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2023 studio album by Rod Wave From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Nostalgia is the fifth studio album by American rapper and singer Rod Wave, released on September 15, 2023, through Alamo Records.[2] The album features guest appearances from 21 Savage, Sadie Jean, and Wet, while the production was handled by Ayo Bleu, FlexOnDaTrack, LayZBeats, LondnBlue, Ronny J, SephGotTheWaves, and TnTXD, alongside several others.[3] The album serves as a follow-up to Green's fourth studio album, Beautiful Mind (2022), and his EP, Jupiter's Diary: 7 Day Theory (2022).[4]
| Nostalgia | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | September 15, 2023 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 55:25 | |||
| Label | Alamo | |||
| Producer |
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| Rod Wave chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Nostalgia | ||||
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Nostalgia received positive reviews from music critics, who praised the album's lyrical vulnerability and melodic flows. It debuted atop the US Billboard 200 chart for selling 137,000 album-equivalent units, 1,500 of which were pure album sales.[5] Serving as Green's third consecutive number one on the chart,[6] each of the album's eighteen tracks entered the Billboard Hot 100.[7] In its second week, the album stayed atop the chart, moving an additional 88,000 units.[8] In May 2024, Nostalgia was listed amongst Sony Music's highest grossing albums of the fiscal year.[9] It was supported by five singles: "Fight the Feeling", "Call Your Friends", "Come See Me", "Boyz Don't Cry", and "Checkmate".
Upon the album's release, Green appeared in an interview with Nick and Eddie from Apple Music 1's Rap Life Radio.[10] During the interview, Green revealed how on the album, he was able to express himself to his fullest: "I feel like on this album, I was able to spread my emotions around. I have more time just to touch bases on different kind of points of views, on different subjects", describing music as "therapy" for him. When asked about the album's title, Green went in-depth and revealed the background behind the title:[10]
Over the years, you know what I’m saying? I done let, I done let, I done let lot of it out, you know what I’m saying? And just, it was just therapy for me, you know what I’m saying? But this album, the reason why I even named it Nostalgia is, you know what I’m saying? Just ‘cause I always remember where I was at. Every interview I did, every person, every face I met, every song, every video I shot, I remember where I was at, how I was feeling, what I was doing, so, I just had to realize, this is nostalgic. Everything I put out in the world, in the universe, I'ma be able to look back at it, like, “Damn, I remember that time, I remember this,” you know what I’m saying? It’s all special to me. So, yeah, this album, man, I just feel different, you know what I’m saying?
During his interview with Gillie Da Kid and Wallo267 of Million Dollaz Worth of Game, Green spoke about his song selection process, stating that he'd pick a certain amount of songs to "gain new fans" some tracks for his new fans, and some tracks for his core fanbase.[11]
Rod Wave released the lead single of the album, "Fight the Feeling", on March 31, 2023.[12] The song provoked negative feedback with people opining that his music became "too emotional".[13] However, he claimed that he wrote the song with his haters on his mind.[14][15] On August 16, 2023, Rod announced the album and released the second single "Call Your Friends" two days later.[16][17] He also addressed allegations of having moved the release date several times before, saying that this was his first time mentioning any date while sharing the album's official artwork.[18][19] On September 1, Rod Wave released the album's third single, "Come See Me".[20][21][22] On September 11, Rod announced the Nostalgia Tour, a North American tour for the album that is set to take place from October to December 2023.[23] The 35-date tour through North America will be backed by special guests Ari Lennox, Toosii, G Herbo, and Eelmatic.[24] On September 13, the album's fourth single, "Boyz Don't Cry" was released as an Amazon Music acoustic exclusive.[25] The album's fifth and final single, "Checkmate" was released on September 14, just a day prior to the album's release.[26][27]
Following the release of the album, Green's late uncle and manager, Dereck "Dee" Lane appeared in an interview with Billboard in which he spoke about pushing Green to promote the album more than his previous records:[28]
The key to Rod’s success is his team. We’re grass rooted. Yes, Nostalgia is our standout album, but we didn’t change the approach that we take when it comes to the music. [...] You’re in the industry so I’m sure you know that Rod doesn’t do a lot of album promo. The whole team felt that this album was definitely a special one. With that being said, I pushed him to do as much promo as possible to make sure we got the word out while also continuing to maintain and stay true to himself.
