Wale used to be in the Roc Nation orbit, uses JAY-Z's firm for management.
However, he split from Roc in 2013, not long after he dropped The Gifted.
He explained why during his Drink Champs appearance. [Jump to 60 minutes.]
“What happened was, I was in the Hov cycle for a long time,” Wale says around the 60-minute mark. “There was a time that I was on tour with J. Cole. At the time, I was opening for him. They said it was a co-headlining tour, but whatever, I was opening for him, and it was an elaborate stage and this that and the third.
“And somebody in my circle told me, ‘You’re losing five grand every time you get on stage. Not only are you not breaking even, you’re losing money.’ Me, at that point in my life, I forget what city we was in but I was on the bus and I got an offer to do a tour with two other artists. And I wanted to go with Cole because that’s my brother and we just did the Hov tour.”
Wale went on to say he couldn't understand how he could have a number album and be losing money. So he separated himself from Roc Nation.
But it's still all love between him and Hov.
“But it’s been all love ever since but I wasn’t privy to this fuckin’ music industry shit. I just knew, this many people in the room, we can make something happen. Jay’s still my idol, still my favorite rapper. I still got all the love for all of them. I was just a little bit early in this sh*t though.”