Wale has always been vocal about the inconsistencies and fakeness he's experienced in the music industry, and a new Instagram post from the DC rapper suggests that he's as dispirited as ever by the politics of rap.
"Tired. I'm tired. I tried," he wrote in a since-deleted post. "This music industry will take your soul then make you want leave ... n----as don’t respect humble, n---as don’t respect intelligence. They’ll ask for ‘this or that’ and you deliver it they’ll say it never happened."
He went on to vent about the type of behavior he feels is rewarded by the media. "Let me air out som ppl ... it'll make headlines," he said. "let me uplift some people it'll get buried quicker than you can say "leanmollyxan" ... they'll kill you and then worship you when you're gone."
Later on, Wale once again suggested that rappers only get the respect they deserve after they die. "N---as only fuck wit u when ur face on that Teeshirt ...this whole shit fake," he wrote.
Last year, J. Cole rapped a verse that was assumed to be directed at Wale, suggesting that the rapper -- who is Cole's good friend -- gets too caught up in what people think about him.
"I got a homie, he a rapper and he wanna win bad / He want the fame, the acclaim, the respect that's been had / By all the legends, so every time I see him, he stressin' / Talkin' 'bout, n---as don't fuck with him, the shit is depressin'"
In a response track called "Groundhog Day," Wale acknowledged the point Cole was trying to make.
"I just heard a song about me on a hip hop blog / from a kid I know / some n---as say a hip hop God / it hit home, 'cause this some truth."
Wale may never be fully comfortable in the industry, but it doesn't mean he can't continue to put out music that resonates with fans. Listen to "Running Back," Wale's recent collab with Lil Wayne set to appear on his forthcoming Shine album.