Wale’s Shine album dropped in towards the last days of April. The 14-track LP is Wale’s fifth studio attempt and his first effort at actually creasing into the African soundscape after existing on the fringes of the culture for years. For his latest album, Wale does not only tap Nigerian features, Wizkid, Olamide and Davido, he also opts for a looser production style common with the style modern Afro-Carribean dancehall that has been popularised by Drake in the last year.

Of course there is still no doubt, Wale’s “Shine” was intended as a rap album for an American audience, but considering how long it took for Wale to record with Nigerian acts on a studio album, it’s hard not to feel like “Shine” was intended to finally bridge the divide with Nigerian fans.

Sadly, Wale’s “Shine” has been met with disappointing commercial performance since its release, landing at Billboard’s 16 spot and moving only 28,000 units in the first week. Considering this is Wale’s lowest outing across five albums, it is considered a flop. The reason for the flop however, seems to be a result of Wale’s own hands. Lead singles released too far apart, low scale marketing and low promotions amongst other problems have been cited by music pundits for the catatonic fail of Wale’s album. Comment section whispers from fans also largely criticised his switch to more pop-like music despite being a rapper.

It’s hard to tell where Wale will go from here. If he doesn’t get dropped by his parent label and distribution company, Warner Music, Wale would still be looking at a redirection of sound amonsgt other possible ways to re-up steeping sales numbers.