Olubowale Victor Akintimehin (born September 21, 1984), better known by his stage name Wale ( WAH-lay), is an American rapper. He first became known for his 2006 song "Dig Dug (Shake It)", which became popular in his hometown of Washington D.C. and led Wale to gain further local recognition as he amassed a number of follow-up releases. Wale signed with English DJ-producer Mark Ronson's Allido Records in 2007, and after a three-label bidding war, he entered a joint venture with Interscope Records for US$1.3 million the following year. During this time, Wale's mixtapes and singles saw national attention as he appeared on MTV and various Black America-focused magazines.

Wale's debut studio album, Attention Deficit (2008) was under-shipped and thus underperformed commercially, but saw positive critical reception and spawned his first Billboard Hot 100 entry with its lead single, "Chillin" (featuring Lady Gaga). He continued to gain mainstream recognition for his guest appearance alongside Roscoe Dash on Waka Flocka Flame's 2010 single "No Hands", which peaked at number 13 on the chart and received diamond certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). He then signed signed with Florida-based rapper Rick Ross' Maybach Music Group, an imprint of Warner Records the following year to release his second album, Ambition (2011). Supported by the Grammy Award-nominated top 40 single "Lotus Flower Bomb" (featuring Miguel), the album saw further critical and commercial success, and peaked at number two on the Billboard 200. His third and fourth albums, The Gifted (2013) and The Album About Nothing (2015) both debuted atop the chart; the former was led by the single "Bad" (featuring Tiara Thomas or Rihanna), which peaked at number 21 on the Billboard Hot 100 and remains his highest-charting entry as a lead artist.

Wale then shifted for lighter, commercially-oriented subject matter and wider female appeal for his following albums Shine (2015), Wow... That's Crazy (2019), and Folarin II (2022), of which spawned the Billboard Hot 100-charting singles "My PYT", "On Chill" (featuring Jeremih), and "Poke It Out" (featuring J. Cole), respectively. Folarin II marked his final album with Maybach Music Group, and he signed with Def Jam Recordings in the following year of its release.