Courtesy of Alamo Records

Cover of the 2022 album “Beautiful Mind” by Rod Wave

“Beautiful Mind” is an album by Rod Wave, released in August 2022. I first started listening to Wave in middle school, when he dropped “Heart on Ice” back in 2019.

His new album, “Beautiful Mind,” consists of 24 songs. I really enjoy most of them (except “Quiet Storm,” mainly because the song is so different from the others. It just doesn’t feel like Wave’s usual style.)

If I were to rank the top five songs, I would say:

1. “Yungen”
2. “Alone”
3. “I Know It”
4. “Rockstar Heart”
5. “Me vs. The World”

When I look at the titles of these songs, I can feel that Wave is talking about himself, and his experience coming up from the bottom. His story is remarkable and inspiring, and his dedication to making his dreams come true really shows his determination and perseverance.

“This was my dream,” he raps in the song “Yungen.” “I always believed, but I couldn’t see this comin.”

 Those lyrics support my beliefs about his dedication to his dream. The song also shows how far he has come.

“I used to walk to the school, walk to the store, catch the buses,” he sings. “Now I’m in the back of the Bach and catching jets across the country.”

In these lyrics, he is talking about how he had no transportation growing up, but now he’s made it. “Bach” refers to a Maybach, a present day expensive car – and he uses his private jet to travel around the world. I suppose rapping about it is a way of flexing. 

In the song “Alone,” the vibe and meaning is self-explanatory.

“One day, you’re here, next day you’re gone,” he sings. He seems to feel like it’s only him on his side, and he’s the only one there to pick himself up – hence another song title in the album. “Me vs. The World.”

When he sings: “On the early mornings, and the long nights,” he shows how long his days were, and how much time he sacrificed to get where he is today.

In the song “I Know It,” Wave says: “You know I met this cold world when I was seventeen.”

This shows he thrived from even his pre-adult days – which is unusual. A lot of other 17-year-olds haven’t even had a job yet. Wave was forced to grow up even faster than I could imagine. 

A long verse that caught my attention is when he says:

So many things in his brain at one time.
Wake up in the morning and get straight to business.
In the back of my mind, I hear the clock ticking.

This is a very powerful verse that gives the listeners an image of what his life was. For me, I picture him waking up, getting ready – then spending the day making songs, setting off his career.