Rapper Wale Gets Candid About His Social Anxiety

Wale just got vulnerable. 

The rapper opened up about his struggles with anxiety in a tweet Wednesday, in which he joked about an upcoming single he’s about to drop in a few weeks. 

He facetiously said the track will be titled, “I’m not really good at social events cuz everybody hates me in my mind and that is the root of anxiety so imagine having to live in my mind and that is the root of anxiety…” 

Wale asked fans to “imagine having to live in your head” as people ask for pictures with him as he’s trying to “love yourself more but it’s hard because you dealin with shit.”

Many Twitter users responded with support and said they could relate what he’s going through. 

The rapper has talked about his anxiety issues before, telling MTV news that fame has contributed to his mental health struggles. 

“I get anxiety because somebody always feels like you didn’t give them the proper greeting, and that stuff has been a hindrance to me, because some people would come back and say, ‘Wale was rude,’ he told the outlet. “Your every move, your every mannerism is being watched. And to think about it, it makes me sweat and my heart beats fast. I’m under a microscope all the time.”

The artist also revealed to MTV that as he’s publicly discussed his anxiety, his vulnerability has been attacked. He said that Twitter users have made jokes about his anxiety.  

“I don’t understand how that could be funny. You get death threats daily, then you go to the airport and they want pictures ― these are the same people,” he said. “So I’m trying to find the answers. Am I crazy or is the world crazy?

Though therapy didn’t personally work for the rapper, he said he found solace in “unraveling [issues] with people you love, slowly ― rather than going in front of a stranger who’s clinically trained to break you down.”