Oct. 11 marked the release of the sixth studio album by Nigerian-American hip hop artist Wale. “Wow…That’s Crazy” features 15 songs and runs just under 54 minutes. With features from artists such as Rick Ross, Meek Mill, 6lack, Jeremih and Bryson Tiller, Wale displays his unique upbeat style, whilst simultaneously avoiding the faster, traditional rap style.

In his opening track, “Sue me” Wale offered a very lyrically strong performance, which I enjoyed greatly.

The second track “Love and Loyalty” shows off a quick, R&B pace, displaying elements of Reggae, including the hook from Mannywellz. Immediately the third song became a favorite of mine, beginning with a slower melodic beat, and a very strong hook from featured artist Ari Lennox.

Wale displays a more conventional style of rap, culminating with an impressive featured verse from Boogie, making “Cliché” one of my favorite songs on the album. Following “Cliché” is “Expectations” featuring 6LACK. 6LACK performs much of the song, with Wale providing two verses in support. The song was not bad but overall was not remarkable in my opinion.

The next strong candidate for song of the album was presented in the form of “On chill” featuring Jeremih. Between the melodic rhythm, Wale’s strong supporting rap verses, and the catchy hook by Jeremih, the song is by far one of the best on the album and one of Wale’s most popular songs to date.

After “On chill” comes “Routine”, the eighth song on the album. Featuring Rick Ross and Meek Mill, the song provides a change of pace from the rest of the project. Meek Mill, Rick Ross, and Clemm Rishad combine on the opening three verses for a harder, faster form of rap music.

The next song “Love Me Nina” is an admirable attempt at more prose-like lyricism, with the entire song in the form of Wale rapping.

Track number 10 “Break My Heart” features Lil Durk and I believe is one of the weakest efforts on the project. Wale showcases his flow on “Debbie”, with the song addressing a girl, presumably Debbie, including Wale reminiscing on his high school and college days. “50 In Da Safe” begins triumphantly but develops into a song documenting Wale’s own shortcomings and insecurities.

The final tracks on the album underwhelmed me, but overall this was an, at times, fantastic and versatile project from a very underrated artist that I would recommend giving a listen.