What is Rod Wave’s Real Name and What is He Known For?

Rod Wave (born 27th of August 1998; Age: 25 years old) is an American musician whose real name is Rodarius Marcell Green. Rod started experimenting with music during his day in primary school, and through hard work and perseverance, he achieved great success in the industry.

The music hitmaker is also a sensation on social media platforms, where he has accumulated followers and subscribers in millions. He is not married but has already sired two daughters from his relationship with a lady called Kelsey “Dee” Coleman.

How Old is Rod Wave?

Rod Wave is currently 25 years old, as he was born on the 27th of August 1998. The records captured Rod’s place of birth as St. Petersburg, Florida, where he also spent his growing up years; the youngster was raised in the Cromwell Heights area of St. Petersburg, Florida. He is undoubtedly an American by nationality, but Wave’s physical appearance is a testament to his African-American nationality.

Though he is popularly known by the stage name Rod Wave, the Florida-born musician was given the name Rodarius Marcell Green at his birth. The identities of his family members have never earned a mention in the public space, but according to past reports, Rod is the son of a man who worked and earned a living in the streets of St. Petersburg as a street fighter. His mum, on the other hand, was an employee of a Florida-based local cable company as a laborer. Considering his mum and dad’s profession, one would not be wrong to conclude that Rod Wave came from humble beginnings.

Rod is not the only child of his parents, the youngster shared childhood memories with an older sibling who is listed as his half-brother. However, we were not told whether the brother, whose name is not known, is from his mother’s or father’s side. Rodarius came from a Christian home.

The details of Rod’s earliest academic journey have never earned public mention, but it is common knowledge that he is an alum of a public high school in southern California known as Lakewood high school. He experienced turbulent years during his student days but managed to graduate in 2017. There is no record of any further academic pursuit from the Florida-born star.

Rod had a Rough Life During his Formative Years

According to Rod Wave, he was still a primary school pupil when his parents’ marriage hit the rocks. He then started living with his mother, who worked as a laborer. Needless to say, life was really hard for mother and son, but they found ways of making ends meet. Besides, they had constant support from his street-fighter dad; rod said his father made provisions for his feeding and other necessities even though they were no longer living together.

However, Rod’s life took a dramatic turn during his days in middle school; his street-fighter dad committed a serious crime that landed him behind bars for six years. As a result of his dad’s imprisonment, Rod had to give up the few privileges he was enjoying. Life started getting harder as they had just his mother’s earnings from her laborer’s job to get by.

When it got really tough, Wave’s uncle had to step in at a point, but his intervention didn’t bring much improvement to their lives. Rod even inscribed “HARD TIMES” on his two arms as a testament to what he suffered on his way up the ladder.

With no other person to look up to, Rod Wave took matters into his hands and went into the street to look for a means of livelihood. The then-teenager started running around with a bad crowd that led him into several vices, including robbing people’s homes, breaking into parked cars, pedaling hard substances, and a whole lot of other daring acts.

Rod’s nefarious activities were halted after the authorities came in and got him arrested for crimes bordering on the concealment of dangerous weapons and armed robbery. Being an under-aged child, they had to send him to a juvenile faculty, where he spent a while. After he regained his freedom, Rodarius did not desist from his ways and had to go in for the second time. There was a time the authorities nabbed him on campus for the possession of a pellet gun.

The Youngster Changed For the Better after His Father’s Release

After Rod Wave’s father completed his six years of jail term, he went back to his family only to realize that his son had completely lost it. He decided to shoulder the responsibility of setting Rodarius back on the right track without wasting time. Remembering that the youngster has been experimenting with music since 5th grade, the street fighter presented him with a microphone and a computer.

His father’s gift was what pushed Rod to start contemplating making something tangible out of his passion for music. Eventually, Rod waited to graduate from high school before going all out to launch his music career.

Wave also credits his big brother for being a huge inspiration while he was trying to find his feet in the music industry. Though he grew up with his mother, the singer has remained attached to his dad, who formed the subject of most of his lyrics. He is forever grateful to his father for making him the great artist he is today.

What Does Rod Wave Do For a Living?

The Florida native is a man of several hats. Rod Wave is listed as an American singer, rap artist, songwriter, and social media star. He has dabbled into a few business ventures.

Before going professional with music, Rodarius Marcell Green first tried his hands at paid employment, working with the company known as Krispy Kreme as a clerk. The American musician is often seen photographed with a stockpile of money.

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When Did He Launch his Music Career?

Though the American musician started experimenting with music as far back as his days in elementary school, Rod experienced his debut official singing gig as a high school student. While at Lakewood high school located in Southern California, the aspiring musician succeeded in sneaking out of the hostel at night and went to one of the CA-based local strip clubs to perform. For this performance, he was paid the sum of $500, and Rod said it wasn’t so bad for a high school student who was just struggling to get by.

After he received the gift of a microphone and laptop from his father, the youngster set to work composing songs, and before long, he began to gain appreciation from his immediate locality. It happened that he was just recording and keeping his songs without uploading them until his friend and colleague decided to help him out. The friend uploaded Rod Wave’s first track, which started turning heads in no time. At this point, Wave no longer needed to be told that he was unto a good thing.

His Early Career Saw the Youngster Sign with Alabama Records

The confidence, they say, gives impetus. Thus, with the assurance he got from the reception of the track his colleague uploaded, Rod decided to officially launch his professional music career in 2016. He chose to ink a deal with Alabama Records music imprint – a company that produces music for the likes of Moneybagg Yo, Lil Durk, Smokepurpp, and many others.

The singer’s mixtape is entitled Hunger Games Vol.1. hit the music stand in 2016, and there were other mixtapes he released as an independent artist before becoming a signee of Alabama Records.

