“Forever Set in Stone” by Rod Wave

Rodwave’s “Forever Set in Stone” is a bit complex, in that the vocalist is apparently addressing two different parties simultaneously. One would be his romantic interest and the other his brethren. Also, there are some conflicting feelings being thrown around. But fundamentally, what he is telling all addressees involved is something like they shouldn’t f–k up with him. 

Or put differently, they should appreciate what he brings to their respective relationship’s table. For instance, he’s the only one who took it upon himself to go out and generate the type of bread that comes along with his celebrity status, to the benefit of all parties involved, whereas no one else has stepped up. 

Moreover being financially successful has brought with it its fair share of stresses upon him. And the implication is that the addressees, having no practical knowledge of this type of lifestyle, are unable to properly relate to the onus that has been put on the vocalist.

Song’s Premise

And that brings us to the actual premise of “Forever Set in Stone”. And with this being Rod Wave and all, the focus is definitely going to be more on the emotional rather than the financial side of things. And simply put, he feels as if said loved ones do not properly appreciate him. 

He recognizes that he is making major sacrifices for their good. However, he does not appear to be overly confident that if roles were reversed or that if he needed them in a similar capacity, they would actually come through. This speaks to the fact that Rod is actually lonely in a way, as in despite the addressee(s) depending on him for emotional support, when he himself is down he rather feels that there is no one he can talk to.

“Forever Set in Stone”

And all of that ultimately brings us to the thesis sentiment of this piece, i.e. its title. And what Rod is saying is something like these relationships of his are “forever set in stone”. In other words, he takes them seriously and obviously considers them to be lifelong endeavors. But somewhat conversely, he is also saying that considering all of the above, i.e. his standing as well as his commitment, he expects to be treated like the special friend that he is. Or if not, the addressee(s) may find his or her relationship with the Wave terminated.

So again there’s a lot going on here, even though this song, in terms of its basic sentiments, is simple. And simply put, Rod feels underappreciated. So in the grand scheme of things, even though he idealizes being with his loved one “forever”, he cannot guarantee such if it is in fact proven that he is more devoted than they are.

Rod Wave

Rod Wave himself is a hip-hop inspired vocalist from St. Petersburg, Florida. At the time of the release of this track he is 21 years old. The first undertaking listed on his discography is a 2017 mixtape entitled Rookie of the Year. But it took Wave a few years to really catch on, when in 2020 he was honored via membership in XXL’s Freshman Class. The said membership means he ranked amongst those who are considered to be the top up-and-comers in hip-hop. That was also the year in which his second studio album, Pray 4 Love, which went platinum in his homeland.

And Wave’s biggest single hit leading into 2021 was actually the first song he ever put out, 2019’s “Heart on Ice“, which achieved double-platinum status stateside.

Facts about “Forever Set in Stone”

Alamo Records released “Forever Set in Stone” on 31 May 2021 as the third single from Rod Wave’s project SoulFly. SoulFly is actually Wave’s third studio album. It was a major success in that it topped, albeit briefly, the Billboard 200. And the two singles which preceded this one were respectively “Street Runner” and “Tombstone“. Both of these songs also came out in 2021.

The director of the music video to “Forever Set in Stone” is Eye 4, who also served the same role on the Street Runner clip.

Rod Wave co-wrote “Forever Set in Stone” alongside MarsGawd, a hip-hop producer whom there doesn’t seem to be much information on at the moment. And MarsGawd also produced the track.

Apparently Rod Wave did not tease this song prior to actually dropping it.