Rod Wave, widely known for pouring raw emotion and pain into his music, has sparked one more debate online. For those who remember back in 2022, he told fans that ‘Beautiful Minds’ can be his last “sad” album. Since then, he’s dropped three more bodies of labor, each showing growth, recent vibes, and deeper storytelling. Now, social media is buzzing about whether Rod Wave is really a “sad artist” or simply one of the relatable voices of his generation.
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Rod Wave Talks About Wanting To Move Past The “Sad Artist” Label
On Friday, a clip of Rod Wave sitting down with The Joe Budden Podcast surfaced online. Within the interview, the rapper shared that he not desires to be labeled because the “sad artist.” The conversation began when Joe Budden asked, “Pardon my ignorance, but do you’ve gotten joyful songs?”
Rod responded candidly, saying, “See, sh**like that make you be like, I don’t wish to be the sad n***a. Each time I walk within the room, b****** be like, rattling… I don’t wanna keep being the sad n***a.” He also explained that he’s hesitant to walk away from that sound completely, knowing many fans still connect deeply along with his pain and feel like they need that from him.
Rod Wave says he doesn’t wish to be often known as the sad artist anymore📍
Joe Budden: “pardon my ignorance but do you’ve gotten joyful songs?”
Rod Wave: “see sh*t like that can make you be like, I don’t need to be the sad n*gga… each time I walk within the room, b*tches be like rattling… I… pic.twitter.com/DyZkNxhbHy
— SOUND | Victor Baez (@itsavibe) October 17, 2025
Social Media Weighs In
Across social media, fans have joined in on the continued debate concerning the sort of music Rod Wave creates. While some listeners claim a lot of his songs lean toward the sad or depressing side, his loyal supporters were quick to step in. They made it clear that although Rod first blew up off emotional tracks, th
Instagram user @theteeta wrote, “It ain’t sad it’s just real, what else he gon speak about? Sliding and spinnin on opps and 505 how much money he got?? Don’t switch up….”
Instagram user @dontpaniccccc5 added, “Rod wave music is super relatable everyone undergo things I don’t care how tough you think that you’re”
Instagram user @jassyblackgirl wrote, “His music not even sad fr yall just not listening HE A REAL ONE”
Then Instagram user @_bigtoy added, “It’s not sad, it’s healing”
Instagram user @banods_ wrote, “He blew up off sad music because that’s his passion and that want God is using him for. He says how plenty of pol be feeling but won’t ever say.”
Instagram user @kdgdoji added, “Aint shit peaches and ice cream rn we’d like ts gang”
While X user @NasirAMubarak wrote, “why would he go on a podcast where no one listens to him, bra has A LOT of joyful/motivational songs”
X user @ZooFTG_XB wrote, “ “You’re not an actual Rod Wave fan if you happen to think the nigga only sings about being in sad times. Although that’s what we love from him. He has other bangers that don’t give a tragic vibe. He’s also motivational. Got me off my feet a quite just a few times with ALOT of his music”
X user @sayjuhnay added “Turks & Caicos, Smile, Get A Bag & Pressure simply to name just a few.”
Rod Wave Has A Recent Album On The Way
Despite what fans must say, Rod Wave is letting is able to let his music do the talking. Earlier this week, he dropped his recent single “Leavin’” and announced dates for his upcoming Redemption Excellence Tour. But Rod didn’t stop there. he also took to Instagram with a photograph dump captioned, “just turned my album in,” sending fans right into a frenzy and fueling excitement for what’s next.
RELATED: Rod Wave Says After His Upcoming Album He’s Done Making Sad Music
What Do You Think Roomies?