“Heart on Ice” Brought him to the Limelight

On the 14th of June 2019 was when he dropped the mixtape PTSD; this saw his emergence into the limelight. PTSD comprises the track, Heart on Ice which became Wave’s best-known song. In no time at all, Heart on Ice went viral on several social media platforms, including YouTube and Tiktok. Also, it wasted no time in landing on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at #25.

He dropped his debut album, Ghetto Gospel, on the 1st of November 2019, which hit the US Billboard 200, peaking at #10. The singer’s second album, entitled Pray 4 Love came barely five months later, on the 3rd of April 2020, debuting at #2 on the Billboard 200. This particular album birthed a deluxe edition that followed on the 7th of August that year.

Apart from the success recorded by the entire album, it comprised of several tracks that were good enough to chart on the US Billboard Hot 100. Rags2Riches (ft, ATR Son Son) peaked at #12 on the Hot 100 and became Rod Wave’s highest-charting song. On the 11th of August 2020, the American music hitmaker got included in XXL’s Freshman Class in 2020

Rodarius was in an interview session in July 2020 when the singer announced that his third studio album was already on the way and slated for release on the 27th of August 2020.

On the 6th of March 2021, Rod let on the track list for his expected album, SoulFly; it eventually hit the music stand on the 26th of March. SoulFly comprised the single “ZAMN featuring The Prince Family. Also included in the album are tracks like Street Runner” and “Tombstone which peaked at #11 on the Hot 100.

Rodarius hit a serious controversy in his career life in late 2021 when his track, Nirvana, was released. As the number became popular, many saw it in the light of a suicide letter. However, this unpalatable claim was strongly denied by the music hitmaker. January 2022 saw the release of the single entitled Cold December.

On the 1st of May 2022, Rod Wave released a freestyle of Wait for U by Future. He also revealed the title of his next album to be Beautiful Mind. The expected album eventually hit the music stand on the 12th of August, 2022. His latest album is entitled Jupiters Diary: 7-Day Theory. Of course, this is not the end of the Florida-born musician’s career, as he still has a lot of talent and inspiration to produce more hit tracks.

Rod Wave’s Songs

• Ghetto Gospel (2019)
• Pray 4 Love (2020)
• SoulFly (2021)
• Beautiful Mind (2022)
• Jupiters Diary: 7 Day Theory (2022)

Rod Wave Has been Severally Commended for his Music Style and Artistry

Rod Wave has a beautiful way of incorporating hip-hop and R&B, and coupled with his very strong voice, the combination comes across as the originator of soul trap. In addition, Wave displays an openness, including a shrewd ability to tug at the heartstrings of listeners.

All these special abilities have not gone unnoticed as the “Heart on Ice music hitmaker has elicited comments and commendations from critics and fans alike. According to Rachel George of ABC News Radio, Rod’s music is obviously a direct expression of his life; this is the reason he is cautious and is yet to openly start collaborating with his colleagues who share his passion in the industry.

When quizzed about his biggest inspiration, Rod revealed them to be Kevin Gates and Kayne West. Some of the artists he grew up listening to include E-40, whom he later featured in the track, Calabasas. He also loves to listen to Chingy, Chief Keef, Boosie Badazz, Kevin Gates, and Kanye West, who would later appear in his track Cuban Links.

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He is on Social Media

Just like every other successful artist of his ilk, Rod Wave can be found on popular social media platforms. The “Heart on Ice crooner established a presence on Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

On the picture-sharing platform Instagram, he operates under the username @RodWave, where he has accumulated a staggering 6 million followers with 41 posts.

Wave joined Twitter in July 2020. His verified Twitter handle @rodwave can boast 2.996 million followers, and so far, he has tweeted 96 times. On YouTube, the American musician operates the channel @Rodwave with a whopping subscription level of over 4.6  million.

He is also on TikTok as Rodwave, with over 3.5 million followers. So far, he has accumulated 29.6 million likes. 

Rod Wave Has Two Kids with Kelsey “Dee” Coleman

It is common knowledge that Rod Wave is in a serious relationship with a woman who is simply known as Kelsey “Dee” Coleman. Kelsey’s background is not known, but she was born and brought up in Jacksonville, Florida. Also, no one knows when the duo started dating.

While Wave sometimes appears taciturn with divulging info about their relationship, Kelsey has no qualms about discussing them in the public space. Oftentimes, she is seen sharing their pictures and images on her socials, hinting at how deep their love runs.

From his relationship with Kelsey, Rod has two children – all girls. His daughters, who came as twins, are called Kash and Mocha, but most of their birth details are not known. We were only told that they would come sometime in 2021.

Despite the fact that they have been in a relationship for several years, the couple has refused to tie the nuptials. They are concentrating on raising their girls and giving them the life that two of them never had.

In April 2022, Rod was on the set of The Breakfast Club when he started talking about his daughters. According to the artist, he is the kind of man that can make a last-minute decision and board a flight to any destination. However, becoming a father has changed all that. These days, Rod said he no longer wants to head anywhere but home. This, he said, is among the challenges of becoming a dad, but he is sure enjoying every minute of it.

Their Relationship May be Heading for the Rocks

Reports hit the newsstand on the 2nd of May 2022 that Rod Wave was arrested on a felony offense bordering on battery by strangulation. The arrest warrant affidavit revealed that Kelsey was the recipient of his battering, and he would have choked her while their twins were inside the house.

The case was barely two weeks in court when we heard that it had been dropped on the 19th of May, 2022. News emanating from Attorney’s Office in Osceola County said the couple was no longer interested in pursuing the case. however, news about their official separation is yet to come out.