For the last decade and change, Wale has been the most visible face of Hip-Hop in the nation’s capital. From “Dig Dug” in the mid-2000s to Folarin 2 in 2021, Wale has been a shining representative for what the city is and stands for. More importantly, he’s been a proponent of all Washington, D.C. sports teams, supporter of fellow Washington, D.C. acts like Fat Trel and Adé and hosted his annual New Year’s Day concert at the Fillmore Silver Spring. With all that said, it makes sense that the best-selling artist would be doing what he can to find a resolution to the concerns that many students have raised at Howard University.
More than two weeks ago, students at Howard University made the decision to occupy the Armour J. Blackburn Center in protest of poor housing conditions on campus. Students have posted several photos and videos of mold in buildings, water damage in rooms and other forms of damage. Standing in solidarity with these students, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, civil rights activist Jesse Jackson and several members of Gucci Mane’s 1017 Records have either stopped by campus or issued tweets to raise awareness about the matter.
In the midst of all that is going on, Wale stopped by to drop off supplies and food for students participating in the #BlackburnTakeover protest movement. During a recent appearance on The Breakfast Club, Wale opened up about the matter.
“I was trying to get more information on it. We reached out to the [Howard University] president. We’re waiting to hear back from him. My man, J. Murph, he got me with some good people over there at Howard and we’re just trying to make it amicable. We just want to make it smooth. I don’t want come in so aggressive and be like, ‘Okay, rap guy is coming in!’ No, let’s just try to rectify the situation because Howard is a staple,” he said.
“I just want to make sure that they feel like they’re not alone.”
Check out Wale’s complete remarks on the matter below. He begins speaking about the protest movement at 18:07.
