Fans are noticing that one of Rod Wave‘s signature songs sounds similar to an old Jay-Z song. Earlier this week, music fans took to Twitter to express their disdain toward Wave, as he supposedly borrowed a few bars from Hov. That said, some are arguing that this is simply a case of interpolation — something that’s been a component of hip-hop since its birth 50 years ago.
Did Rod Wave steal Jay-Z’s ‘Song Cry’ lyrics?
On Wave’s song, “2019”, which was originally released in 2021, he raps “We was so happy poor but when we got rich / That’s when signals get crossed and we got flipped / Read her mind, I don’t know what made me leave that sh*t / Made me speed that quick, let me see that’s it.” This particular verse is bar-for-bar with Jay’s 2002 song “Song Cry.”
This particular set of lyrics has left fans divided, with some noting that Jay-Z had interpreted Biggie lyrics early on in his career.
“When Jay-Z did it y’all said he was just ‘paying homage,'” said one Twitter user. “This just shows us that Rod Wave is a master student of the game.”
When Jay-Z did it y’all said he was just “paying homage”. This just shows us that Rod Wave is a master student of the game. https://t.co/HLwHZh85ha
— G-1000 (@BGTheIceberg) November 22, 2023
Some also pointed out that Wave has previously interpolated bars by Boosie Badazz and Drake, but maintains an air of originality throughout his craft.
https://twitter.com/MUSICANDBUILDS/status/1727088344620990856?s=20
Wave has since denied stealing lyrics from other artists.
Rod Wave is getting dragged by fans online as they claim he has been stealing lyrics from other rappers, including JAY-Z and Drake, but he says he’s never stolen any lyrics. 👀 pic.twitter.com/VC7k6kW23e
— No Jumper (@nojumper) November 22, 2023
