Rod Wave - Through The Wire

What this video is

Released July 12, 2020, 'Through The Wire' documents Rod Wave's recovery from a near-fatal car accident in which he suffered brain bleeding. The song and video implicitly reference Kanye West's 2003 song of the same name — itself recorded while West recovered from a near-fatal crash — forging an intertextual lineage of Black male survival narratives in hip-hop. The video's use of the actual wrecked vehicle as a…

Why it matters

A key document of melodic trap's turn toward confessional autobiography, 'Through The Wire' exemplifies the genre's displacement of bravado with emotional reckoning. Rod Wave's Florida strain of the form — blending rap cadence with sung melodic hooks — had already found mainstream traction via…

The director

Shotbyjolo is a music video director and cinematographer active in the Southern hip-hop and melodic rap space. Credited on over 26 directing projects on IMDb, with known work including Fredo Bang: Don't Miss (2021), NLE Choppa Feat. 2Rare: Do It Again…