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Upon its release ''The Gifted'' was met with positive reviews from [[music criticism|music critic]]s. At [[Metacritic]], which assigns a [[weighted mean]] rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an [[weighted mean|average]] score of 65, based on 15 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.metacritic.com/music/the-gifted/wale |title=The Gifted Reviews |publisher=Metacritic |date= |accessdate=2013-06-26}}</ref> David Jeffries of [[Allmusic]] gave the album four out of five stars, saying "While his first two efforts were smart, clever, funny, and infectious, rapper Wale was never one known to offer rich insight, but on the opening number of the aptly titled The Gifted, he spits "The status got me trippin'/I like my bitch but I like these bitches on my dick be spittin'/Tell that you feelin' different, knowin' you the bread winner," and suddenly the hook of this great album reveals itself. Besides being solidly built and not overstuffed at 16 tracks long, The Gifted is the fascinating sound of the life of the party growing up, and that's as in "in the process," because there are still plenty of club bangers, strip-club jams, and irresponsible moments, and all of them are welcome."<ref name="allmusic1"/> Eric Diep of [[XXL (magazine)|XXL]] gave the album an XL, saying "The Gifted takes advantage of Wale’s rap Rolodex with all-star appearances from Rihanna, Nicki Minaj and Cee Lo Green. Jerry Seinfeld, who appears on the outro of “Black Heroes,” teases that The Album Of Nothing is actually happening, which excites fans that grew to love Folarin during his mixtape days. He’s cited Seinfeld as an inspiration on numerous occasions, so to see the connection come to fruition feels like a victory lap for Wale, who’s always seemed to have a chip on his shoulder. Matching his lyrical abilities with polished production and radio-ready hooks, The Gifted sees Wale inching towards hip-hop’s upper echelon, while still exhibiting the hunger of a young MC on the rise. “Born to lose, built to win,” he claims on “Heaven’s Afternoon.” Started from that bottom, but now he’s got it."<ref name="xxlmag1"/>
Miles Raymer of [[Pitchfork Media]] gave the album a 5.1 out of ten, saying "What seems to be the main purpose of the record is to elevate Wale beyond the level of Rick Ross’ reliable second-stringer, a guy who’s capable of dropping the occasional strip club anthem in between a steady string of unremarkable features on pop songs. “Clappers” proves that when he embraces that job he’s actually really good at it. But if he wants to be taken as a serious artist like the ones he spends most of the record emulating, he’s going to have to start taking some real chances and get real far out of the box, out to place where people are known to wear kilts."<ref name="pitchfork1"/> Jesse Cataldo of [[Slant Magazine]] gave the album three out of five stars, saying "When he plays to his strengths on ''The Gifted'', the results are impressive, but more mass-market tracks leave him sounding unoriginal and anonymous. A last-minute spot comes via Jerry Seinfeld, who weirdly shows up out of nowhere to cap off closer "Black Heroes." This bumper acts as a teaser for his and Wale's supposed impending collaboration, on the forthcoming Album About Nothing, a sure-to-be-odd conceptual lark that, with any luck, will give this budding talent a chance to delve back into his own eccentric interests and fortify his identity in the process."<ref name="slant"/> Brent Faulkner of [[PopMatters]] gave the album an eight out of ten, saying "All in all, Wale truly is ‘gifted’. Three albums in, Wale continues to impress with this prodigious rhymes and the ability assemble an album that is both consistent, intellectually stimulating, and enjoyable. Hey, he even makes a booty anthem like “Clapper” sound more refined than it really should be, regardless whether his partners in crime raunch it up. With no big time faux pas to be found, The Gifted is an extraordinary ‘gift’ to any hip-hop collection."<ref name="pm"/> Evan Rytlewski of [[The A.V. Club]] gave the album a C, saying "The Gifted, however, marks Wale’s true moment of no return. Whatever survived of the brain behind Mixtape About Nothing has been permanently atrophied by luxury and laziness."<ref>http://www.avclub.com/articles/wale-the-gifted,99618/</ref>
Kevin Jones of [[Exclaim!]] gave the album a six out of ten, saying "On The Gifted, the DC native attempts to wheel it back a little bit and slip into something with greater depth than his recent offerings, not only showing more focus in his rhymes, but couching them in a more vibrant sound bed of live instrumentation and retro samples. Cuts like "Sunshine," the Dap Kings-featuring "Gullible" and "Vanity" best demonstrate this revamped pose, albeit with mixed results, particularly in the execution of that latter track. However, it's the portions of the record squarely focused at the MMG set that are more miss than hit."<ref name="ex"/> Jeff Weiss of [[Spin (magazine)|Spin]] gave the album a six out of ten, saying "There's something about The Gifted that you can't dismiss. Wale has lost many of the qualities that made people like him in the first place, but he's refined the elements that he's managed to retain. He'll never pen another song as poignant as "The Kramer," but back then, he also couldn't write anything as well-crafted as "Bad." He's still the type of guy who wears too much cologne, but at least he's figured out the scent that works best for him."<ref name="autogenerated1"/> Bruce Smith of HipHopDX gave the album four out of five stars, saying "Overall, ''The Gifted'' is a good album. Wale presents substance without being overly preachy, and still takes it back to the Go-Go for those who have been following him since Paint A Picture. While not without its flaws (the “Bad” remix was unnecessary, and probably done simply for the big name feature), those questioning the direction Wale was going post MMG affiliation will more than likely be pleased with ''The Gifted''."<ref name="hhdx"/> Katherine Flynn of [[Consequence of Sound]] gave the album three out of five stars, saying "The problem is, Wale isn’t at the top, he’s simply borrowing that swagger from the A-list guests that decorate The Gifted. Those big names cast long, long shadows, and the thing that both drives the 28-year-old and haunts him is that, while he certainly has the top in sight, he knows as well as we do that he’s not quite there yet."<ref>http://consequenceofsound.net/2013/07/album-review-wale-the-gifted/</ref>
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