Beautiful Mind (album)

Beautiful Mind
Studio album by Rod Wave
Released	August 12, 2022
Genre	Hip hop Contemporary hip hop Contemporary R&B [1] soul-trap [2]
Length	68:20
Label	Alamo
Producer	Aldaz Amineskkrt Angel López Artiisan Bad Habit Blondy BSquared CcocoBeatZzn Dawson DJ Fizzum Fade Dmac EELmatic Geo Vocals Harto Beats Jai Beats JB JBFlyBoi John Lam KaiGoinKrazy Karltin Bankz LondnBlue Luke Walker Lvl35dav Nash Neil Muglurmath Quise Sammy SephGotTheWaves SnowZCold Splited Stupid Suli Swamiq Tahj Money Telvin Pennyman ThatBossEvan TnTXD Travis Harrington Tre Gilliam Uncle Cameron Vukola Will A Fool Young Yanabu
Rod Wave chronology
SoulFly (2021) Beautiful Mind (2022) Jupiter's Diary: 7 Day Theory (2022)
Singles from Beautiful Mind
"By Your Side" Released: November 14, 2021 "Cold December" Released: January 17, 2022 "Stone Rolling" Released: July 27, 2022 "Alone" Released: August 8, 2022

Beautiful Mind is the fourth studio album by American rapper and singer Rod Wave, released on August 12, 2022, through Alamo Records. ^{[3] [4]} The album features guest appearances from Jack Harlow and December Joy, alongside production from BSquared, DJ Fizzum Fade, Dmac, John Lam, KaiGoinKrazy, Karltin Bankz, LondnBlue, SephGotTheWaves, Tahj Money, TnTXD, Travis Harrington, Tre Gilliam, and several other producers. ^[5] The album serves as a follow-up to Green's third studio album, SoulFly (2021). ^[6]

Beautiful Mind received "generally favorable" reviews from music critics who applauded Green's singing voice and the "bitter honesty" of Green's description of his early life. ^[7] The album debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200, marking Green's second consecutive number one on the chart. ^{[8] [9]} It earned 115,000 album-equivalent units, of which 2,000 were pure album sales, and twelve of the twenty-four album tracks debuted on the Billboard Hot 100. ^{[10] [11]} Green also surged to the peak of Billboard 's Artist 100 chart, up eighty spots from the previous week. ^[12] The album was supported by four official singles: "By Your Side", "Cold December", "Stone Rolling", and "Alone".

Background and recording

On August 11, 2022, the day before the album's release, Rod Wave appeared on 360 with Speedy Morman, presented by Complex . ^[13] During the interview, Green covered several topics such as why he retracted his verse from Drake's "Lemon Pepper Freestyle", his plan to stop creating "sad" music, and the creation of Beautiful Mind. Green revealed that he spent approximately a year recording the album. When asked about a Tweet he made, claiming that Beautiful Mind would be his last "sad" album, ^[14] he went in depth about his reasonings: ^[13]

The shit that was bothering me, like old trauma, like, I done got older, and I see life in a different view. So, like, shit that was bothering me, shit that I was feeling, it's like— it's like, 'Bro, it ain't serious'. Like, it's serious, but, you know, get— get over it, you know what I'm saying? Like, you good now, you know? And then, I have some periods where I just be like, 'Damn, that shit is so fucked up', like how I be thinking about a certain topic, like, damn, that shit just— that shit really went down like that, or that shit really— you know what I'm saying? But, then I just be like, 'Fuck it, you here now'. But, some days, like even when I made that post, like, that was one of them days where I was like, 'You know what? Fuck this shit. I'm finna stop looking backwards and just go forward and be— you know? Be up. Be happy'. But, I don't know, maybe it's just a mind thing, bruh. The way some days I just be like, caught up in it. You know what I'm saying? It don't be every day, like, some, but, it's like majority of the days I just be caught up in it, thinking about it. But, you know, I'm getting older, I see my— I feel myself changing, like, getting older and just seeing shit differently.

When asked about the album, Green described the album as a "rollercoaster" of his feelings, stating that "one minute you up, one minute you down. Then it'll shoot you back up. It just go up, down. Up and down". He stated that he was having second thoughts about the "rollercoaster" aspect of the album because he didn't want his fans to be "emotionally drained" while listening to the album, but in the end, he left it as is because it's what his fans ask for. He expressed that the aspect is simply his "life" and that "every day, it's life. It just go up and down. Up and down". ^[13]

