Wale has issued the music video for his latest single, “Poke It Out.” The and J. Cole-assisted song, released on Sept. 30, samples Q-Tip and Jay Dee’s (J Dilla) classic 1999 record, “Vivrant Thing,” and the homage to the hip-hop icons continues in the music video. Produced by Cool & Dre, the record marks the first time the two mixtape-era rappers have linked up since their union on “My Boy” (Freestyle) from Wale’s 2018 EP, Free Lunch.
In the “Poke It Out” video, Wale hits Q-Tip’s signature head bob to the side as he drives a jeep full of women, rapping along to the track. Other similarities between the originator and the new video include a beach setting and the sparkly number worn by a woman in the pink-lit scene, in a similar fashion as the two-piece worn by a model in Q-Tip’s 1999 black-and-white visual.
On Twitter, the Washington D.C. export shared appreciation for Q-Tip and J Dilla gave his take on the meaning of Hip-Hop and using samples to pay respect. “One time for my man @QtipTheAbstract and God Bless J Dilla and his family . This what Hiphop is about .” Wale tweeted, adding two single rose emojis. “infinite love to who got us here.”
With the release of “Poke It Out,” Wale confirmed his next album is coming soon. The highly-anticipated Folarin 2, stylized in the cover art as FOLARIIN, is set to release on Oct. 22. The album was previously teased with a summer 2021 release date.
“I understand you may feel how you feel for whatever soembody told you … but I just wanna reiterate that I’m one of the greatest of all time . Catalog .Consistency. Influence. Longevity . DMV. With that said #Folarin2 this summer,” the “No Hands” rapper shared on Twitter back in June.
Wale’s first Folarin mixtape was issued on Dec. 24, 2012, and featured the hit record “Bad” with Academy Award-winning musician Tiara Thomas. Rick Ross, 2 Chainz, Nipsey Hussle, Trinidad James, Chrisette Michelle, French Montana, and Jhené Aiko also all appear on the project.
Folarin 2 October 22 I’m ready as ever! ? https://t.co/wAYzOHlNQ8 pic.twitter.com/3688yKCN5Z
— Wale (@Wale) October 1, 2021
Ahead of “Poke It Out” Wale has released a couple of songs. In August, he linked up with Texas rappers Yella Beezy and Maxo Kream for “Down South.” In June, Wale and Chris Brown dropped their collaboration “Angles.” His first release of the year came back in January with “Good Vibes (Za).”
Watch the LCR$-directed music video for “Poke It Out” above. Also, check out the Q-Tip video for “Vivrant Thing” below.