Nostalgia (Rod Wave Album)

''Nostalgia'' is the fifth studio album by American rapper and singer Rod Wave, released on September 15, 2023, through Alamo Records. 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. 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).

''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. Serving as Green's third consecutive number one on the chart, each of the album's eighteen tracks entered the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. In its second week, the album stayed atop the chart, moving an additional 88,000 units. In May 2024, ''Nostalgia'' was listed amongst Sony Music's highest grossing albums of the fiscal year. It was supported by five singles: " Fight the Feeling", " Call Your Friends", " Come See Me", " Boyz Don't Cry", and "Checkmate".

Background and recording

Upon the album's release, Green appeared in an interview with Nick and Eddie from Apple Music 1's ''Rap Life'' Radio. 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:

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.

Release and promotion

Rod Wave released the lead single of the album, " Fight the Feeling", on March 31, 2023. The song provoked negative feedback with people opining that his music became "too emotional". However, he claimed that he wrote the song with his haters on his mind. On August 16, 2023, Rod announced the album and released the second single " Call Your Friends" two days later. 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. On September 1, Rod Wave released the album's third single, " Come See Me". 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. The 35-date tour through North America will be backed by special guests Ari Lennox, Toosii, G Herbo, and Eelmatic. On September 13, the album's fourth single, " Boyz Don't Cry" was released as an Amazon Music acoustic exclusive. The album's fifth and final single, "Checkmate" was released on September 14, just a day prior to the album's release.

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:

Critical reception

''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". ''HipHopDX''s Isaac Fontes stated that " od Wave'ssoulful 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 sso powerful".

Year-end lists

Controversy

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. Boosie claimed that Rod Wave stile his lyrics and that he just wants his "split" and his "cut". On the same day, Boosie "unleashed" on Rod Wave, alleging that Rod was stealing from Boosie's children by not properly clearing the track. Just hours later, Rod Wave responded to Boosie's allegations stating that he'd pay him and a lawsuit wasn't required, 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". 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. 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. The following month, Boosie went on a "rant" on Instagram live alleging that Row would rather pay a lawyer than him.

Commercial performance

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. 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''. The album was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America on November 17, 2023. 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. 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. On September 16, the album was certified platinum, signifying a million units sold.

Track listing

Sample credits
* "Nostalgia" contains samples of "Where Did the Day Go", written by Kelly Zutrau, Joe Valle, and Marty Sulko, as performed by Wet.
* "Long Journey" contains an interpolation of "Long Journey", written by Torence Ivy Hatch Jr. and Webster Gradney Jr., as performed by Boosie Badazz and Webbie.
* "Crazy" contains samples and an interpolation of " Ain't It Fun", written by Hayley Williams and Taylor York, as performed by Paramore.
* "Turks & Caicos" contains an interpolation of " Girls, Girls, Girls", written by Shawn Carter, Tom Brock, and Justin Smith, as performed by Jay-Z.
* "Keep It G" contains samples of "Back to Blue", written and performed by Dora Pereli.
* "Love Story/Interlude" contains samples of "Song to a Seagull", written and performed by Joni Mitchell.
* "2018" contains samples of "WYD Now?", written by Sadie Wilcox, David Alexander, and Grace Enger, as performed by Sadie Jean.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

See also

* 2023 in hip hop music
* List of ''Billboard'' 200 number-one albums of 2023

References

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2023 albums
Albums produced by Ronny J
Rod Wave albums
Alamo Records albums
Sony Music albums