[VIDEO] Wale Talks Anxiety When Meeting Fans + Why He Needs to Be Liked

Wale (real name Olubowale Victor Akintimehin) is gearing up to release his forth studio album The Album About Nothing, but he’s talking about everything. Getting rid of his mask of acceptability, the DC native is letting down his guard on his project and opening up even more in his promo interviews. Stopping by Hot 97’s Ebro in the Morning with Peter Rosenberg and Laura Stylez, Wale kept it 100 on every aspects. Not holding anything back he opened up about his music, anxiety, and being a villain celebrity.

See a few of our favorite excerpts.

Why he gets anxiety and sometimes feels awkward when meeting fans:

Wale: It’s like in my mind, when they come up to me, I’m used to when I’m nice to somebody it goes and turns into something else. My heart starts beating fast and my hand gets sweaty and I feel like I’m in the room and the lights getting smaller and smaller. It’s something I’ve been dealing with for four or five years. It’s like one person comes and then theres a crowd and I’m sitting there and like my hearts beating in my shirt.