Nostalgia received mediocre reviews from critics. Writing for AllMusic, TiVo Staff stated that his "emotional delivery, melodic flows, gospel underpinnings, and pop-friendly approach to trap" have a similar delivery to that of his previous studio album, Beautiful Mind (2022). He stated that "there's a unified feeling throughout the almost-hour-long project, and it reaches its highest points right around the middle of the journey".[1] HipHopDX's Isaac Fontes stated that "[Rod Wave's] soulful reflections over Trap beats laced with booming 808s accompanied by either a twinkling piano loop or a drawling guitar riff, is a contrast that works because of the depths of his lyrics." He noted that "authenticity and deeply introspective lyrics" play a major factor in why "his movement [is] so powerful".[29]
| Publication | List | Rank | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles Times | The 20 Best Albums of 2023 | 14 |
On November 18, 2023, Boosie Badazz took to social media to state that he planned to file a lawsuit against Rod Wave over an uncleared sample on "Long Journey" from Boosie's track of the same title, featuring Webbie.[31] Boosie claimed that Rod Wave stile his lyrics and that he just wants his "split" and his "cut".[31] On the same day, Boosie "unleashed" on Rod Wave, alleging that Rod was stealing from Boosie's children by not properly clearing the track.[32] Just hours later, Rod Wave responded to Boosie's allegations stating that he'd pay him and a lawsuit wasn't required,[33][34] however, just a day later, Boosie teased a diss track seemingly aimed at Rod: "For years I let you n****s slide, hoping that I get that phone call like n**** you can't get 25%, but I never got it / Not keeping it real so let's keep it real".[35][36] Following the diss track tease, Rod Wave took to his Twitter to state that he'd never steal a song from another artist while taking aim at Boosie and stating that he was planning to retire from music.[37] Days later, during an Instagram live, Boosie confirmed that Rod Wave failed to pay him and that he plans to go forward with the lawsuit.[38][39] The following month, Boosie went on a "rant" on Instagram live alleging that Row would rather pay a lawyer than him.[40]
In the United States, Nostalgia debuted atop the Billboard 200, earning 137,000 album-equivalent units (including 1,500 in pure sales) in its first week. It became Wave's third number-one on the chart and sixth top-ten. The album also accumulated a total of 187.51 million on-demand streams of its songs.[5] In its second week, the album remained at number one on the chart, moving an additional 88,000 units, a 500-unit margin above closest challenger Olivia Rodrigo's Guts.[8][41] The album was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America on November 17, 2023.[42] As of December 2023, Beautiful Mind was the 44th best-selling album in the United States, moving over 757,000 album-equivalent units in the year, consisting of 3,300 pure sales, 20,000 song sales, 952,422,000 audio streams, and 148,228,000 video streams.[43] On May 14, 2024, Sony Music reported a 17% increase in revenue in the fiscal year. Green's Nostalgia was listed among the top-earning projects released through the label.[9] On September 16, the album was certified platinum, signifying a million units sold.[42]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Nostalgia" (with Wet) |
| Eelmatic | 2:43 |
| 2. | "Long Journey" |
|
| 3:05 |
| 3. | "Call Your Friends" |
|
| 2:33 |
| 4. | "HG4" |
|
| 2:00 |
| 5. | "Come See Me" |
|
| 3:10 |
| 6. | "Crazy" |
|
| 2:10 |
| 7. | "Love for a Thug" |
|
| 3:04 |
| 8. | "Checkmate" |
|
| 3:17 |
| 9. | "Fight the Feeling" |
|
| 2:40 |
| 10. | "Turks & Caicos" (featuring 21 Savage) |
| Adé | 3:23 |
| 11. | "Boyz Don't Cry" |
|
| 2:46 |
| 12. | "Pass You By" |
|
| 3:12 |
| 13. | "Great Gatsby" |
|
| 2:26 |
| 14. | "Keep It G" |
|
| 4:00 |
| 15. | "Love Story/Interlude" |
|
| 5:16 |
| 16. | "Rap Beef" |
|
| 3:28 |
| 17. | "Back Lit" |
|
| 2:58 |
| 18. | "2018" (with Sadie Jean) |
| Eelmatic | 3:14 |
| Total length: | 55:25 | |||
Sample credits
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
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| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[52] | Platinum | 1,000,000‡ |
|
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
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