Rod Wave facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Rod Wave
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Rod Wave in 2020
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Rodarius Marcell Green |
| Born | August 27, 1998 Saint Petersburg, Florida, US. |
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| Years active | 2016–present |
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| Children | 2 |
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Rodarius Marcell Green (born August 27, 1998), known as Rod Wave, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He is signed with Alamo Records. Rod Wave is famous for his powerful voice. He blends hip hop and R&B music. Many people see him as a leader in "trap-soul" music.
Rod Wave became well-known with his 2019 song "Heart on Ice." This song first became very popular on TikTok. It then reached number 25 on the Billboard Hot 100 music chart. His first album, Ghetto Gospel (2019), reached number ten on the US Billboard 200 chart. His second album, Pray 4 Love (2020), reached number two on the same chart. It included the song "Rags2Riches" (with Lil Baby), which hit number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100.
His next three albums, SoulFly (2021), Beautiful Mind (2022), and Nostalgia (2023), all reached number one on the Billboard 200. They also earned platinum awards. Nostalgia stayed at number one for several weeks. SoulFly had his highest-charting songs, "Street Runner" and "Tombstone." Both songs reached the top 20 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Rod Wave has received praise for his soulful singing and honest lyrics. His success on the music charts has been compared to Taylor Swift. They are the only artists to have a new chart-topping solo album in each of the last three years. Rod Wave's sixth album, Last Lap (2024), reached number two on the Billboard 200. This makes it his seventh album in a row to reach the top ten. He is the only artist besides Taylor Swift to have a top ten album every year from 2019 to 2024. The album also featured his second highest-charting song, "25."
Rod Wave has sold millions of digital copies of his music in the United States. This makes him one of the most certified artists in the country. He has been nominated for several awards, including an American Music Award and a Billboard Music Award. Billboard Boxscore reported that Rod Wave is one of the highest-earning touring rappers ever.
Contents
Early Life and Music Journey
Rodarius Marcell Green was born on August 27, 1998, in Saint Petersburg, Florida. When he was young, his parents separated. His family faced money problems, and it was hard for them to get the support they needed. Rod Wave started spending time on the streets. This led him into trouble, and he spent time in juvenile centers.
He went to Lakewood Elementary School in Saint Petersburg, Florida. He was chosen for the All-State Elementary Chorus in 2009 and 2010. He also performed for his classmates at Lakewood High School.
After his father returned home, he saw the difficult path Rod Wave was on. His father wanted to help him make better choices. He encouraged Rod Wave to join the high school football team. He also pushed him to focus on music. His father bought him a microphone, and his brother bought him a computer. These tools helped Rod Wave start a new, more positive direction in his life. Later, his father and a close friend started Hit House Entertainment. This company helped support Rod Wave before he signed with Alamo Records.
Music Career Highlights
Starting Out: Mixtapes and First Albums (2015–2020)
Rod Wave began his music career in 2015. He released his first mixtape called Hunger Games Vol.1. He put out several mixtapes on his own before signing with Alamo Records. On June 14, 2019, he released his mixtape PTSD. This mixtape included the song "Heart on Ice." The song quickly became popular on YouTube and TikTok. It reached number 25 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Rod Wave's first official album, Ghetto Gospel, came out on November 1, 2019. It reached number 10 on the US Billboard 200 chart. The famous rapper Kevin Gates helped produce this album. Gates also appeared on the song "Cuban Links," which reached number 92 on the Hot 100.
Rod Wave's second album, Pray 4 Love, was released on April 3, 2020. It debuted at number 2 on the Billboard 200 chart. A special deluxe edition came out on August 7. Many songs from this album appeared on the Billboard Hot 100. This included "Rags2Riches" (featuring ATR Son Son), which reached number 12. This became his highest-charting song at the time. In August 2020, XXL magazine chose Rod Wave for its 2020 Freshman Class. This highlights new and upcoming artists.
In April 2020, the music streaming service Audiomack chose Rod Wave as the first artist for their "Up Now" program. This program helps new artists get noticed. Rod Wave said that Audiomack helped him share his music even before many people knew who he was.
Continued Success: SoulFly and Beautiful Mind (2021–2022)
Rod Wave shared the song list for his album SoulFly on March 6, 2021. This album included the songs "Street Runner" and "Tombstone." "Tombstone" became his highest-charting song, reaching number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100.
In January 2022, Rod Wave released the song "Cold December." On May 1, 2022, he released a freestyle version of Future's "Wait for U." In this freestyle, he announced his next album would be called Beautiful Mind. He also said he had finished the album on April 25, 2022. The album was released on August 12, 2022. After the album came out, Rod Wave went on tour. His tour started on November 11, 2022, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He traveled across the U.S., ending his tour in Seattle, Washington, on December 21, 2022. He performed in different cities almost every day. Other artists, Toosii and Mariah the Scientist, opened for Rod Wave during the tour.
