PawPaw Rod
PawPaw Rod, the Hawaii-born, Oklahoma-raised rapper & singer, discovered his passion for music and writing during his upbringing as a military brat. When speaking on his artistry, he explains that during his formative years in Norman, OK, “There was an absence of a dominant or regional sound, especially for black artists. This afforded me the freedom to pull from everything, crucially shaping my music today, a credit I attribute to my childhood experiences of moving around various cultures and tribes.” PawPaw Rod grew up on a steady diet of Maxwell, Prince, The Gap Band, and Bill Withers.
PawPaw Rod released his explosive debut single, "HIT EM WHERE IT HURTS," in 2020, seamlessly merging hip-hop, 60s soul, funk, and alternative.
Across four EPs — A PawPaw Rod EP (2021), Another PawPaw Rod EP (2022), This Must Be a PawPaw EP (2023), and Doobie Mouth (2024) — Rod has cultivated a catalog that has now surpassed 200M streams and drawn critical praise from outlets like Complex, FADER, GQ, Nylon, and Rolling Stone.
As a live performer, Rod has appeared on some of the biggest festival stages including Lollapalooza, Lightning in a Bottle, Austin City Limits and Coachella — where he joined Neil Frances in 2024 and Polo
& Pan in 2025.
Rod’s music has featured in shows like Netflix's Outer Banks, Apple TV+’s Platonic, and HBO's Insecure, as well as major campaigns for Apple and Nike. In 2024, he was one of the faces of GAP’s global “Give Your Gift” holiday campaign.
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