FINDING HIS ROOTS : MMG Rapper Wale Tells His story

There's nothing quite like a homecoming.

For those of us transplanted to cities we didn't grow up in or countries we're only living in because of our parents' or ancestors' volition to move in hopes of finding a better life abroad, the desire to rediscover your roots is as natural as it is awe-inspiring.

Such was the case for rapper Wale, who grew up in the Washington D.C. area to parents who had emigrated from the African nation of Nigeria years before his birth. But through his massive success as a performing artist - he's a standout member of Rick Ross' Maybach Music Group, has released three critically-acclaimed studio albums, and is managed by Jay Z's Roc Nation imprint - he'd never been to his ancestral home of Nigeria.

But this past fall, Wale got the opportunity to take that fated trip to Africa in an effort to discover his Nigerian roots and meet his grandparents for the first time. As you might expect, however, being

an international presence and global superstar comes with its constraints, and while abroad, Wale was bombarded with interviews and events to attend, forcing him to race against the clock to make his journey as spiritual as he'd hoped it would be, and of course,

Home is home.#welcomehomewale

A man without roots is a man with no history