Don’t Look Down: Rod Wave’s Journey From Pain to Growth
On August 28, 2026, Rod Wave released his 7th studio album “Don’t Look Down”. This marks his longest break from an album ever, at 1 year, 10 months, and 17-days. With singles like ‘Feed the Streets’, ‘Piece of Your Love’, and ‘Hustle’ being released to roll out his new album, fans have started to wonder: Why the change of style?
Rodarius Marcell Green, also known as Rod Wave, is a 28-year-old rapper, singer, and songwriter from St. Petersburg, Florida. He is the only male artist to release a top ten album on the Billboard 200 every year from 2019 to 2024. He also has a Grammy nomination in the Best Song Written for Visual Media category for his single, “Sinners”.
According to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), Rod has over 15 platinum-certified songs and multi-platinum hits like “Heart on Ice” and “Rags2Riches”, which solidifies his place in the trap-soul music scene.
Above all else, the album “Don’t Look Down” shows Rod Wave’s transition from a more pain- and trauma-based style of music to a love- and family-centered way of expressing himself. In a podcast with Fat Joe and Jadakiss, Rod Wave states, “This album is a new chapter for me as a man,” which shows the journey he has been on to better himself.
“I think Rod Wave changing his style is a step in the right direction for him and his music. There are many who want to feel uplifted and happy when they listen to music, so by moving away from the sad part, he’s diversifying his range of options and appealing to a broader audience of people,” states American Senior High junior Brandon Higgs.
The album has a lot of controversy surrounding it, given the fact that multiple of the songs on it are sampled from other artists. An example of this is in “One More Time”, which incorporates familiar lyrics from Lil Wayne’s verse on his 2009 single “Every Girl”.
Rod Wave even offered Boosie – another well-known rapper- $100,000 to settle an out-of-court dispute after sampling one of his 2010 songs, “Long Journey,” for a track with the same name on his 2023 album “Nostalgia”.
In an interview with Shannon Sharpe, Rod Wave said that he was just “showing love” and that there was no ill intent behind him using the song. He says that, “When I was younger, the people I saw on TV and YouTube were the ones I looked up to the most, and they were my role models.” He would even go as far as to say that he “talked and preached and did” by those artists he looked up to.
Fans have also noticed lyrical references in Rod Wave’s new song “Take Care” and those of multiple Drake songs, such as “Over My Dead Body” and “Shot for Me”. He includes phrases like “over my dead body” and “take a shot for me”, with even the name of the song “Take Care” being the name of a 2011 Drake album. This split listeners into people who like the album and what he has done with the songs, and people who found the “overuse” of samples uncreative.
“His sampling just shows his knowledge and respect for others in the rap scene. It elevates his music and others’ music. Sadie Jean was used as a sample on a popular song, “2018,” which helped people find out about her. They loved her verse so much that she was brought onto his tour, which boosted her popularity. Overall, his samples elevate him to a level most just aren’t at yet and prove he isn’t just a singer but a true musician,” says junior Brandon Clark.
“I personally think it’s wrong because that’s Lil Wayne’s life, not Rod’s life. You can’t rap or talk about something you didn’t experience. It’s like you can talk about what you did in your life but leave other people’s music to them.” HML junior Zeric Taylor explains.
In general, Rod Wave’s music maintains a bad reputation because people think it’s “too sad” and that it makes people depressed. However, research suggests that people can actually benefit emotionally from listening to sad music.
In a study hosted by the National Library of Medicine, researchers found that people can find reassurance in listening to sad music. Rod Wave’s music could be a way for listeners to find solace in the fact that they aren’t the only ones experiencing hardships.
“His sad music is actually good to me. It’s like if you’re sad and have any type of stress, you can sing it and release anything that you’re holding on to and feel better,” says freshman Mihaly Williams.
Regardless of what people may think, this album represents much more than just music for a lot of people. “It’s a blessing to be here in this space; it’s like, don’t look down, just keep going, keep dreaming, don’t let nobody put a ceiling on you or what you can or can’t do.’– Rod Wave. This is a message Rod Wave wanted to share and the legacy he wants to leave behind. It represents change and growth, love and compassion, perseverance, and not looking down.
