Rapper Wale has signed the Warner Bros. Records roster and is planning to release his sixth full-length album in 2018. He arrives at the Warner Music Group label via Rock Ross’ Maybach Music Group and immediately drops a brand new track, “Black Bonnie” (feat. Jacquees), today.

The signing was celebrated at a dinner at Crustacean in Beverly Hills on May 15 attended by Ross, WMG CEO Stephen Cooper and WBR co-chairman and COO Tom Corson as well as influential curators, like Spotify’s Carl Chery, and other executives from the Warner family.

Said Corson in announcing the signing: “[Wale] is a pillar in the hip-hop community and beyond; with his cultural relevance and lyrical prose, he continues to elevate the game. Wale is truly a force to be reckoned with and we look forward to a successful partnership for years to come.”

“I felt their passion, commitment, and enthusiasm from day one,” added Wale. “They believed in my vision wholeheartedly, and I am ready to show and prove.”

Wale first came onto the scene in 2006 and saw his first release, “Mixtape About Nothing,” two years later. The collection’s nod to “Seinfeld” garnered widespread acclaim and launched Wale’s music career. Subsequent albums “Ambition” (2011), “The Gifted” (2013) and “The Album About Nothing” (2015) all charted in the Top 3 of the Billboard 200 while his 2011 single “Lotus Flower Bomb” was a hit featuring Miguel. Still to date my favorite album is “Attention Deficit” (2009)