Release and promotion

On November 14, 2021, Green released the album's lead single, "By Your Side". ^[15] The track peaked at number 58 on the Billboard Hot 100. The single was followed by the release of "Cold December" on January 17, 2022. ^[16] Despite peaking at number 38 on the Hot 100, Green expressed in an Instagram live that originally, he didn't plan to release the track, however, due to his multimillion-dollar recording contract with Alamo Records, it was a requirement that he drops the track. ^[17] On May 1, Green released "Sorry 4 The Wait", a remix to Future's "Wait for U". Alongside the release of the track, Green announced the release of Beautiful Mind on June 3, 2022. ^[18] Despite announcing the album's release for June 3, it was pushed back for unknown reasons which cause an uproar from fans. ^[19] On July 27, Green released the album's third single, "Stone Rolling", while announcing the album's release date for August 12. ^[20] The track peaked at number 66 on the Hot 100. On August 8, just days prior to the release of the album, the single, "Alone" was released as the fourth and final single from the album. "Alone" marked the highest-peaking single from the album, at number 21 on the Hot 100. ^[21] On August 10, Green released the album's official tracklist, previewing features from Jack Harlow and December Joy. ^[22] Following the release of the album, Green embarked on a twenty-five-stop tour, beginning on November 11, 2022, in Minneapolis, MN, and ending in Seattle, WA on December 21, 2022. Toosii and Mariah the Scientist aided the tour. ^[23]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	73/100 [7]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
HipHopDX	[2]
Pitchfork	6.9/10 [24]
RapReviews	6.9/10 [25]
Rolling Stone	[26]

Beautiful Mind received generally positive reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from professional publications, the album received an average score of 73, based on five reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". ^[7]

Writing for AllMusic , TiVo Staff wrote that in comparison to Green's previous records, on Beautiful Mind, he "goes deeper into melody, production, and songwriting" while he praises Green's "incredibly passionate vocal performances over crystal clear instrumentals". However, Staff also stated that Green's formula of "recounting painful memories and reflecting on how far he's come on the road to stardom starts to wear a little thin" halfway through the album. ^[1] HipHopDX 's Nina Hernandez wrote that "the hooks, samples and production elements are all more polished and satisfying" than those on his previous record, SoulFly while praising Green's ability to turn notable pop samples into "dark musings on love, loyalty and the dangers of fame". Hernandez noted that "all the trappings of stardom have enhanced Wave’s artistic output" but that "Wave's penchant for skits, which are less jarring than on SoulFly but still not ideal". ^[2]

Dylan Green of Pitchfork complimented the variety of topics covered in the songs but complained of many of them "bleeding together" as well as the "overreliance of piano and guitar beats". He wrote that "pain has always been a central aspect of Wave’s music, but his blues are beginning to repeat themselves" while stating that Green's topics of "newer bits of pain and suffering inspired by the slog of fame" are the "best moments" on the album. ^[24] Steve Juon for RapReviews praised the producers who worked on the album for keeping the "vocal modulation to a minimum", allowing the listeners to "hear the real Rod Wave loud and clear". He stated that "his ability to share his feelings honestly through his songs is a rare gift among rappers", however, he criticized how the album "starts to blend together". ^[25] Rolling Stone 's Mosi Reeves wrote that Green is a "complicated man" who is "teetering between career ambition, melancholy introspection, macho aggression, and heartbroken sensitivity" on Beautiful Mind. Reeves admitted that the album feels as though Green is "charting new territory", however, "listeners might be wary of this chastened figure who nevertheless doggedly sticks to the “'trenches'". ^[26]

Complex ranked Beautiful Mind at number 45 out of 50 of the best albums of 2022. Jordan Rose wrote that the album "shows that no ceiling is too high" and that Green "is one of the most elite melodic rappers in the game right now because of how he’s able to make his pain sound beautiful". Rose also stated that "the Florida singer makes his melancholy feel relatable", the reasoning behind "why he commands a legion of lovesick fans". ^[27]

Year-end lists

Select year-end rankings of Beautiful Mind

Publication	List	Rank	Ref.
Complex	Complex's Best Albums of 2022	45	[27]

Commercial performance

In the United States, Beautiful Mind debuted atop the Billboard 200, earning 115,000 album-equivalent units (including 2,000 in pure sales) in its first week. The album also accumulated a total of 157.73 million on-demand streams of its songs. ^[10] It became Wave's second consecutive number-one on the chart and fifth top-ten. ^[8] Green also surged to the top spot of Billboard 's Artist 100 chart, moving up 80 spots upon the release of the album. ^[12] In its second week, the album dropped to number two on the chart, moving an additional 57,000 units. ^[28] The album was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America on November 29, 2022. ^[29] As of December 2022, Beautiful Mind was the 49th best-selling album in the United States, moving 631,000 album-equivalent units in the year, consisting of 3,000 pure sales, 19,000 song sales, 841,455,000 audio streams, and 79,804,000 video streams. ^[30] On August 10, 2023, the album was certified platinum, signifying a million units sold. ^[29]

