Sound Off Sundays Fly Away

By: Justin "MrJayCam" Campbell | Equalized Outdoors

Welcome to Sound Off Sundays, where rhythm meets reflection. Each week, MrJayCam shares a track that fuels his grind and mindset — blending hip-hop, R&B, and other genres, sometimes with real-life lessons from the woods to the world. Tap in for authentic sound, culture, and purpose-driven storytelling that goes beyond the outdoors.

Fly Away by Wale

Sound Off Sundays — Week 7

Wale — “Fly Away”

Some records don’t just sound good — they catch you at the exact moment you need them. That’s what Wale’s “Fly Away” did for me.

This one is built on the bones of a classic: Maxwell’s “Pretty Wings,” a record I’ve carried with me through different seasons of my life. Hearing that familiar warmth reimagined — sampled, threaded, and honored — hit differently. And then Wale starts talking about heartbreak, loneliness, the quiet belief that you might be meant to walk this world by yourself… yeah, it hits home.

I’ve been through that kind of breakup. The kind that doesn’t just end something — it reveals something. That moment where the silence afterward pushes you back into the person you were before the distractions, before the noise. In my case, it drove me deeper into the very thing that saved me: Equalized Outdoors. There’s a clarity that comes from pain, and sometimes the only answer you have left is to chase the dream that’s been chasing you.

What makes this record even more special, though, is the voice on the chorus. Sheryl Ann Padre — the same young woman who uploaded a “Pretty Wings” cover eleven years ago — is now front and center on Wale’s hook. Her Instagram barely mentions music anymore, but here she is, her voice carved into a record that will outlive all of us. There’s a message in that for anybody paying attention:

Talent never dies. It waits. And when the world is finally quiet enough, it finds you again.

Pretty Wings Acoustic Cover by Sheryl Ann Padre

That idea hit me so hard I even found myself covering the song on my own — just to feel what it was like to let my voice out again. And it felt good. Like reclaiming a part of myself I didn’t realize I’d set aside.

“Fly Away” isn’t just a song for Week 7. It’s a reminder that heartbreak can push you exactly where you were meant to be. That dreams don’t disappear — they just wait for you to return. And that's when you finally choose yourself; everything else starts to fall into place.

Take a listen.

— MrJayCam | Equalized Outdoors