The Album About Nothing
by Wale
  • Record Label: Atlantic
  • Release Date: Mar 31, 2015
User Score
7.7

Generally favorable reviews- based on 46 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 38 out of 46
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 46
  3. Negative: 4 out of 46
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  1. michaelobi
    Jul 11, 2016
    9
    The best rap project i have listened to in the last year. Wale has always been an underrated even though he consistently puts out classics like this. It is not just about the rhythm with him, The poetry is splendid.
  2. MEB92
    Apr 22, 2015
    9
    The album is great and Wale shows a lot of honesty in his music. He admits his fears, emotions, and what he wants to do within the industry. My favorite tracks are White Shoes and Pessimist, and I feel that this is his best work to date.
  3. bossmanrwat11
    Apr 15, 2015
    8
    DON'T LISTEN TO THE CRITICS. This is Wale's best album: great lyricism/content over great instrumentals. Wale is criminally underrated and this album is a very good effort. Its just as good if not better than IYRTITL and one of the best hip hop releases of the year so far.
  4. Spangle
    Apr 13, 2015
    8
    I'm a huge Seinfeld fan, so right off the bat, I love the narration and skits from Jerry Seinfeld. However, I was also very impressed by Wale. I enjoyed Attention Deficit and Ambition, but hated The Gifted, and overall, never loved Wale. Here though, he does quite well and constantly has a good flow, delivery, and good song direction. He touches on some seriously compelling topics and doesI'm a huge Seinfeld fan, so right off the bat, I love the narration and skits from Jerry Seinfeld. However, I was also very impressed by Wale. I enjoyed Attention Deficit and Ambition, but hated The Gifted, and overall, never loved Wale. Here though, he does quite well and constantly has a good flow, delivery, and good song direction. He touches on some seriously compelling topics and does so in a way that is interesting. Far from a great album, I still believe this is his best yet and that I got everything I could have hoped for from this album. Overall, call me a satisfied customer.… Expand
  5. Baous
    Apr 8, 2015
    9
    8.4/10

    Probably his best album. TAAN is a very underrated body of work. Definitely a lot better than anything JCole could ever dream of putting out.

    Best songs: Girls On Drugs, God Smile, Glass Egg, Matrimony, Body, Pessimist, Middle Finger.

    Lots of highlights from the album. 2nd best album of 2015 thus far behind the obvious TPAB.
  6. ihavevocaloid
    Apr 8, 2015
    8
    Probably Wale's best (I didn't really listen to The Gifted). Having known Jerry Seinfeld from the Bee Movie, I was looking forward to seeing what this album would be like. Turned out, it was better than I thought it would be. Wale is at his lyrical best here and I love Seinfeld on this album, and I also like the production. My main complaint about this album is that there is too muchProbably Wale's best (I didn't really listen to The Gifted). Having known Jerry Seinfeld from the Bee Movie, I was looking forward to seeing what this album would be like. Turned out, it was better than I thought it would be. Wale is at his lyrical best here and I love Seinfeld on this album, and I also like the production. My main complaint about this album is that there is too much singing. Grade: B+. Highlights: "The Helium Balloon", "The One Time in Houston", "The Matrimony". Worst song: "The Pessimist" (I like J. Cole but the production here isn't great and I hate Cole's singing)… Expand
  7. Kibs96
    Apr 3, 2015
    0
    so trash, couldnt stand it. his flow is meh and bad songs uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh trash meh averagerreeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
  8. Junghova
    Apr 2, 2015
    8
    The more I listen to this album, the more I like it. Wale, in my opinion, is way too underrated and I am finding the whole MMG sound (if you can call it that) kinda stagnant...so despite having parallels to mixtape of the same name, I am loving the general vibe of this album and to see Wale step outside the shadow of Rick Ross and Meek. A few clunkers, but the first track is straight FIRE!
  9. swagkonyjohnson
    Apr 2, 2015
    7
    TAAN in my opinion is not Wale's best work, but it is his best album. This album shows Wale pushing away from the more Rick Ross/trap-inspired music of MMG and getting back to the style that got everyone hyped about him some years ago, a style that he is more comfortable with and that suits him better. He is very personal, dishing on personal issues, views of society, relationships, etc.TAAN in my opinion is not Wale's best work, but it is his best album. This album shows Wale pushing away from the more Rick Ross/trap-inspired music of MMG and getting back to the style that got everyone hyped about him some years ago, a style that he is more comfortable with and that suits him better. He is very personal, dishing on personal issues, views of society, relationships, etc. The first half or so of the album is on point, with an awesome, attention-grabbing intro and strong works like "The Pessimist" and "The Girls On Drugs." The second half isn't bad at all, but not quite as solid as the first half, although it has really enjoyable songs like "The God Smile," "The Need To Know," and "The Matrimony." The Seinfeld feature on most of the songs was a nice touch, like it was on his early mixtapes, but on some of these songs it was either unnecessary or what Seinfeld was saying just wasn't that important or meaningful. Also, Wale tried to incorporate some singing/sing-rapping (which most artists are doing nowadays), which wasn't necessarily bad but I personally I didn't enjoy too much. But overall I'd say a good job, Wale's best album… Expand

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
67

Generally favorable reviews - based on 10 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 10
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 10
  3. Negative: 0 out of 10
  1. AllMusic
    Dec 22, 2015
    70
    Although Wale's got so much to say, he often says it over the same tempo, and if it weren't for "The Girls on Drugs" (rescued from another Seinfeld-themed mixtape, Festivus) and a couple other kicking moments, the musical spectrum here would be narrow. Still, it's a minor complaint as The Album About Nothing is bigger, bolder, and better than expected.
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  2. Rolling Stone
    Apr 21, 2015
    70
    Wale uses Seinfeld's advice not just as a gimmick but as a jumping-off point.
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  3. RapReviews.com
    Apr 7, 2015
    75
    The soulful production, harnessing plenty of live instrumentals, mixes well with the lingering hints of MMG production.
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