DELISA Since stepping on the scene in 2016, Rod Wave’s
relatable bars and larger than life vocals have captivated audiences across genres.
DELISA To figure out one of the most dynamic melodic
voices in the current rap landscape, we needed to get a second opinion.
PRINCE CHARLES ALEXANDER I really struggle to classify a lot of this
generation because I feel like they're equally applying a singing aesthetic as well
as a rapping aesthetic. And they're doing them both well.
DELISA That’s Prince Charles Alexander. He
previously worked with Genius to take a look at Roddy Ricch and Lil Tjay’s melodies so
he sat down again to break down Rod Wave’s vocal prowess and how he uses his greatest instrument.
PRINCE CHARLES Now we don't think of them like we think of Prince but that doesn't mean that that's
not what's happening.
DELISA What artists like Rod Wave are doing is no accident and the techniques are used intentionally
to expand the definition of not only hip-hop but the entirety of the music landscape.
PRINCE CHARLES That is probably what I would call, and I
know we use this word liberally, but the genius of this work and genius doesn't have to be
this studied genius that's been doing it forever and ever, genius can be that inspiration.
DELISA The Florida rapper’s most notable track
“Heart On Ice” set the tone for Rod’s contribution to the hip-hop lexicon.
Similar to the late star Amy Winehouse, he reworks the typical song structure to establish
it in his own authentic way.
PRINCE CHARLES “Heart on Ice” is interesting because there's a lot of confidence in a composition.
Where you come in, you do your chorus, then you do your verse and then you do the second
chorus, and a song is over. To me that's guts. Amy Winehouse did that.
PRINCE CHARLES: She was at about 2:30 and she just stopped. She didn't have any more to say. It's like,
Look, this was the most important thing I had to say and I'm not going to give you fluff.
I'm going to give you what's important
and then I'm out. That's kind of like a drop the mic moment.
DELISA “Heart On Ice”’s short yet lamenting
verse is bookended by a powerful chorus that invites listeners to belt along with him.
PRINCE CHARLES Hip-hop is known for breaking down tradition,
whatever you think is the norm we're going to figure out a way to do something different.
More so than most of the other melodic rappers that I've heard, Rod Wave is doing something
that really is changing the form of verses and choruses and where these pieces go.
DELISA Wave’s testimonial nature draws in a long
lineage of artists like Kendrick Lamar and Biggie who painted a portrait of their world
with their music.
PRINCE CHARLES if Notorious B.I.G. could sing, he probably
would sound like Rod Wave.
DELISA While some artists use their lyricism to convey their message, Rod has taken a different artistic
approach by using his voice as the vehicle for his most vulnerable and powerful moments.
ROD WAVE I don’t make music for the hype and the
‘let’s get lit.’ After you’re done turning up and you dealing with your real
problems, that’s where I come in at.
DELISA Take Rod’s 2020 cut, “Through The Wire” which detailed his near-fatal car accident
and past experiences with drug abuse. With a slight nod to rapper Kanye West’s 2004
track of the same name, Rod’s painfully honest lyrics are accompanied by his daring
vocals that push through the composition.
PRINCE CHARLES He's utilizing his voice, this powerful, this
personal instrument, not just to rap, but also to incorporate more than rapping
with the melodies. I think that that world and the authenticity of that world is really
what comes across in Rod's music.
DELISA Though classified as a rapper, Wave has some technical tricks up his sleeve that can be
found in pop rock music.
Because he defies the traditional song structure, it allows him moments to catch us off guard
when he delivers his signature emotive vocals.
PRINCE CHARLES His melody is the typical pentatonic scale between D and F sharp, D three and F sharp three.
PRINCE CHARLES And then he gets to the lyric wonder, do you
miss me?
And he jumps up from an F sharp three to an F sharp four. He goes up a whole nother octave.
PRINCE CHARLES I've seen rock and roll singers do that. There
was a group called Hoobastank. They had a song called The Reason...
MEDIA *singing*
PRINCE CHARLES and you kind of feel it coming I didn't feel
it coming with Rod.
DELISA And Rod takes it a step further to attempt a falsetto on “Girl Of My Dreams” that
showcases the perfect imperfections that work to establish his fanbase.
PRINCE CHARLES Granted, it's not great but he is hitting
the notes.
PRINCE CHARLES That vulnerability, that willingness to go
there, that's bold.
Rod Wave could have gotten a singer to sing any of the choruses, but for him to do it
himself, for him to bring his authentic self to it, and to be in some ways unashamed to
be nakedly imperfect... to me, I love that.
DELISA For 2021’s “Tombstone,” Rod achieves a tone that could add to the Black southern
folk tradition that Ray Charles helped to cultivate with his Grammy Hall Of Fame Inducted
album, ‘Modern Sounds In Country Western Music.’
DELISA Tracks like “Tombstone” reflect his southern
roots with beautiful imagery that endears himself to his fans and opens the door for
new ones to join along.
PRINCE CHARLES I think Rod is coming out the gate going,
"Look, my music, it's for everybody. And I got a little bit of my soul from the South
in it. And it's powerful.
DELISA Rod Wave makes a conscious effort to display all of himself in his music, giving his fans
the opportunity to express themselves through his lyrics. That approach coupled with the
honesty in his voice is what makes the young rapper so sincere.
PRINCE CHARLES There is an authenticity to why something
that's not perfectly in tune resonates with the human spirit, primarily because we, as
human beings are not perfect. And if you can do it well, what you're doing is you're reflecting
the reality of the human condition.
ROD WAVE Ain’t nobody perfect. Everybody wanna get on their songs and shit and walk around like
they perfect. That ain’t what this shit about.
DELISA I’m Delisa with Genius News bringing you the meaning and the knowledge behind the music.