Written By: Mike Double G
Grade = 63% or 3 ⭐️
SoulFly ⭐️
Gone Till November ⭐️
Blame on You ✅
Don’t Forget ⭐️
Tombstone ❌
All I Got ❌
Richer (Feat. Polo G) ⭐️
Street Runner ❌
Pillz & Billz ⭐️
How the Game Go ✅
Shock da World ❌
What’s Love?? ⭐️
OMDB ✅
Invisible Scar ❌
Calling ✅
Sneaky Links ✅
Believe Me ❌
Moving On ✅
Changing ❌
To say Rod Wave is a melodic rapper would be an understatement. He certainly does rap but he sings more than anything. Rod Wave isn’t classified as a R&B artist or Pop singer because of his content. His lyrics and song writing ability puts him in the urban category but he really has his own lane which makes him different from a lot of artists in the game. His recipe is mixes gritty bars with soulful melodies. When talking about content Rod Wave says it best on the first track of the album. On SoulFly he says “I got skills in other thangs but got rich off rapping pain.” You can hear Rod Waves pain in his smooth melodic flow. Any one who’s really been through some hard times will be drawn to Rod Wave’s music. The rapper from Florida really puts his feelings into his music. He talks about painful subjects including depression, mental health, street life, drug abuse, and love. In the song What’s Love? Wave describes a time he met a woman at a blackjack table in Las Vegas. She was wearing a $50,000 AP watch. This song is about women who are materialistic. When someone suddenly comes into money they tend to wonder whether that person loves them for them or do they care more about what they can get from the person.
Another topic discussed on the album is drug abuse and addiction. In Pills & Billz Rod Wave talks about his cousin who overdosed on drugs. He says “I watched my cousin smoke crack his whole fuckin life. Fentanyl his the street and he OD’d the same night.” This is the kind of content that makes Rod Wave different then a lot of artist. He puts the truth in his music even if it’s ugly. Some of Rod Waves lyrics might come off as suicidal. In the song Tombstone, Rod Wave says in the chorus “On my tombstone when they bury me. By the river, they will carry me. Finally, I'll be resting in peace.” In a Breakfast Club interview Rod Wave goes into detail with this song. He says he is NOT suicidal. Wave goes on to talk about his new fast pace life. He talks about how he is responsible for a lot of people including his new born twins. Between the music and responsibility it can be a lot and sometimes he wished he could just mute everything out and get some rest. He tells the crew that’s a big reason you don’t see him unless he’s on tour or promoting an album. He’d rather stay home with his family and wished his life was more private. That’s the reason he’s not always on social media. Like his first two albums Rod Wave does not include many features. This album runs 57 minutes long and there is only 1 feature. Polo G appears on the song Richer which might be the best song on the project. I never liked an artist who flooded there album with features because it takes away there ability to showcase there talent. However, a project close to a hour long would benefit from having more guest appearances. In a time when listeners have a short attention span it’s harder to get through an album listening to one artist. In the Breakfast Club interview Rod Wave says that he met Polo G in a store. Polo G came up to him and told him that he liked his music and that they should work together. Rod Wave says he only wants to work with people he’s actually met or has a genuine relationship with. While this is understandable I think the fans would like to see him collaborate with some of there other favorite artist. As he becomes more mainstream I think he could benefit from branching out a little more.
Polo G is the only artist with a verse on the album but Rod Wave does pay homage to the late Pimp C as he appears on the intro to the song Don’t Forget. It’s also safe to say that Rod Wave is a Drake fan as he did a remake to the song Over My Dead Body. A song that appeared on Drake’s second album “Take Care”. This is probably a song that had to be cleared by Drake so don’t be surprised if that coloration happens in the future.
This is Rod Waves third LP. If you are a big fan of his I think you’ll be pleased as it is right on par with his last two projects. If nothing else Rod Wave has been consistent. If your not big on Rod Wave then I don’t think there is really anything that is going to make you fall in love. There are definitely good songs on here but with not many features it did become a long listen.
The album has a depressing vibe for the most part but sometimes that kind of music can help people get through a hard time. Judging on the music alone it’s the kind of melodic music that catches pretty quick but also something you can easily get tired of. He relies mostly on melodies but you will also find him rapping. An example of this would be the song Moving On. I gave this project a 63 rating or 3 stars which is considered average. I also gave 3 stars to Ghetto Gospel and Pray 4 Love (Deluxe).
Best Song = Richer (Feat. Polo G)
Download: Rod Wave - SoulFly