Rod Wave – Pray for Love [Album Review]

Rod Wave might be from the bottom of the map but he’s barreling to the top of rap music this year. St. Petersburg’s southern crooner breaks through with his second studio album, Pray 4 Love, less than six months after his debut, Ghetto Gospel, blessed the streets. Packed with timeless quotes and skillful composition, P4L proves Rod is just as potent of a lyricist as he is a soulful singer.

As he pours out streams of emotional thoughts almost all of us have had but were too afraid or weak to admit, Rod hits home on every song. The album’s title track, “Pray 4 Love”, presents a powerful image of Rod coming to terms with his life’s decisions:

“Get on my knees everyday ask God and pray that my dirty ways don’t lead me to an early grave.”

Battling remorse, growing pains, mistrust, and hopeless romance, Rod expresses vulnerability and frustration in a way that makes one stop and think about their own situations. As one fan adequately stated, “Rod Wave is the CEO of ‘I feel ya’.”

Each song is powered by bars that are intrictactly reflective, yet simply stated. On “The Greatest”, Rod drops one of the album’s most reposted lyrics on Youtube:

“I got my diploma, went to school all 12 years just to get a job selling doughnuts / I ain’t with the minimum wage / I ain’t with the modern day slavery”

Thankfully, Rod doesn’t have to rely on anyone’s meager paycheck to get by anymore, but he does have to deal with hurdles of success–like fame and the tag-alongs that come with it.

“Everybody showed up when we blowed up.”

Then there is the central theme of the album–failed attempts at love while trying to achieve greatness. To anyone who’s ever been in a turbulent relationship, “Dark Clouds” probably resonates with the line:

“You had me but you lost me / I’m not mad I’m exhausted”

And on the chart-climbing single “Girl of My Dreams”, Rod expresses:

“I know you not no good for me, but you look so good to me / I don’t need another broken heart or sleepless night, God please guide me right”

Rod’s prayerful introspection has him grappling with doubt and confusion on “Roaming” as he comes to an insightful perspective on the afterlife:

“We probably in hell already, and our dumbasses ain’t know it / Everybody kissin’ ass to get to heaven and ain’t goin”

Though uncomfortably real overall, the album is not entirely bound in bleakness by any means. Rod finds meaning and purpose on “Ribbon in the Sky”:

“Through all the pain I gotta stay focused ‘cause that’s the key, that’s all I wanted / Life’s too short to be living a lie…I keep my head to the ribbon in the sky”

And he offers hope and something to believe in on “Thug Motivation”:

“Nobody told me the road would be easy / I can’t believe I made it this far / My whole life I’ve been working so hard.”

As he rides around in a brand new Beamer truck with “5% Tints”, Rod understands what all the struggle meant: “Now I know the answer, do dreams come true? Staring at the world through my rearview”

Some are calling the newcomer “Florida’s Tupac”, and if he continues at this pace, Rod just may prove them right, and all the haters wrong. P4L is predictably one of the best and most quotable albums of 2020.

God bless.

Written by Ms Rivercity (@MsRivercity)