Did Rod Wave Steal Jay-Z’s ‘Song Cry’ Lyrics?

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.”

Some also pointed out that Wave has previously interpolated bars by Boosie Badazz and Drake, but maintains an air of originality throughout his craft.

Wave has since denied stealing lyrics from other artists.