Over Thanksgiving break, my sister invited me to go with her to a Rod Wave concert. I had only heard one of his songs before, and I didn’t know a single lyric, but I agreed to go anyway. I ended up having a really good time, and I was pleasantly surprised by Rod Wave’s music and performance. I was one of the only people in the audience who wasn’t screaming every lyric back to him, which made me wonder – is Rod Wave going to be the next breakout R&B artist?
Rodarius Green, known professionally as Rod Wave, is only 22 years old. He first began creating music in 2015, putting songs and mixtapes out on Soundcloud. His music was shared on social media as he slowly started to gain a following. He released his first album, Ghetto Gospel, in 2019. This same year his song “Heart on Ice” went viral on TikTok, giving him his first spot in the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
I think what draws a lot of people to Rod Wave and his music is the sense of sincerity you get from listening to it. Rod Wave is credited with being one of the first artists to work within a genre known as “soul trap.” You can tell that a lot of his songs are very personal to him, and many contain real anecdotes about his life. The songs he produces are very rich and complex, strung together by a classic trap beat. He talks about heartbreak and what he’s learned from it, and although he is sad about what has happened in his life you can tell he just truly cares and wants the best for everyone who has been there for him.
The concert felt super laidback and, in a way, relaxing. As we were waiting outside to get into the venue, all my sister and I could talk about was how calm the line was. I feel like I’ve gotten used to going to concerts of superstars with huge fanbases who will do anything to get as close to the stage as physically possible. Our seats were on the balcony, and a lot of people around us got up from their seats to just stand at the edge and listen and sing along. Nobody got mad at each other for blocking the view of the stage, or for sitting in the wrong seat, and it just felt really refreshing to be a part of. However, just because the fans were laid back doesn’t mean that they weren’t super excited to be there. As I mentioned before, I was one of the only people in my section who didn’t know every word of every song.
I left the concert with a feeling that Rod Wave’s fan base was going to keep growing and growing, and that that concert wasn’t the last time I’d see him perform. If he continues to create music as passionately as he has been these past few years, his career will definitely go far.
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