| Net Worth | $4,000,000 |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Olubowale Victor Akintimehin |
| Date of Birth/Age | September 21, 1984 (Age: 35) |
| Source of wealth | Music, Touring, Product endorsement and design |
| Height | 5'7 1/2" |
| Country of origin | U.S |
| State/City of origin | Washington, DC |
| Last Updated | 2019 |
Net Worth
Wale’s net worth is 4 million dollars.
How Much Does Wale Make a Year?
Wale is said to make $3 million a year, depending on his touring schedule and endorsements each year. He makes approximately $150,000 a year from endorsements alone.
How Does Wale Make His Money?
Wale makes his money from music contracts, album sales, tours, and product endorsements. He is said to make $25,000 per show and $700 to $2,500 per event or show appearance.
He was signed to Interscope records for $1.3 million in 2008 and to Rick Ross’s Maybach music for $1 million in 2011. He was also contracted for records for Warner Brothers and Atlantic records, for unspecified amounts.
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He has twice worked with ASICS shoes to develop and promote sneakers he designed.
He has also promoted Nike sneakers and invested in VitaminWater. He is said to have invested in clothing brands as well.
Wale has said he likes to save his money, instead of spending it on fancy purchases. He is a careful investor and doesn’t want to be ruled by showy cars and jewelry.
Introduction
Wale is a music artist from the Washington, DC area. He started making music in the early 2000s, and was heavily influenced by the DC go-go scene of the 90s.
He releases albums and mix tapes constantly. He has been widely recognized with high record sales and awards throughout the past two decades.
He has collaborated with some of the biggest names in music, including Jay-Z and Pharrell. He calls himself the “Ambassador of Rap for the Capital.”
Early Life
Wale was born Olubowale Victor Akintimehin on Sept 21, 1984 in Washington, DC. His parents are immigrants from Nigeria.
He spent his childhood in suburban DC and Maryland, moving several times. He attended Quince Orchard High School in Gaithersburg, MD.
He then attended Robert Morris University, Virginia State University, and Bowie State University on football scholarships. He planned to pursue a career in football, but left school before graduating.
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After this, he devoted his time to making music and soon found success in his early 20s.
Wale has said he has great pride in his Nigerian heritage, though he grew up mostly with Jamaican and Central American communities.
Personal life
Wale has a mother, a nurse and retail worker, and a father, who once worked as a taxi driver. He also has a brother, Alvin.
He also has a daughter, Zyla Moon Oluwakemi, by his long-time girlfriend Chloe Alexis Jordan, a fashion model. His cousin is Gbenga Akinnagbe, an actor from HBO’s “The Wire” and “The Good Wife.”
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Wale is very private and doesn’t share much about his early life or personal information. He enjoys focusing on his career and music and will put his feelings and troubles to music instead of making them blatantly public.
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His “Album About Nothing” revealed some of his feelings after his girlfriend had suffered a miscarriage. His anxieties about fame and life were also the focus of this album.
He once tweeted that steak was overrated, sending Twitter into a frenzy. He is an avid Washington Redskins fan and is rumored to have a Redskins tattoo.
Career
His first radio single was “Rhyme of the Century” in 2006, and he released his first mix tape that year as well. He was signed to Allido Records in 2007.
More mix tapes followed and his first album, “Attention Deficit” was released in 2009, gaining him attention and a place on the Billboard charts. He toured with Jay-Z in 2009.
His second album, “Ambition” reached number 2 on the charts. His single off this album, “Lotus Flower Bomb” reached the number one spot in the charts in 2011.
It was also nominated for the Grammys, the BET Awards, and the Soul Train Awards.
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His third album “The Gifted” reached the number one in the Billboard chart in 2013. His fourth album was a collaboration with the comedian Jerry Seinfield, and titled “The Album About Nothing”, as the show “Seinfeld” was often called a show about nothing.
His 2017 album “Shine” reached number 16 on the US charts. During his career, he has released a dozen mixtapes and was either feature or guest on over 40 singles, in addition to his albums.
Wale has worked with a wide variety of other artists through the years, including Rick Ross, Wiz Khalifa, Nicki Minaj, and Meek Mill. He continues to be prolific and released three EPs and two singles in 2018.
Interesting Facts
He is a huge fan of wrestling and has commentated on and appeared on several WWE matches. He hosted a rap battle during Smackdown Live in 2017.
He recorded the theme music for the ESPN show “First Take.”
In high school he was teased for his name and began to go by his middle name, Victor.
One of his first charted singles, “Chillin'” featured Lady Gaga.
He has won awards twice from BET, from the Nigeria Entertainment Awards, and from the Soul Train Awards. He was additionally nominated for an MTV Award and a Grammy.
He claims to have 325 pairs of sneakers.
Favorite Quotes from Wale
“Not to sound corny, but intelligence is big. Everything fades, and everything can be modified. But intelligence is something you can’t fake. I’m not even talking about whether you can read a thesaurus backwards. But there is a beauty in common sense.”
“Initially, I felt like my duty was to just keep it positive and be positive and sometimes I crack in that. We’re human. I’m imperfect at times, and that was just me being imperfect at that one point.”
“Sometimes I’m just a little bit too honest. There was some things that were going on behind the scenes that I didn’t like because it’s not what hip-hop is about. Hip-hop is about honesty and it’s about being real to the people, and I kinda felt like there’s some instances where some artists aren’t 100% honest with the people. Their integrity is lacking sometimes. And sometimes it comes out.”
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Tips for success from Wale
“The first thing that’s important is to really have people believe in you. If you have that, you can do anything.”
“Failure is not an option. Success is just a process.”
“I never had money; I like nice things, but I don’t let that run my life. At the same time, I have to let something drive me… so now I let the money drive me.”
“Basically, the Internet is just the way now. It’s the end-all, be-all of self-promotion. It’s not like you got to burn CDs and pass them out or sell them. The Internet is a tool that reaches billions and billions of people. It’s like a no-brainer to tie it in with self-promotion, or even label promotion.”
“I’ve become a workaholic. When the shows slow down and there’s no press and I can get my time to myself in the studio with my music, I get into this zone, man. I enter this incredible space where I’m just making music. And I feel like I can work with anybody — with Elton John, with Hanson — and I can make something incredible.”
