Wale net worth: Olubowale Victor Akintimehin, aka Wale, is a rapper with a net worth of $5.5 million dollars. Here’s what you need to know.
1. Wale’s birthday is September 21, 1984. He was born and raised in Washington, D.C. His parents are immigrants from Nigeria. After high school, he went to Robert Morris University and Virginia State University—on football scholarships. Frustrated by his lack of playing time, Wale then transferred to Bowie State University, but would soon drop out to pursue music.
2. Growing up poor is what drove Wale to succeed in music. As a kid, he spent 10 years living in a one-bedroom apartment in the slums of D.C., while his family barely scraped by on what little money his dad made driving taxis.
3. In 2006, Wale began making mixtapes. The first song he ever recorded was called “Rhyme of the Century,” which got played on local radio stations. Wale signed with a small record label based out of D.C. and, shortly after, dropped his first hit, “Dig Dug (Shake It).”
4. Wale’s stock was now surging. He was getting mainstream media coverage and touring with English singer Mark Ronson in 2007 when several major labels reached out. He ended up signing a deal with Interscope Records for $1.3 million dollars. But after his debut album fell flat, Interscope dropped him.
5. Wale pushed forward regardless. Then, one night, he was set to perform at a big concert ahead of Rick Ross. Ricky Rozay was impressed when Wale sold just as many tickets as he had. So he introduced himself. The two hit it off and Wale signed with Ross’ Maybach Music Group in early-2011.
6. Wale is an entrepreneur, not just an artist. For instance, in 2012, he brought in more than $5 million dollars. But on tour, after paying for all of his expenses himself, he actually lost money. He was unfazed. “In any hustle, you’ve got to put in something to get something,” he said. “A lot of people think you sign a record deal, kick your feet up. I think when you sign a record deal you’ve got to become even more independent. If you don’t get to a certain level with the push, you look crazy.”
7. Wale says the music industry is a little suspect. After he and Lady Gaga had a collaboration bomb, she apparently got amnesia. “N*ggas ain’t your friend. Lady Gaga ain’t my friend. We at the ‘Chillin” video shoot talking like we friends, then we at the awards and she walked right past. She got seven, eight, nine number one records and the record we made never worked. ‘Why should I still care about Wale? His record sold 28,000.’ But in the studio we was homies. That was my first lesson. Not that I thought I’d be taking f*cking shots of Ciroc with Lady Gaga on a Friday night watching SVU, but put it this way: friendships fluctuate with how hot you are or how cold you are in the industry,” he told The Fader.
8. Wale has a daughter named Zyla Moon Oluwakemi with his ex-girlfriend, model Chloe Alexis Jourdan. Chloe can be seen in Wale’s music video for his song “Diary,” where she was featured as a lead. Wale was rumored to be dating Empire actress Serayah McNeill, but has said they are just good friends.
9. In 2015, Wale partnered with a Philadelphia retailer called Ruvilla, along with ASICS, to create the “Bottle Rocket” Asics Gel Lyte III shoe. In 2016, they ran it back, this time with a gold, black and baby blue version dubbed the “IC (Intercontinental) Champion.” Speaking of which…
10. Wale loves pro wrestling. He has made several appearances on WWE, which he occasionally references in his lyrics. During the annual WrestleMania event, he hosts WaleMania—part Wale concert, part WrestleMania watch party, where independent wrestlers often show up, share a beer, and enjoy the festivities with you.
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