Rod Wave is a 28-year-old rapper from St. Petersburg, Florida who makes “Trap Soul” music. He made himself known to the world by having the hit song “Heart 4 Sale” in 2018. Now, he has over 6 million subscribers on YouTube and approximately 10.8 million followers on Spotify. Currently he has a new album that was released on August 28, 2026 entitled ‘Don’t Look Down’ and it contains 20 tracks and had over 8.73 million views on the first day. In addition, it is number 1 on the Billboard 200. The two songs that stood out to me the most were “All I Ever Had” and “Piece of your Love.”
“All I Ever Had” begins with a slow synth-driven beat that soon collides with the sound of various instruments. Following the beat was Rod’s soothing voice as he expresses his feelings about a female who is no longer in his life. This song sympathizes with people who are going through heartbreaks and cannot fathom the fact that their loved one is no longer by their side. Although the song was 2 minutes and 31 seconds, it holds the emotion of a heartbroken person that will make you channel how they are feeling at the moment.
“Piece of Your Love” begins with a phone call recording amongst two lovebirds flirting. While the phone call is playing, there is a smooth female voice that automatically grasps your attention. Throughout the song, he illustrates how much he misses the love of his life and how much she clouds his mind. The favorite part of this song is how vulnerable the lyrics are. You can feel his pain without experiencing it.
Overall, the album is definitely a hit. There are no surprises with the songs, and you get exactly what you expect from a Rod Wave album which is passionate emotions. He did not let his fans down. Although the lyrics are well thought through and memorable, I do think he should’ve changed the tone throughout the 20 songs on the album to differentiate between certain moods.