On November 10, 2022, Rod Wave released "Break My Heart." This was the main song from his eight-track EP (Extended Play) called Jupiter’s Diary: 7 Day Theory. The EP was released the next week, on November 18, 2022. It reached number 9 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. This was Rod Wave's fourth album or EP to reach the top ten.
New Albums: Nostalgia and Last Lap (2023-present)
On March 31, 2023, Rod Wave released "Fight the Feeling." This was the first song from his new album. It reached number 16 on the Billboard Hot 100. A few months later, on August 18, 2023, he released the album's second song, "Call Your Friends," which reached number 18. This was followed by "Come See Me" on September 1, 2023, which reached number 19.
Just before the album came out, Rod Wave released two more songs: "Boyz Don't Cry" on September 13, 2023, and "Checkmate" on September 14, 2023. These songs reached numbers 25 and 55, respectively. On September 15, 2023, Rod Wave released his fifth full album, Nostalgia. It featured other artists like Wet, 21 Savage, and Sadie Jean. The album debuted at number 1 on the Billboard 200 chart. It was Rod Wave's third album to reach number 1. The album stayed at number 1 for a second week. After the album's release, Green started his Nostalgia Tour. This tour had thirty-five stops across the United States. Ari Lennox, Toosii, G Herbo, and Eelmatic joined him on the tour.
On September 4, 2024, Rod Wave announced his 2024 Last Lap Tour on Instagram. This tour also took place in the United States. Moneybagg Yo, Toosii, Lil Poppa, Dess Dior, and Eelmatic supported him on this thirty-six-stop tour. The tour shares its name with Green's sixth album, Last Lap. On September 26, Green announced that Last Lap would be released on October 11. The next day, he released the album's second song, "Fall Fast in Love," which reached number 49 on the Billboard Hot 100. On October 11, Green released Last Lap as planned. It featured artists like Be Charlotte, Lil Baby, Lil Yachty, Rylo Rodriguez, and Wild Rivers. The album debuted at number 2 on the Billboard 200. This marked Green's seventh album in a row to reach the top ten. It also made him the only artist besides Taylor Swift to have a top ten album every year from 2019 to 2024.
Artistic Style
Musical Influences
Rod Wave grew up listening to artists like E-40, Chingy, Boosie Badazz, Chief Keef, Kanye West, Kodak Black, and Kevin Gates. In an interview in April 2020, before his album Pray 4 Love came out, Rod Wave said that Tupac Shakur and Adele were two of his inspirations. He noted that he could "hear everything she went through" in Adele's music. In a 2023 interview, after Nostalgia was released, Rod Wave mentioned Ed Sheeran as one of his favorite artists. It was also noted that Adele and Ed Sheeran helped Rod Wave "find his voice."
Music Style
Rod Wave is known for his honest and heartfelt way of connecting with listeners. Rachel George from ABC News Radio said that his music directly shows his life. This is why he is careful but open to working with other artists who share his passion. In an interview with Ebro Darden on Apple Music, Rod Wave explained why his songs often talk about pain. He described music as a type of "therapy" for him. He said that when he first started, he had a lot of pain and old hurts. Over the years, he has let a lot of it out through his music, and it has been like therapy.
His music ideas and lyrics come from his own life, his childhood, and his relationships. Critics have described his lyrics as "soul grabbing" and his song choruses as "entrancing." His music seems to help him "express his heartbreak and inner turmoil." He is also praised for being able to "hopscotch among genres." He blends hip-hop, contemporary hip-hop, Southern hip hop, hip hop soul, alternative R&B, contemporary R&B, and trap. Rod Wave also tries out Gospel music in songs like "Long Journey" and "Chip on My Shoulder." He is also known for using samples in his music. For example, "Already Won" samples "Can You Stand the Rain" by New Edition. "Cold December" samples "O.D.'d in Denver" by Hank Williams Jr.. "Crazy" samples "Ain't It Fun" by Paramore. He uses samples in many other songs throughout his music career.
Personal Life
Rod Wave has two children.
Discography
- Ghetto Gospel (2019)
- Pray 4 Love (2020)
- SoulFly (2021)
- Beautiful Mind (2022)
- Nostalgia (2023)
- Last Lap (2024)
Tours
Headlining Tours
- Ghetto Gospel Tour (2020)
- SoulFly Tour (2021)
- Beautiful Mind Tour (2022)
- Nostalgia Tour (2023)
- Last Lap Tour (2024)
Supporting Tours
- I'm Him Tour (Kevin Gates) (2019)
Awards and Nominations
| Year | Organization | Work | Award | Result |
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| 2021 | American Music Awards | SoulFly | Favorite Rap/Hip Hop Album | Nominated |
| 2021 | Billboard Music Awards | Himself | Top New Artist | |
| 2021 | iHeartRadio Music Awards | Best New Hip-Hop Artist |
Images for kids
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Rod Wave's logo
