Rod Wave facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Rod Wave
Rod Wave in 2022
Background information
Birth name	Rodarius Marcell Green
Born	(1998-08-27) August 27, 1998 (age 27) St. Petersburg, Florida, U.S.
Genres	R&B soul trap
Occupation(s)	Rapper singer songwriter
Years active	2016–present
Labels	Alamo (current) Geffen Interscope Hit House (former)
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 and for blending hip hop with R&B. People often call his style "trap-soul."

Rod Wave became very popular with his song "Heart on Ice" in 2019. This song first became a huge hit 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), went even higher, reaching number two. 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 the top spot on the Billboard 200. These albums also earned platinum awards, meaning they sold a lot of copies. Nostalgia stayed at number one for several weeks. His songs "Street Runner" and "Tombstone" from SoulFly were big hits, both reaching the top 20 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Rod Wave's music is loved for its heartfelt singing and meaningful lyrics. He has achieved great success, similar to Taylor Swift, by releasing a new chart-topping album in each of the past three years. His sixth album, Last Lap (2024), reached number two on the Billboard 200. This made it his seventh album in a row to be in the top ten. He is the only male artist to have a top ten album every year from 2019 to 2024.

Rod Wave has sold 65 million digital songs in the United States. This makes him one of the top-selling artists in the country. He has been nominated for several important awards, including a Grammy Award, an American Music Award, a Billboard Music Award, and an iHeartRadio Music Award.

Early Life and Music Beginnings

Green attended Lakewood High School.

Rodarius Marcell Green was born on August 27, 1998, in St. Petersburg, Florida. When he was in elementary school, his parents divorced. His father later went to jail. Life was tough for Rodarius. His family faced financial struggles. He made some poor choices and got into trouble, spending time in places for young people who broke rules.

Rodarius attended Lakewood Elementary School. He was chosen for the All-State Elementary Chorus in 2009 and 2010. He continued to perform for students at Lakewood High School.

After his father was released from jail, he saw that Rodarius was on a difficult path. His father wanted to help him find a better direction. He encouraged Rodarius to join the high school football team. More importantly, he inspired Rodarius to focus his energy on music. His father bought him a microphone, and his brother bought him a computer. These tools helped Rodarius start a new, positive journey with music. Later, his father and a friend started an entertainment company, Hit House Entertainment, to support Rodarius before he signed with Alamo Records.

Career Highlights

Early Music and First Hits (2015–2020)

Rod Wave started his music journey in 2015. He released his first projects, Rookie of the Year and the Hunger Games mixtape series. He signed with Alamo Records in 2018. On June 14, 2019, he released his mixtape PTSD. This mixtape included the song "Heart on Ice."

"Heart on Ice" quickly became very popular on YouTube and TikTok. It reached number 25 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. From July to October 2019, Rod Wave toured with Kevin Gates. He learned a lot from this experience. He realized how big the world was outside his hometown. This made him feel more humble as an artist.

His first official album, Ghetto Gospel, was released on November 1, 2019. Kevin Gates helped produce it. The album included popular songs like "Heart on Ice (Remix)" with Lil Durk and "Cuban Links" with Kevin Gates. Ghetto Gospel reached number 10 on the Billboard 200 chart. In early 2020, Rod Wave went on his own "Ghetto Gospel Tour" across the United States.

On April 3, 2020, Rod Wave released his second album, Pray 4 Love. This album featured songs like "Dark Clouds" and "The Greatest." It debuted at number 2 on the Billboard 200. Many songs from the album appeared on the Billboard Hot 100. "Rags2Riches" featuring ATR Son Son, became his highest-charting song at number 12.

In May 2020, Rod Wave signed a deal with Sony Music Publishing. He shared that he hoped to write movie scripts in the future. He also released a special deluxe edition of Pray 4 Love on August 7, with new songs featuring Yo Gotti and Lil Baby. In August 2020, XXL magazine recognized him as one of their "Freshman Class" artists.

Continued Success with SoulFly and Beautiful Mind (2021–2022)

Green performing in Pittsburgh during his Beautiful Mind Tour, 2022.

In March 2021, Rod Wave released the track list for his album SoulFly. The album came out on March 26, 2021. It included popular singles like "Street Runner", "Tombstone", and "Richer" with Polo G. SoulFly was very popular, becoming the most pre-saved album on Apple Music for two weeks. It debuted at the top of the Billboard 200 chart, selling 130,000 album-equivalent units in its first week. This was Rod Wave's first album to reach number one.

