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Rodarius Marcell Green (born August 27, 1998), known professionally as Rod Wave, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. Signed to Alamo Records, Green is known for his strong voice and incorporation of hip hop and R&B, having been recognized as a pioneer of "Trap music-soul music." Green rose to prominence with his 2019 single "Heart on Ice," which first went viral on TikTok before peaking at number 25 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song preceded his debut studio album, Ghetto Gospel (2019), which peaked at number ten on the US Billboard 200. His second album, Pray 4 Love (2020), peaked at number two on the chart and included the song "Rags2Riches" (remixed featuring Lil Baby), which peaked at number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100.
His third, fourth, and fifth studio albums: SoulFly (2021), Beautiful Mind (2022), and Nostalgia (2023), each debuted atop the Billboard 200 and received platinum certifications by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The latter spent multiple weeks at the position, while the former spawned his highest-charting singles, "Street Runner" and "Tombstone"—both of which peaked within the top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100. Along with critical praise for his soulful delivery and lyrics, Green's commercial success matched the numbers of Taylor Swift as the only musical act to release a new chart-topping solo album within each of the previous three years. Green's sixth studio album, Last Lap (2024), debuted at number two on the Billboard 200, marking Green's seventh consecutive top ten album, and making him the only male artist to release a top ten album each year from 2019 to 2024.
Green has sold 65 million digital copies in the United States, ranking him among the highest certified artists in the United States. He has been nominated for a Grammy Awards, an American Music Award, a Billboard Music Award, and an iHeartRadio Music Award. Green's Nostalgia was listed among the top-earning projects released through Sony Music.
Following his father Rodney "Fatz" Green's incarceration, Fatz's close friend, Derek "Uncle Dee" Lane played a major role in his life before he was eventually arrested and sentenced to a year in prison a year after Fatz. Upon his father's release from jail, he recognized the destructive lifestyle his son was entangled in. Determined to steer Wave in a more positive direction, his father took a proactive approach, resulting in Green joining the high school football team. He encouraged Green to channel his energy into music, recognizing its potential to transform his life. In support of this newfound passion, Fatz purchased a microphone, while his brother contributed by buying him a computer. Equipped with these tools, Green was provided with the means to redirect his life towards a more positive and constructive path. After the release of Lane, he and Fatz came together to found the entertainment company and record label, Hit House Entertainment, to support Green before he eventually signed to Alamo Records.
His debut album, Ghetto Gospel, executively produced by Kevin Gates was released on November 1, 2019. It was preceded by three singles, "Heart on Ice (Remix)" featuring Lil Durk, "Cuban Links" featuring Kevin Gates, and "Close Enough to Hurt". The album peaked at number 10 on the Billboard 200. Following the release of the album, in January 2020, Green announced his twenty-two stop United States Ghetto Gosepl Tour, starting on March 3, 2020, in Augusta, Georgia, and concluding on April 3, in St. Petersburg, Florida, in support of his album.
On April 3, 2020, Green released his second full-length studio album, Pray 4 Love. The album was preceded by six singles, "Dark Clouds", "Thug Motivation", "Thief in the Night", "Pray 4 Love", "The Greatest", and "Girl of My Dreams". The album debuted at number 2 on the Billboard 200. Several songs from the album entered the Billboard Hot 100, including "Rags2Riches" featuring ATR Son Son, which peaked at number 12 on the Hot 100 and became his highest-charting song. On April 6, Rod Wave was selected by music streaming service Audiomack as the first artist in their "Up Now" emerging artist program. "Audiomack has been helping me get my music out there from the very beginning before people really knew who I was," the artist told Audiomack. "Continuing to work together with them is part of staying true to my core fans as I take the next step of the journey". On May 18, it was announced that Green signed a global co-publishing deal with Sony Music Publishing (formerly Sony/ATV publishing). In an interview with Billboard, Green expressed that his decision to sign with Sony stemmed from his goals of writing movie scripts in the future, while also announcing the release of a deluxe edition of Pray 4 Love to release on August 7, while also stating his plan for the release of his third album, to release on the 27th of the same month. The deluxe edition released as planned with additional features from Yo Gotti and Lil Baby. On August 11, 2020, Wave was included on XXLs 2020 Freshman Class.
On November 14, Green released the single "By Your Side" as the lead single from his fourth full-length studio album, Beautiful Mind. The single, "Cold December" was released on January 17, 2022. On May 1, Green released "Sorry 4 The Wait", a remix to Future's "Wait for U". Alongside the release of the track, Green announced the release of Beautiful Mind for June 3, 2022. However, the album failed to be released on time, resulting in fans complaining on social media. The single "Stone Rolling" was released on July 27. On August 5, Green appeared as a guest appearance on "Home Ain't Home", the thirteenth cut of YoungBoy Never Broke Again's fourth studio album, The Last Slimeto. "Alone" was released on August 8, just days prior to the release of Beautiful Mind, serving as the album's fourth and final single. On August 10, Green released the album's tracklist, previewing features from Jack Harlow and December Joy. Beautiful Mind was released on August 12, and debuted atop the Billboard 200, moving 115,000 album-equivalent units in its first week. The album marked Green's second consecutive #1 on the chart. Following the release of the album, Green embarked on a twenty-five-stop tour, beginning on November 11, 2022, in Minneapolis, MN, and ending in Seattle, WA on December 21, 2022. The tour saw support from Toosii and Mariah the Scientist.
