Florida’s Rod Wave Melodically Processes His Trauma in the Soulful ‘PTSD’ Project

Equally inspired by Boosie Badazz and Adele, sweet-singing Rod Wave is one of rap’s most unique new voices. Confronting his traumatic past with melody and verve, Rod Wave shares PTSD, his new mixtape. Growing up in St. Petersburg, Florida, often listed among the most depressing cities in America, Rod experienced the human cost of poverty from a young age, watching close cousins fall victim to gun violence and seeing close friends get life in prison for violence of their own. On PTSD, Rod processes the emotional weight of his troubled youth, revealing the toll it takes on his well-being and expressing gratitude for the vocal and lyrical talent that lifted him out of his old life. Though the subject matter can get heavy, Rod remains a buoyant presence, injecting hus soul into each song, as he alternates between full-bodied singing and rapidfire rhymes.

Says Rod Wave, “This project is different from all my past work. It’s deeper than anything I’ve ever done. I’m at a point in my life and music where I’m opening up more than ever and sharing my inner thoughts. I’m comfortable now and I feel like I can talk to my fans now. we got a lot in common and my fans can relate to a lot. They love me because of my music not because of what I have. We relate so much and that’s why my music is the way it is. Our connection is bigger than the music.

I came up with the cover art. The only way I could open up on this project and do my thing is to get me a house in the middle of the ocean. During the recording of my whole project, I wasn’t there physically but I was there mentally. I was just in my own world. Just like the song ‘Popular Loner,’ I feel most comfortable when I’m by myself and that’s what the cover art means to me.”

P.T.S.D. collects Rod’s soulful, introspective, and hard-hitting recent singles, including his mission statement “Popular Loner” (2.5 million YouTube views), the guitar-speckled recounting of his rise “Tru Story,” and the brilliantly-sung “Hard Times” (1.1 million streams on its official YouTube audio). The new mixtape shows Rod’s romantic side the devotional love song “Paint The Sky Red,“ reaches a celebratory peak with “Calabasas,” which features an appearance from rap legend E-40, and shows a great deal of self-awareness on the Pitchfork-approved “Heart On Ice.“ With production from Go Grizzly, TNT, D Major, Yung Tago, and more, PTSD arrives via Alamo Records.

Buy/Stream PTSD: https://smarturl.it/rwptsd

PTSD Tracklist:
1. Popular Loner (prod. TNT & D Major)
2. Hard Times (prod. TNT & D Major)
3. PTSD (prod. MacOnDaTrackk)
4. Heart On Ice (prod. Speaker Bangerz, Malik, & DiCaprio Beatz)
5. Paint The Sky Red (prod. Yung Tago & WassupBans)
6. Calabasas f/E-40 (prod. John C & Fittfi)
7. Proud Of Me (prod. Go Grizzly & Squat Beatz)
8. No Love (prod. DamnBenny! & Popstar Benny)
9. How Would You Feel (prod. Yung Tago)
10. True Story (prod. Golden.Tae)
11. ATR For Life (prod. TnTXD & MikeMadeThe808’s)
12. Bottom Boy Survivor (prod. TNT, Yung Tago, & Trillo)