In April 2021, he performed "Tombstone" on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. In August 2021, Rod Wave released a deluxe edition of SoulFly. It featured Lil Durk and Kodak Black. After this release, the album returned to the top ten on the Billboard 200. To celebrate the album, Rod Wave went on a big tour across the United States. The tour started on August 27, 2021, and ended on October 23.

On November 14, 2021, Rod Wave released "By Your Side." This was the first song from his fourth album, Beautiful Mind. Another single, "Cold December", followed in January 2022. He also released "Sorry 4 The Wait" in May 2022. The album Beautiful Mind was released on August 12, 2022. It featured artists like Jack Harlow. The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, selling 115,000 album-equivalent units. This was Rod Wave's second number one album in a row. He then went on a twenty-five-stop tour for Beautiful Mind from November to December 2022.

On November 10, 2022, Rod Wave released "Break My Heart." This was the main song from his eight-track EP, Jupiter's Diary: 7 Day Theory. The EP was released on November 18, 2022. It reached number 9 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. This marked his fourth album or EP to reach the top ten.

Recent Albums: Nostalgia and Last Lap (2023-Present)

Green performing in Chicago during his Nostalgia Tour, 2023.

On March 31, 2023, Rod Wave released "Fight the Feeling." This song was the first single from his next album and reached number 16 on the Billboard Hot 100. Later, on August 18, 2023, he released "Call Your Friends," which peaked at number 18. "Come See Me" followed on September 1, 2023, reaching number 19. Just before the album's release, he put out "Boyz Don't Cry" and "Checkmate."

On September 15, 2023, Rod Wave released his fifth album, Nostalgia. It included guest artists like Wet, 21 Savage, and Sadie Jean. The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart, selling 137,000 album-equivalent units in its first week. This was Rod Wave's third number one album. Nostalgia stayed at number one for a second week. After the album's release, he went on his "Nostalgia Tour" across the United States.

On September 4, 2024, Rod Wave announced his "2024 Last Lap Tour" on Instagram. This tour shared its name with his sixth album, Last Lap. On September 13, he released the album's first single, which reached number 51 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album Last Lap was released on October 11, 2024. 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 made it Rod Wave's 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.

In April 2025, Rod Wave released "Sinners." This song was the main single for the soundtrack of the film with the same name. The music video for the song featured actors like Woody McClain and Michael B. Jordan.

Artistry and Music Style

Musical Inspirations

Rod Wave grew up listening to many different artists. These included E-40, Chingy, Boosie Badazz, Chief Keef, Kanye West, Kodak Black, and Kevin Gates.

In an interview in April 2020, Rod Wave mentioned Tupac Shakur and Adele as two of his biggest inspirations. He said he could "hear everything she went through" in Adele's music. In a 2023 interview, he also named Ed Sheeran as one of his favorite artists. He shared that Adele and Ed Sheeran helped him "find his voice."

Rod Wave's Unique Sound

Rod Wave is known for being very honest in his music. He has a special way of connecting with listeners' feelings. One reporter noted that his music directly shows his life experiences. He uses music as a form of "therapy" to express his feelings. He said, "I feel like when I first came on the scene, I had a lot of pain... and I just feel like, over the years, I done let a lot of it out and it was just therapy for me."

His songs are inspired by his personal life, childhood, and relationships. Critics have described his lyrics as "soul grabbing" and his song hooks as "entrancing." His music often talks about heartbreak and inner struggles. He is also praised for mixing different music styles. These include hip-hop, contemporary hip-hop, Southern hip hop, hip hop soul, alternative R&B, contemporary R&B, and trap.

Rod Wave also explores Gospel music in songs like "Long Journey" and "Chip on My Shoulder." He is well-known for using samples in his music. For example, "Already Won" uses a sample from "Can You Stand the Rain" by New Edition. "Cold December" samples "O.D.'d in Denver" by Hank Williams Jr.." And "Crazy" samples "Ain't It Fun" by Paramore. He uses samples in many other songs too.

Personal Life

Rod Wave has twin daughters with his long-time girlfriend, Kelsey "Dee" Coleman.

Filmography

• Don't Look Down: The Turtle Race Continues (2025; as himself)

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)
• The Redemption Experience (2025-26)

Supporting Tours

• I'm Him Tour (Kevin Gates) (2019)

Awards and Nominations

See Also

• List of highest-certified music artists in the United States