Track listing

Beautiful Mind track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Alone"	Rodarius Green Ed Sheeran Jake Gosling William Byrd Ben Bull	Will-A-Fool Bsquared	3:11
2.	"Yungen" (featuring Jack Harlow)	R. Green Jackman Harlow Jose Velazquez Lee Spight III	BabeTruth Eelmatic	3:46
3.	"Never Get Over Me"	R. Green Thomas Horton Neil Muglurmath Samuel Liu Marquise Archie Nicky Kester	TnTXD Neil Suli Quise Bad HabitZ	2:50
4.	"Stone Rolling"	R. Green Horton Joseph Boyden Georgia Boyden	TnTXD SephGotTheWaves Geo Vocals	3:00
5.	"I Know It"	R. Green Byrd Bull	Will-A-Fool Bsquared	2:37
6.	"Forever"	R. Green Spight Travis Harrington Joshua Bates Rory Yanabu	Eelmatic Travis Harrington JBFlyBoi Young Yanabu	3:34
7.	"No Deal"	R. Green Dawson Odegard Samuel Dua Sergei Kharlamov Conan Gray Daniel Nigro Julia Michaels	ProdByDawson ProdSammy Theyhateblondy	3:07
8.	"Quiet Storm" (featuring December Joy)	R. Green Harrington Gloria Stewart Richard Hailey Gernard Parker	Travis Harrington Eelmatic	3:43
9.	"Sweet Little Lies"	R. Green Tahj Vaughn Lukas Payne Sterling Reynolds	Tahj Money LondnBlue Karltin Bankz	2:54
10.	"Rockstar Heart"	R. Green Byrd Bull	Will-A-Fool Bsquared	2:17
11.	"Fading"	R. Green Vaughn Payne Reynolds David McDowell	Tahj Money LondnBlue Karltin Bankz DMaconTheTrack	2:43
12.	"Time Kills (Love Birds)"	R. Green John Lamb Frank Gilliam III Colby Green Davood Boushehri	Bizounce Luci G	2:53
13.	"Druski Skit"	Drew Desbordes		1:37
14.	"Keep Going"	R. Green Murenets Nikita Vuk Vukolic Dvornikov Kirill Roman Mironchenko	Swamiq Vukola Artiisan Spoiled Stupid	3:10
15.	"Never Find Us"	R. Green Horton McDowell Nathan Lamarche Jeremy Fraites Wesley Schultz	TnTXD DMaconTheTrack Nash	2:08
16.	"Mafia"	R. Green Byrd Telvin Pennyman	Will-A-Fool Boogy	2:33
17.	"Me vs. the World"	R. Green Bates Melvin Vernell III Benjamin Campbell	JBFlyBoi Snow	2:45
18.	"Pieces"	R. Green Byrd Bull Robin Lundbaeck Tom Lundbaeck Bell Lundbaeck Nicole Touma	Will-A-Fool Bsquared	3:28
19.	"Pt. II"	R. Green Stewart Hailey Parker	Fade	1:06
20.	"Everything"	R. Green Spight	Eelmatic	2:40
21.	"Married Next Year"	R. Green Horton Cameron Hubler Jaidyn Hullum Kai Hasegawa	TnTXD Uncle Cameron Jai Beats Kaigoinkrazy	3:10
22.	"Better"	R. Green Kate Vogel Saad Ghallab Evenson Clauseille Souiyate Amine	Coco ThatBossEvan Amineskrtt	2:55
23.	"By Your Side"	R. Green Horton Ryan Hartlove	TnTXD Harto	3:14
24.	"Cold December"	R. Green Hank Williams Jr. Horton Clauseille Justin Bradbury Luke Walker	TnTXD ThatBossEvan JB Lukecmon	3:12
Total length:				68:20

Sample credits

• "Alone" contains samples from "U.N.I.", written by Ed Sheeran and Jake Gosling, and performed by the former.
• "No Deal" contains samples from "People Watching", written by Conan Gray and Daniel Nigel, and Julia Michaels, and performed by Gray.
• "Never Find Us" contains an interpolation from "Sleep on the Floor", written by Wesley Schultz and Jeremiah Fraites, and performed by The Lumineers.
• "Me vs. the World" contains an interpolation from "It Ain't Easy", written by Tupac Shakur and Tony Pizarro, and performed by 2Pac.
• "Pieces" contains samples from "Singing Without You", written and performed by Eylie.
• "Pt. II" contains samples from "Just for Your Love", written by Cedric Hailey, Joel Hailey, and Gloria Stewart, and performed by K-Ci & JoJo.
• "By Your Side" contains an interpolation from "Hey There Delilah", written by Tom Higgenson, and performed by Plain White T's.
• "Cold December" contains samples from "O.D.'d in Denver", written and performed by Hank Williams Jr..

Charts

Weekly charts Weekly chart performance for Beautiful Mind Chart (2022) Peak position Canadian Albums (Billboard) [31] 34 US Billboard 200 [32] 1 US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard) [33] 1

Year-end charts 2022 year-end chart performance for Beautiful Mind Chart (2022) Position US Billboard 200 [34] 107 US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard) [35] 42 2023 year-end chart performance for Beautiful Mind Chart (2023) Position US Billboard 200 [36] 71 US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard) [37] 47

Certifications

Certifications for Beautiful Mind

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA) [29]	Platinum	1,000,000‡
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Release dates and formats for Beautiful Mind

Region	Date	Label(s)	Format(s)	Edition(s)	Ref.
Various	August 12, 2022	Alamo	Digital download streaming	Standard	[3]

See also

• 2022 in hip hop music
• List of Billboard 200 number-one albums of 2022

References

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