Rod Wave

Apple Music just crowned Drake its most-streamed artist ever, atop a top 20 dominated by hip-hop and R&B. Why the viral red graphic is really a Black Music Month story about who built the sound, and who still owns it.

Independent artists no longer need a label to build a real career. Using platforms like SoundCloud, Spotify, and TuneCore, artists like Rod Wave, Russ, and JID built loyal fanbases, kept their masters, and arrived at industry tables with leverage. Here is the step-by-step playbook.