Singer-rapper 6LACK sat down with Zane Lowe on Apple Music 1 where he not only spoke about his third studio-album Since I Have a Lover, but also spoke highly of one of its featured artists: Wale.
6LACK, née Ricardo Valdez Valentine Jr. gave the DMV rapper his flowers for what he has meant to Hip-Hop overall and deemed him a “building block” of the genre. Wale appears on the album’s track “Stories in Motion.”
“I know that Wale has always had a way with his words,” he expressed. “I know that during times where I was still figuring out myself and figuring out my music… his words spoke to me. Flowers, man. Flowers for him all day long, because everything that we see right now as far as Hip Hop goes has graduated from a specific era.”
Speaking to the many eras of Hip-Hop and the pioneers of those respective times, he added, “As of right now, the current day, that era is Drake. That era is Kendrick [Lamar], that era is Wale, that era is [J. Cole]. These are some of the building blocks of what we have right now. So flowers for him. It was an honor to be able to reach out to him and just say, ‘I need you for something.’”
6LACK also shared his gratitude for the “Lotus Flower Bomb” rapper hopping on his song without hesitation.
“The song was pretty much already done. I could tell just in our exchanges that he took it seriously,” he told Lowe. “Even though it was a moment those next couple of days, he’s like, ‘Alright, so you want me to come at it this way? Should I do this? Should I do that?’ I gave him free rein. He painted a picture in a matter of, I don’t know what, 30 seconds if that.”
“Everything that he said is … spot-on as far as that song goes. He wrapped it up in such a perfect way.”
Aside from appearing on 6LACK’s next project, which debuted at No. 24 on the Billboard 200 chart, Wale will be joining the roster of performers at Pharrell’s annual Something In The Water Fest later this month.
Other artists to take the stage are Babyface Ray, CHIKA, Clipse, Coi Leray, Doechii, Flo Milli, Grace Jones, Jazmine Sullivan, Kaytranada, Kehlani, Kenny Beats, Kid Cudi, Latto, Lil Durk, Lil Uzi Vert, Lil Wayne, Lil Yachty, Masego, NLE Choppa, Polo G, Saucy Santana, Summer Walker, SWV, Wu-Tang Clan and more.
Listen to 6LACk and Wale’s “Stories in Motion” below.