It’s the unlikeliest of friendships, but it seems that comedian Jerry Seinfeld and Wale are really hitting it off. In 2008, Wale released The Mixtape about Nothing, a mixtape that was inspired by Seinfeld’s eponymous TV show. The mixtape also featured samples from Seinfeld as well as a shout-out from actress Julia Louis-Dreyfuss who plays Elaine on the show. The comedian became aware of the record and he arranged to meet with Wale backstage at a show in Baltimore. The two discussed working together, with Seinfeld appearing on The Gifted’s “Outro about Nothing”.
This friendship has now turned into a full blown collaboration. Seinfeld appears all over Wale’s new album called The Album about Nothing. Seinfeld serves as a sort of narrator for the record, providing spoken-word segments between the songs. While the two have little in common on the surface, it’s clear that Seinfeld is a calming influence on the rapper. They have become a real-life version of The Odd Couple.
EXCLUSIVE: The reason @Wale called Complex last year? @JerrySeinfeld. Here’s the story: http://t.co/6VrcwFyqBn pic.twitter.com/G9p3ehLMtA
— Complex (@ComplexMag) November 17, 2014
Seinfeld and Wale recently appeared in a cover story for Complex. The two recorded a skit poking fun at Wale’s tirade against the magazine when he didn’t make it to their list of 50 Best Albums of 2013. In the skit, they joke that Seinfeld was actually the one behind Wale’s threatening phone call to the Complex offices. In the article however, Wale was more serious about the incident. “I learned from it. Although I wasn’t happy with certain things in my career, I checked some things in myself,” the rapper said during the interview.
The friends also talked about their views on celebrity in the interview. “There’s a fame need. We need people to look at or talk about to just to fill the time. They say life is too short. It is way too long! And we’re filling it in with a lot of fake stuff. Like wrestling. Like stars who have no talent,” Seinfeld said about the nature of fame nowadays.
Wale and Jerry Seinfeld’s The Album about Nothing is slated to be released this fall.