10.23.2019

Rod Wave Announces Ghetto Gospel Project, Executive Produced by Kevin Gates, Releasing on November 1st via Alamo Records

The St. Petersburg, Florida-Born Rhymer Retreats to a Remote Church in the Video for the Soulful “Close Enough To Hurt”

Critical Praise:

“The 19-year-old can rap at a brisk pace like an ATL rapper, hit a falsetto like a R&B singer, and often digs deep to unleash a gravelly voice that sounds like he’s the lead in a country rock band…he already possesses one of the best voices in the South.” – Pitchfork

“If you’re not familiar with the sounds of Rod Wave, he’s certainly one of the most talented acts to come out of Florida in some time.” – The Modern Life Mag

“One of Florida’s finest musicians” – ELEVATOR

The Announcement:

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. 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. Rod’s official debut album, Ghetto Gospel releases on November 1st via Alamo Records.

Along with the announcement of Ghetto Gospel, Rod Wave shares “Close Enough to Hurt,” a new video single from the project. Produced by Drum Dummie and Ashton Sellars, “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–they haven’t been through what he’s been through: “Opening up make me worry/And new faces make me nervous/Like where these n****s was when we was sliding in my Acura/Now they wanna pop out cause them R’s is in the back of us.” 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.

The St. Petersburg native recently started his run as a supporting act for Kevin Gates on the nationwide “I’m Him Tour.” Also featuring support from YK Osiris and SDot Fresh, the 33-date nationwide tour recently stopped in New York (Terminal 5) and makes its way to Los Angeles on November 27th (The Novo). Tickets for the “I’m Him Tour” are available now.

Watch “Close Enough to Hurt”: https://youtu.be/BRlSTf6IQUI

Buy/Stream “Close Enough to Hurt”: https://smarturl.it/rwclose

Buy tickets for the “I’m Him Tour”: https://www.kvngates.com/tour

I’m Him Tour dates:
October 23 – New York, NY – Terminal 5
October 24 – Sayreville, NJ – Starland Ballroom
October 27 – Washington, DC – Echostage
October 29 – Norfolk, VA – The Norva
October 30 – Durham, NC – Durham Performing Arts Center (DPAC)
November 1 – Richmond, VA – The National
November 3 – Nashville, TN – Nashville Municipal Auditorium
November 4 – Atlanta, GA – Coca-Cola Roxy
November 6 – Augusta, GA – William B. Bell Auditorium, Augusta-Richmond County Civic Center
November 7 – Orlando, FL – Orlando Amphitheater At The Central Florida Fairgrounds
November 9 – New Orleans, LA – Uno Lakefront Arena
November 10 – Birmingham, AL – BJCC Concert Hall
November 11 – Jackson, MS – Thaila Mara Hall
November 12 – Shreveport, LA – Shreveport Municipal Auditorium
November 13 – Houston, TX – Revention Music Center
November 15 – Dallas, TX – The Bomb Factory
November 17 – Denver, CO – Mission Ballroom
November 18 – Salt Lake City, UT – The Complex
November 20 – Boise, ID – Knitting Factory Boise
November 21 – Portland, OR – Roseland Theater
November 24 – Santa Cruz, CA – The Catalyst
November 25 – San Francisco, CA – The Warfield
November 26 – Pomona, CA – Fox Theater
November 27 – Los Angeles, CA – The Novo By Microsoft
November 30 – Seattle, WA – WaMu Theater