Freestyle (Rod Wave song)

"Freestyle" is a song by American rapper and singer Rod Wave. It was released on July 31, 2020 in the lead up to the deluxe edition of his second studio album Pray 4 Love, which was released on August 7. It is the eight single from the album. The song sees Rod Wave rap-singing about his come up.

"Freestyle"
Single by Rod Wave
from the album Pray 4 Love (Deluxe)
Released	July 31, 2020
Length	2:54
Label	Alamo Interscope Geffen
Songwriter(s)	Rodarius Green Timothy Link Thomas Horton
Producer(s)	KobéBeats  Timmy Da HitMan  TnTXD
Rod Wave singles chronology
"Through the Wire" (2020) "Freestyle" (2020) "Gambling" (2020)
Music video
"Freestyle" on YouTube

Composition

As the title suggests, the song is a freestyle rap, with no proper structure,^[1] finding Rod Wave employing a "straightforward" approach, rap-singing about his rising career and perseverance over a soft piano melody and "scintillating" drums.^[2][3]

Critical reception

Alex Zidel of HotNewHipHop gave the song a "VERY HOTTTTT" rating, and stated: "Hopping in the studio and blurting out whatever came to his mind, Wave managed to bring out more emotion than most people would have accomplished bringing a written verse to the studio".^[4] AllHipHop opined that "sometimes there's no need to complicate things and in this case with Rod Wave, he's got a formula that works!"^[5] HipHopDX's Devon Jefferson named it one the hottest tracks of the week and praised how Rod Wave "exercises his vocal cords with some mental floss bars for the struggle".^[6]

Music video

The official video, directed by TRUFilms, was released on July 30, 2020, a day prior to the song's release. It sees Rod wave boasting his riches and flaunting his wealth. Billboard's Heran Mamo noted how the visual "gives fans an exclusive peek of the millions of ways the bright rap rookie stacks his six million in cash, from on the bed of his tour bus to in the bathtub of his hotel room".^[7]

Charts

Chart (2020)	Peak position
US Billboard Hot 100[8]	86
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[9]	32
US Rolling Stone Top 100[10]	73

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[11]	Platinum	1,000,000‡
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

1. Navjosh (August 1, 2020). "Rod Wave Shares New Song &Vudeo 'Freestyle'". HipHop-N-More. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
2. Williams, Aaron (July 31, 2020). "Rod Wave Hugs A Stack Of Money In His Boastful 'Freestyle' Video". Uproxx. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
3. Duong, Paul (July 31, 2020). "New Video: Rod Wave "Freestyle"". Rap Radar. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
4. Zidel, Alex (July 31, 2020). "Rod Wave Releases New Freestyle From "Pray 4 Love" Deluxe Edition". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
5. Onlinecrates (August 4, 2020). "Rod Wave Kicks A "Freestyle" And Holds Big Stacks For the Camera". AllHipHop. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
6. Jefferson, Devon (July 30, 2020). "New Music Friday - New Singles From A$AP Ferg & Nicki Minaj, Action Bronson, Juicy J & Wiz Khalifa & More". HipHopDX. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
7. Mamo, Heran (August 3, 2020). "Rod Wave Revels in His Riches in 'Freestyle' Video". Billboard. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
8. "Rod Wave Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved August 18, 2020.
9. "Rod Wave Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved August 22, 2020.
10. "Top 100 Songs, August 7, 2020 - August 13, 2020". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on September 24, 2020. Retrieved August 19, 2020.
11. "American single certifications – Rod Wave – Freestyle". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved August 21, 2024.