Quick Facts
Virgo
Biography
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 R&B and hip hop, and has been recognized as a trailblazer of soul-trap.Rod rose to fame with the 2019 single "Heart on Ice", which went viral on YouTube and TikTok and peaked at number 25 on the Billboard Hot 100. Rod's debut album, Ghetto Gospel (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 (2021), debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, marking his first chart-topping album. The album features the tracks "Richer" (featuring Polo G), "Street Runner", and "Tombstone", the latter of which is his highest-charting song, peaking at number 11 on the Hot 100
Career
Rod'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 YouTube and TikTok, peaking at number 25 on the Billboard Hot 100. Rod's debut album, Ghetto Gospel, was released on November 1, 2019, and peaked at number 10 on the US Billboard 200.
Rod's second album Pray 4 Love was released on April 3, 2020, debuting 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", which peaked at number 12 on the Hot 100 and became his highest-charting song. On August 11, 2020, Rod Wave was included on XXL's 2020 Freshman Class. In July 2020, Rod Wave revealed during an interview that he was working on his third album; it was originally scheduled for August 27, 2020. On March 6, 2021, he revealed the track list for the album, titled 'SoulFly. When SoulFly came out it was the number one streaming album on YouTube. It was released on March 26, and includes a sole feature from Polo G on the single, "Richer".
Artistry
He has been recognized for his "candor and shrewd ability to tug at listeners' heartstrings". ABC News Radio's Rachel George noted that "music is a direct expression of Rod's life, which is why he's cautious yet open to working with other artists who share his passion".
Influences
Rod grew up listening to E-40 (who was featured in his song "Calabasas"), Chingy,Boosie Badazz, Kanye West, and Kevin Gates (who would later be featured in his song "Cuban Links").
Discography
Studio albums
| Title | Details | Peak chart positions | Certifications | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US R&B/HH | US Rap | CAN | IRE | |||
| Ghetto Gospel |
| 10 | 7 | 5 | — | — |
|
| Pray 4 Love |
| 2 | 2 | 1 | 54 | — |
|
| SoulFly |
| 1 | 1 | 1 | 16 | 68 |
|
Mixtapes
| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| Rookie of the Year |
|
| Hunger Games |
|
| Hunger Games 2 |
|
| Hunger Games 3 |
|
| PTSD |
|
Singles
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US R&B/HH | CAN | NZHot | ||||
| "Heart on Ice" (solo or remix featuring Lil Durk) | 2019 | 25 | 13 | 77 | — |
| PTSD and Ghetto Gospel |
| "Popular Loner" | — | — | — | — | PTSD | ||
| "Cuban Links" (featuring Kevin Gates) | 92 | 39 | — | — |
| Ghetto Gospel | |
| "Close Enough to Hurt" | — | — | — | — |
| ||
| "Dark Clouds" | — | — | — | — |
| Pray 4 Love | |
| "Misunderstood" | — | — | — | — | Non-album single | ||
| "Thug Motivation" | 2020 | — | — | — | — |
| Pray 4 Love |
| "Thief in the Night" | 74 | 35 | — | — |
| ||
| "Pray 4 Love" | 67 | 30 | — | — |
| ||
| "The Greatest" | 78 | 39 | — | — |
| ||
| "And I Still" | — | — | — | — | Non-album single | ||
| "Girl of My Dreams" | 65 | 24 | — | — |
| Pray 4 Love | |
| "Through the Wire" | — | — | — | — |
| ||
| "Freestyle" | 86 | 32 | — | — | |||
| "All Week" | — | — | — | — | Non-album single | ||
| "Street Runner" | 2021 | 16 | 9 | — | 27 |
| SoulFly |
| "Tombstone" | 11 | 5 | — | 31 | |||
| "Richer" (featuring Polo G) | 22 | 13 | 74 | 11 | |||
| "By Your Side" | 58 | 10 | — | — | Non-album single | ||
| "—" denotes a title that did not chart, or was not released in that territory. | |||||||
Other charted and certified songs
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US R&B/HH | CAN | ||||
| "Sky Priority" | 2019 | — | — | — |
| Ghetto Gospel |
| "Dark Conversations" | — | — | — |
| ||
| "Green Light" | — | — | — |
| ||
| "Brace Face" | — | — | — |
| ||
| "Poison" | — | — | — |
| ||
| "Abandoned" | — | — | — |
| ||
| "Fuck the World" | 2020 | 64 | 29 | — |
| Pray 4 Love |
| "Thug Life" | 95 | 49 | — | |||
| "I Remember" | 77 | 38 | — | |||
| "No Weakness" | 99 | — | — | |||
| "Roaming" | — | — | — | |||
| "Ribbon in the Sky" | 84 | 43 | — | |||
| "Rags2Riches" (featuring ATR Son Son and Lil Baby) | 12 | 7 | 50 |
| ||
| "Letter from Houston" | 62 | 24 | — |
| ||
| "SoulFly" | 2021 | 55 | 26 | — | SoulFly | |
| "Gone Till November" | 61 | 28 | — | |||
| "Blame on You" | 65 | 30 | — | |||
| "Don't Forget" | 63 | 29 | — | |||
| "All I Got" | 71 | 34 | — | |||
| "Pills & Billz" | 85 | 41 | — | |||
| "How the Game Go" | 88 | 43 | — | |||
| "Shock da World" | 96 | 47 | — | |||
| "What's Love??" | 94 | 46 | — | |||
| "OMDB" | 89 | 44 | — | |||
| "Invisible Scar" | — | — | — | |||
| "Calling" | — | — | — | |||
| "Sneaky Links" | 98 | 49 | — | |||
| "Believe Me" | — | — | — | |||
| "Moving On" | — | — | — | |||
| "Changing" | — | — | — | |||
| "Rich Off Pain" (with Lil Baby and Lil Durk) | 68 | 29 | — | The Voice of the Heroes | ||
| "Heart of a Giant" (Polo G featuring Rod Wave) | 83 | 35 | — | Hall of Fame | ||
| "2019" | — | 43 | — | SoulFly (Deluxe) | ||
| "Escape" | — | — | — | |||
| "What's Wrong" | 93 | 35 | — | |||
| "Take the Blame" | — | — | — | |||
| "Get Ready" (featuring Kodak Black) | 91 | 33 | — | |||
| "Already Won" (featuring Lil Durk) | 60 | 19 | — | |||
| "Time Heals" | 99 | 38 | — | |||
| "Losing My Cool" | — | — | — | |||
Guest appearances
| Title | Year | Other performer(s) | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Made This Way" | 2019 | E-40, Tee Grizzley | Practice Makes Paper |
| "Sorry Momma" | 2020 | Rich The Kid, YoungBoy Never Broke Again | Nobody Safe |
| "Rich Off Pain" | 2021 | Lil Baby, Lil Durk | The Voice of the Heroes |
| "Heart of a Giant" | Polo G | Hall of Fame |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Organization | Work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Billboard Music Awards | Himself | Top New Artist | Nominated |
