Rodarius Marcell Green (born August 27, 1998), known professionally as Rod Wave, is an American rapper and singer. He is known for his strong voice and incorporation of hip hop and R&B, and has been recognized as a trailblazer of

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun '':wikt:soul, soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The ea ...

trap A trap is a mechanical device used to capture or restrain an animal for purposes such as hunting, pest control, or ecological research. Trap or TRAP may also refer to: Art and entertainment Films and television * ''Trap'' (2015 film), Fil ...

. Wave rose to fame with the 2019 single " Heart on Ice", which went viral on

YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second most ...

and

TikTok TikTok, known in China as Douyin (), is a short-form video hosting service owned by the Chinese company ByteDance. It hosts user-submitted videos, which can range in duration from 15 seconds to 10 minutes. TikTok is an international version ...

and peaked at number 25 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Wave's debut album, ''

Ghetto Gospel "Ghetto Gospel" is a song by American rapper Tupac Shakur, which was released as the lead single from his 2004 posthumous album '' Loyal to the Game''. The song was produced by American rapper Eminem and features a sample of Elton John's 1971 so ...

'' (2019), peaked at number 10 on the US ''Billboard'' 200. His second album, '' Pray 4 Love'' (2020), peaked at number 2 on the ''Billboard'' 200, and included the song " Rags2Riches", which peaked at number 12 on the Hot 100. His third album, ''

SoulFly Soulfly is an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1997, and later based out of Phoenix, Arizona. Soulfly is led by former Sepultura frontman Max Cavalera, who formed the band after he left the Brazilian group in 1 ...

'' (2021), debuted at number 1 on the ''Billboard'' 200 (marking his first chart-topping album).

Career

Wave's career began in 2016, with the release of his mixtape ''Hunger Games Vol.1''. He released several mixtapes independently prior to signing with Alamo Records. On June 14, 2019, he released his mixtape ''PTSD'', which included the song " Heart on Ice". The song went viral on

and

, peaking at number 25 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Wave's debut album, ''

'', was released on November 1, 2019. It peaked at number 10 on the US ''Billboard'' 200. Rod Wave's second album, '' Pray 4 Love'', was released on April 3, 2020. It debuted at number 2 on the ''Billboard'' 200, with a deluxe edition following on August 7. Several songs from the album charted on 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 August 11, 2020, Wave was included on '' XXL''s 2020 Freshman Class. In July 2020, Wave revealed during an interview that he was working on his third album, which was originally scheduled for August 27, 2020. He revealed the track list for his album ''

'' on March 6, 2021. It was released on March 26, and includes a sole feature from The Prince Family on the single " ZAMN". The album also includes songs " Street Runner" and " Tombstone", his highest-charting song which peaked at number 11 on the Hot 100. In late 2021, Wave garnered some controversy with the release of the song "Nirvana", that many regarded as a suicide letter, which he strongly denied. In January 2022, Wave released the single " Cold December". On May 1, 2022, he released a freestyle of

Future The future is the time after the past and present. Its arrival is considered inevitable due to the existence of time and the laws of physics. Due to the apparent nature of reality and the unavoidability of the future, everything that currentl ...

's "

Wait for U "Wait for U" is a song by American rapper Future, featuring vocals from Canadian rapper and singer Drake and Nigerian singer Tems. It was sent to rhythmic contemporary radio as the second single from Future's ninth studio album, '' I Never Liked ...

", in which he revealed his next album would be titled '' Beautiful Mind'', while also announcing that he had turned the album in on April 25, 2022. The album was released on August 12, 2022.

Artistry

Wave has been recognized for his "candor and shrewd ability to tug at listeners' heartstrings".

ABC News Radio ABC News Radio is the news radio service of ABC Audio, a division of ABC News in the United States. Formerly known as ABC Radio News, ABC News Radio feeds, through Skyview Networks, five minute newscasts on the hour and news briefs at half- ...

's Rachel George noted that "music is a direct expression of Wave's life, which is why he's cautious yet open to working with other artists who share his passion". Wave grew up listening to

E-40 Earl Tywone Stevens Sr. (born November 15, 1967), better known by his stage name E-40, is an American rapper. He is a founding member of the rap group The Click, and the founder of Sick Wid It Records. He has released 26 studio albums to date, ...

, who was featured in his song "Calabasas",

Chingy Howard Earl Bailey Jr. (born March 9, 1980), known professionally as Chingy, is an American rapper. Chingy grew up in St. Louis, Missouri, and began rapping in his late teens. He toured as an opening act with Nelly in the summer of 2002 and the ...

Boosie Badazz Torence Ivy Hatch (born November 14, 1982), better known by his stage name Boosie BadAzz or simply Boosie (formerly Lil Boosie), is an American rapper. Hatch began rapping in the 1990s as a member of the hip hop collective Concentration Camp, e ...

Chief Keef Keith Farrelle Cozart (born August 15, 1995), better known by his stage name Chief Keef, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer. His music first became popular during his teen years in the early 2010s among high school s ...

Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer. Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...

, and

Kevin Gates Kevin Jerome Gilyard (born February 5, 1986), better known by his stage name Kevin Gates, is an American rapper, singer, and entrepreneur. He is currently signed to Bread Winners' Association with a partnership with Atlantic Records. His debut ...

, who would later be featured in his song "Cuban Links".

Discography

* ''

'' (2019) * '' Pray 4 Love'' (2020) * ''

'' (2021) * '' Beautiful Mind'' (2022) * Jupiters Diary: 7 Day Theory (2022)

Awards and nominations

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wave, Rod Living people 21st-century African-American male singers African-American male rappers African-American male singers American contemporary R&B singers Interscope Records artists Musicians from St. Petersburg, Florida Rappers from Florida Singer-songwriters from Florida 1998 births