Just 21-years-old but with the voice and the demeanor of a grizzled veteran, Florida’s Rod Wave is a unique figure in the Southern rap scene. Preparing his third standout project in less than twelve months, Rod announces Ghetto Gospel, his upcoming album executive produced by Kevin Gates arriving on Nov. 1st. Additionally Rod shares, “Close Enough To Hurt” a video single from the upcoming project.
The follow-up to June’s PTSD mixtape, which boasts Rod’s breakthrough hit “Popular Loner” (13+ million views), Ghetto Gospel is an accurate descriptive turn for Rod’s spiritual and nakedly-emotional blend of rap music, defined by Rod’s unique singing ability, able to switch from a bluesy croon to rapid-fire triplets at a moments notice. Executive produced by Kevin Gates, and featuring the recently released Gates/Rod collab “Cuban Links” (over 1 million views in its first 24 hours of release), the album is packed with soulful ruminations on Rod’s early life in St. Petersburg, his grappling with his newfound status, and everything in between. The upcoming album also features Rod’s recent “Heart On Ice” (Remix), which features an appearance from Lil Durk and has over 3 million streams across platforms.
In the cinematic new video, “Close Enough To Hurt” finds Rod emoting atop mournful electric guitar progression and stuttering trap drums, emphasizing his desire to keep new faces at arms length. In the video, Rod retreats to a remote area in the California wilderness, posting up at an abandoned, Spanish-style church to get in touch with his spirituality and take a break from his life as a rising rap star.
Keep Rod on your radar! Today he’s trending on Apple and the numbers indicate rapid success. He’s definitely on the rise!
© 2019, Seth "Digital Crates" Barmash. All rights reserved.
