review".[14] David Jeffries, a writer at Allmusic, gave Ambition four out of five stars.[16]

Track listing

No. Title Writer(s) Producer(s) Length
1. "Don't Hold Your Applause"   Antonio Palmer, Wale Folarin Tone P, Chris Barz 3:14
2. "Double M Genius"   Folarin, Mark Henry, Alan Parker Mark Henry, EnDuhStreatZ 2:48
3. "Miami Nights"   Folarin, Henry Mark Henry, Dre King 3:36
4. "Legendary"   Aldrin Davis, Folarin DJ Toomp 5:04
5. "Lotus Flower Bomb" (featuring Miguel) Folarin, Jerrin Howard, Sam Dew, Miguel Pimentel Jerrin Howard 3:31
6. "Chain Music"   Folarin, Antonio Palmer Tone P 3:19
7. "Focused" (featuring Kid Cudi) Folarin, Kore Artop, Scott Mescudi Kore 3:32
8. "Sabotage" (featuring Lloyd) Folarin, Daniel Friedman, Lloyd Polite, Sam Dew Cloudeater 5:28
9. "White Linen (Coolin')" (featuring Ne-Yo) Folarin, Jamil Pierre, Shaffer Smith, Jr. Deputy 3:37
10. "Slight Work" (featuring Big Sean) Folarin, Sean Anderson, Thomas Pentz Diplo 3:39
11. "Ambition" (featuring Meek Mill & Rick Ross) Folarin, Robert Williams, Tyler Williams, William Roberts II, Ernest Price T-Minus 5:02
12. "Illest Bitch"   Chris Whitacre, Folarin, Justin Henderson Tha Bizness 4:16
13. "No Days Off"   Davis, Folarin DJ Toomp 3:37
14. "DC or Nothing"   Folarin, Sam Dew Tone P 4:58
15. "That Way" (featuring Jeremih & Rick Ross) Curtis Mayfield, Jeremih Felton, William Roberts II, Lexus Lewis Lex Luger 4:29
Total length:
 1:00:10
Notes
Sample credits

Charts

Chart (2011) Peak
position
Canada (Jam! / Canoe)[27] 77
US Billboard 200[28] 2
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[29] 1
US Top Rap Albums (Billboard)[30] 1

References

  1. ^ DJDSCOTT (July 21, 2011). "Release Date Wale 'Ambition' Album". CollegeDJ.net. http://www.collegedj.net/2011/07/21/videos/release-date-wale-ambition-album. Retrieved August 6, 2011. 
  2. ^ #NODAYSOFF VLOG: WALE - THE MAKING OF 'AMBITION' (PART 1) - YouTube
  3. ^ #Nodaysoff Vlog: Wale - The Making Of 'Ambition' Part Ii - Youtube
  4. ^ Wale Reveals Inspiration Behind "Ambition" Album, Addresses Lazy Listeners | Get The Latest Hip Hop News, Rap News & Hip Hop Album Sales | HipHop DX
  5. ^ http://www.youtube.com/user/MaybachMusicGrp
  6. ^ Wale, Kid Cudi 'Focused' On Friendship For New Collabo - Music, Celebrity, Artist News | MTV
  7. ^ Folarin, Wale (September 28, 2011). "Finished w/ the album!". Twitter. https://twitter.com/#!/Wale/status/119183183077060608. Retrieved September 28, 2011. 
  8. ^ Wale – The Eleven One Eleven Theory (Mixtape) 2DopeBoyz.com
  9. ^ Wale WebCrew (September 7, 2011). "Wale's Ambition Tour ticket pre-sale is now live!". Official website. Maybach Music Group. http://www.ralphfolarin.com/news/wale%E2%80%99s-ambition-tour-ticket-pre-sale-now-live. Retrieved September 14, 2011. 
  10. ^ "Chain Music [Explicit]". Amazon MP3. Amazon.com. 
  11. ^ http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/news/id.17538/title.hip-hop-album-sales-the-week-ending-11-6-2011
  12. ^ http://jam.canoe.ca/Music/Charts/ALBUMS.html
  13. ^ http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/news/id.18040/title.hip-hop-album-sales-the-week-ending-12-18-2011
  14. ^ a b c "Critic Reviews for Ambition". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. http://www.metacritic.com/music/ambition/critic-reviews. Retrieved 11 November 2011. 
  15. ^ http://allhiphop.com/2011/11/01/music-review--ambition/
  16. ^ a b Jeffries, David. "Review: Ambition". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r2311539. Retrieved 2 November 2011. 
  17. ^ Moore, Marcus. "Review: Ambition". BBC. http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/pg5c. Retrieved 2 November 2011. 
  18. ^ Wood, Mikael. "Review: Ambition". BBC. http://www.billboard.com/new-releases/album-review--ambition-1005457282.story#/new-releases/album-review-wale-ambition-1005457282.story. Retrieved 2 November 2011. 
  19. ^ "Review: Ambition". HipHopDX. Cheri Media Group. http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/album-reviews/id.1792/title.wale--ambition. Retrieved 4 November 2011. 
  20. ^ Greene, Jayson. "Review: Ambition". Pitchfork Media. http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/16002-wale-ambition/. Retrieved 6 November 2011. 
  21. ^ Amidon, David. "Review: Ambition". PopMatters. http://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/150814-wale-ambition/. Retrieved 6 November 2011. 
  22. ^ "Review: Ambition". Rolling Stone. http://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/ambition-20111108. Retrieved 8 November 2011. 
  23. ^ Cole, Matthew. "Review: Ambition". Slant Magazine. http://www.slantmagazine.com/music/review/wale-ambition/2667. Retrieved 2 November 2011. 
  24. ^ "Review: Ambition". XXL. http://www.xxlmag.com/reviews/2011/11/wale-ambition/. Retrieved 2 November 2011. 
  25. ^ "Ambition (Deluxe Version) by Wale". iTunes Store. Apple. http://itunes.apple.com/us/preorder/ambition-deluxe-version/id473711954. Retrieved October 20, 2011. 
  26. ^ http://www.thesource.com/articles/96774
  27. ^ "Albums : Top 100". http://jam.canoe.ca/Music/Charts/ALBUMS.html. 
  28. ^ "Wale Album & Song Chart History". Billboard 200 for Wale. Prometheus Global Media. http://www.billboard.com/#/artist/wale/chart-history/962199. Retrieved November 16, 2011. 
  29. ^ "Wale Album & Song Chart History". Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. Prometheus Global Media. http://www.billboard.com/#/artist/wale/chart-history/962199?f=333&g=Albums. Retrieved November 16, 2011. 
  30. ^ "Wale Album & Song Chart History". Billboard Top Rap Albums for Wale. Prometheus Global Media. http://www.billboard.com/#/artist/wale/chart-history/962199?f=335&g=Albums. Retrieved November 16, 2011. 
Wale
Studio albums
Attention Deficit · Ambition
Collabration albums
Mixtapes
Paint a Picture · Hate is the New Love · 100 Miles & Running · The Mixtape About Nothing · Back to the Feature · More About Nothing · The Eleven One Eleven Theory
Singles
"Nike Boots" · "Chillin" · "World Tour" · "Pretty Girls" · "That Way" · "Bad Girls Club" · "Lotus Flower Bomb" · "Focused"
As featured artist
"Rising Up" · "Change" · "Fragile" · "No Hands" · "Never See You Again"
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