On November 10, 2022, Rod Wave released "Break My Heart", the lead single for his eight-track EP, . The EP was released the following week, on November 18, 2022. It peaked at #9 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, marking Rod Wave's fourth top ten debut at the time of its release and was the highest charting new release of the week ending December 4, 2022.
On September 4, 2024, Rod Wave took to his Instagram to announce his 2024 Last Lap Tour in the United States, supported by Moneybagg Yo, Toosii, Lil Poppa, Dess Dior, and Eelmatic. The thirty-six-stop tour shares the same name as Green's sixth full-length studio album, Last Lap. On September 13, Rod Wave released the album's lead single, "Passport Junkie" which peaked at #51 on the Billboard Hot 100. On September 26, Green announced the release of his sixth full-length studio album, Last Lap to release on October 11. The following day, he released the album's second single, "Fall Fast in Love" which peaked at #49 on the Billboard Hot 100. On October 11, Green released Last Lap as planned featuring guest appearances from Be Charlotte, Lil Baby, Lil Yachty, Rylo Rodriguez, and Wild Rivers. The album debuted at #2 on the Billboard 200, moving 127,000 album-equivalent units in its first week, marking Green's seventh consecutive top-ten album, and making him the only artist other than Taylor Swift to chart a top ten album each year from 2019 to 2024.
In April 2025, Green released "Sinners", the lead single to the soundtrack for the film of the same name. The song's music video stars Woody McClain, Dominique Madison, and Charles A. Black, alongside Michael B. Jordan, the film's lead.
His musical creativity and lyrics derive from his personal life, childhood, and romantic relationships. Green's lyrics have been described as "soul grabbing" and his hooks have been described as "entrancing" by critics. His music seemingly is used to "express his heartbreak and inner turmoil" and he's praised for his ability to "hopscotch among genres" such as hip-hop, contemporary hip-hop, Southern hip hop, hip hop soul, alternative R&B, contemporary R&B, and Trap music. Green also experiments with Gospel music is songs such as "Long Journey" and "Chip on My Shoulder". Furthermore, he is known widely for his experimentation and implementations of samples in his music, such as "Already Won" sampling "Can You Stand the Rain" by New Edition, "Cold December" sampling "O.D.'d in Denver" by Hank Williams Jr., and "Crazy" sampling "Ain't It Fun" by Paramore, alongside several other tracks throughout his discography.
In January 2017, Green was arrested after carrying a pellet gun to school in his backpack, resulting in the school being put on lockdown. Green pleaded guilty to carrying a concealed firearm and received probation for the misdemeanor.
On September 29, Grizzly Touring filed a federal lawsuit against Green for a breach of contract, regarding his Last Lap Tour. The touring company alleges that Green refused to pay back $27 million worth of advances after performing 26 out of 35 scheduled shows. Reports state that Green was given an advance of $57 million for the tour; the 26 shows paid for the $30 million earned, however, Grizzly Touring is suing for the remaining $27 million alongside additional damages. The company also filed an injunction after Green founded his own touring company—Mainstay Touring, in 2025—stating that Green shouldn't be allowed to tour without Grizzly Touring as it's a breach of the exclusivity clause in his contract with Grizzly. Green's attorney responded to the claims, stating that the cancellations of several dates of the tour were solely attributed to Grizzly Toruing's professional shortcomings.
On November 7, Green was arrested in Atlanta, Georgia, after being charged with possession of a firearm or knife during the commission of or attempt to commit a felony, reckless driving, and two counts of possession of a controlled substance and booked into Fulton County Jail. On November 8, he was released on a $8,000 bail.
On December 11, Tampa-based photographer Allan Salas filed a lawsuit against Green regarding a copyright claim for the cover art of his sixth studio album, Last Lap (2024). Salas claimed that the image used for the cover art was unapproved by him and that he was never paid for the use, nor was the image licensed, while stating that Green and his team explicitly ignored warnings that the photo's license was under Salas's rights.
| + !Year !Organization !Work !Award !Result | ||||
| 2021 | American Music Awards | SoulFly | Favorite Rap/Hip Hop Album | rowspan="4" |
| 2021 | Billboard Music Awards | rowspan="2" | Top New Artist | |
| 2021 | iHeartRadio Music Awards | Best New Hip-Hop Artist | ||
| 2026 | Grammy Awards | "Sinners" | Best Song Written for Visual Media |
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