| Cover: | Summer on Sunset.jpg |
| Summer on Sunset | |
| Type: | mixtape |
| Artist: | Wale |
| Released: | June 17, 2016 |
| Genre: | Hip hop |
| Length: | 60:21 |
| Compiler: | DJ Quicksilva |
| Prev Title: | The Album About Nothing |
| Prev Year: | 2015 |
| Year: | 2016 |
| Next Title: | Shine |
| Next Year: | 2017 |
Summer on Sunset is a mixtape by American rapper Wale. It was released on June 17, 2016, by Every Blue Moon and Maybach Music Group, on DatPiff for free.[1] The mixtape features guest appearances from Raheem DeVaughn, Ty Dolla Sign, Tha Dogg Pound, Cam'ron, Phil Adé, Jazz Cartier, Victoria Monét, Jim Ross and Eric Bellinger. The production on the mixtape was handled by several producers, including DJ Mustard, Nez & Rio, Marcè Reazon, Lee Major, DJ Chose and Jake One, among others. Summer on Sunset was released as a prelude to his fifth studio album, Shine, which was released on April 28, 2017, nine months prior.[2] Plus, the mixtape was also hosted by DMV native DJ Quicksilva.
The mixtape received great success on DatPiff, becoming one of the most listened to and downloaded free mixtapes of all time.[3]
The mixtape was also released as a commercial mixtape, exclusively on streaming platforms (such as Apple Music, Tidal, Amazon Music and Spotify) in its entirety, excluding the song "Bitches Like You".[4]
On June 8, 2016, he collaborated with his MMG labelmates Meek Mill and Rick Ross on a song titled, "Make It Work", which was a lead single for Maybach Music Group's upcoming fourth compilation album Self Made Vol. 4, which was slated for release the following year.[5] On June 9, 2016, he released a solo song called "Her Wave", which was the follow-up to the lead single for his fifth album "My PYT", which was released a month prior.[6] [7] Next, he released another song called "Reminisce", featuring fellow DMV rapper Phil Adé.[8] On June 15, 2016, Wale announced on Twitter that his fifth studio album Shine would be released soon and he also announced that his mixtape would be dropping on Friday.[9] [10] He released another solo song called "Back to the Sun", hours before the mixtape release.[11] Wale finally released a 17-track mixtape, called Summer on Sunset, as a prelude to Shine.
Summer on Sunset was met with generally mixed reviews from music critics. Narsimha Chintaluri of HipHopDX, commented saying the song "It's Too Late" plays like a "Drake-like reference track to Quentin Miller", "Publishing Checks" stands as a "soulless Young Thug knockoff", while "Paparazzi" veers into Fetty Wap's "lane of strained crooning".[12] Plus, he commented, "regardless, catchy melodies are sprinkled throughout, making it easier to shrug off the feeling of familiarity". Also, he praised "Gangsta Boogie", for being an undeniable highlight complete with a cook-out vibe and a classic bass-heavy-west-coast bounce over which legends Kurupt and Daz Dillinger impart insight and cautionary tales as a foil to Wale's fish-out-of-water perspective". Plus, the critic says that "Wale's music has always played off of the luxurious allure of Hollywood, so his move to L.A., which ties this tape together conceptually is fitting". He also commented that DJ Mustard made a "fleeting appearance" to set the tone early on, but standouts like "Gangsta Boogie" are ultimately produced by rising composers such as DJ Chose. He praised the songs "Day By the Pool" and "Valentino", because of his "interesting beat-switches". And finally, he praised the whole mixtape stating: "Summer on Sunset is a "carefully constructed promo" for Shine. It showcases Wale's adaption to a soundscape filled with Lil Uzi Vert's and Lil Yachty's, is loosely stitched together by a familiar tale of Tinseltown disillusionment, and could work as the rise before the inevitable fall".
XXLs Scott Glaysher says that Summer on Sunset proves to be some of Wale's "most cohesive work".[13] The critic says the song "LAX" manages to catch that "classic summer vibe" which includes some "laissez-faire rhymes", a "warm twang" and "an extra melodic assist" from Raheem DeVaughn. He added that the song is a "suitable opener" that gets a follow up by the next song "Publishing Checks", and he described it as an "unconventional brag fest". Next, the critic says, "these intros and outros are fascinating to hear if you're enjoying the tape from front to back but if you're just trying to hear summer slappers like "It's Too Late" and "Thought It" on their own, well, then listeners might be tempted to press that skip button", and he adds, "however, the production will keep ears coming back for more and more". Plus, the critic made a praising comment stating that all the instrumentation is "incredibly on point with not a single beat feeling out of place or lackluster". Next, the critic commented that the song "Day by the Pool" and "Ms. Moon" has lots of "hookup hymns and flirty bars", but his most explicitly descriptive lines surface on Summer on Sunset
A. Harmony from Exclaim! made a comment stating that the project manages to be "aggressively mediocre from beginning to end".[14] He adds that the beats on the project are "not hearty" enough to resonate, the lyrics are "mundane and repetitive", and the hooks "lack appetizing bait". Plus, he says that Summer on Sunset still has its "bright moments". The critic says that the song "It's Too Late", is one of the few songs on which Wale's singing actually "seems to fit". And, the critic also praised the song "Valentino", describing it as a "smooth, buoyant backdrop to a hot and naughty summer's night".
On DatPiff, Summer on Sunset received great success, being one of the most listened to and downloaded free mixtapes on the platform. The mixtape was certified platinum by the site's standards, reaching over 200,000 downloads and over 1,000,000 full listens.