Like he’s part of a generation moving forward like a wave, feeling the tidal pull of the past. If what started there with structural racism and red-lined segregation in the early 20th century led to outsize desperation, crime and poverty in the late 20th, Rod’s music sounds like the millennium that followed. They’re about ascending from it in the area south of Central Avenue. Rod’s lyrics are hard, but they aren’t about thug life. They jump straight off the porch and land straight in the streets. Where I come from it’s a race to eighteen. Where I come from it ain’t safe to believe. ‘Cause where I come from, they ain’t chasing a dream. Want to know the story? Rod asks them through the mic. So scared to fail, I’m calculatin’ my every step.” The crowd loses it, singing “I been so zoned out, tryna figure out what’s next. “We call it the choir,” says DJ Fizzumfade, real name Coby Green.įans cheer after counting down to Rod Wave’s performance during his SoulFly tour at the MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre in Tampa on Saturday, Sept. Rod’s fans are the type to go hoarse shouting every line. He’s coordinating a meeting after the show with a 15-year-old cancer patient whose greatest wish is to meet Rod Wave. He’s never seen Rod write down a lyric.Īn Alamo Records executive half listens while texting. in an Airbnb closet or an airport lounge, tells the story of Rod doing the vocals for certified gold hit Brace Face with a hotel comforter over his head. Rod’s recording engineer, who travels everywhere in case Rod wants to record at 4 a.m. Rod’s videographer constantly captures the documentary-style tour footage signature to Rod’s music videos. Rod’s tour DJ, a cousin, lounges on a couch. His music, inspired by his heartbreak and trauma in the Sunshine City, is shaping culture far beyond Florida, connecting to an audience with its own struggles.Īn entourage takes shape backstage on this September night.
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