Rihanna & Nicki Minaj On Wale's 'The Gifted' Album, Release Date Set for June
There's no better way to make a studio album more powerful than to include some of the industry's biggest names.
Rapper Wale enlisted Rihanna and Nicki Minaj for his third album titled The Gifted, which he also helped produce. Rihanna will appear on the remix to the album's lead single Bad. The 25-year-old replaces Tiara Thomas, who currently sings the original track's chorus.
Wale revealed to XXL in an interview that Rihanna was initially supposed to be on the original version and Thomas was to just receive writing credit for the hook.
"Whatever the case was I don't think it got to her," he said about the track. "I can go take somebody you never heard of and we can go get a No. 1," he later added.
Wale's song with Minaj is a club banger called Clappers, according to Rap-Up.com. The track additionally features rapper Juicy J.
This won't be the first time that the Washington, D.C. native is working with big stars. He actually has a list of previous notable collaborations. His debut album, Attention Deficit was released in 2009 and featured Lady Gaga on the song Chillin.
His third effort is the follow-up to Ambition, his sophomore album released in 2011 that debuted at No. 2 on Billboard charts. That album also doesn't fall short on features either. Singer Miguel appears on Lotus Flower Bomb, rapper Rick Ross on Ambition, Big Sean on Slight Work and Kid Cudi on Focused.
The Gifted hits stores on June 25 and will also feature appearances by rappers Wiz Khalifa, 2 Chainz and Meek Mill.
"I want provide a real life listening experience. I want a solid body of work, I want to have a soundtrack to some people's summer," Wale also told XXL in regards to the upcoming record. "I want this album to be that."
