Rod Wave was born on August 27, 1998, which makes him 26 years old at the time of writing, which is March 2025. The artist is known for his interesting blend of hip-hop, R&B, and soul, resulting in a mixed-up genre known to some as “soul trap.”
The man started from a life in the streets and ended up with around $4,000,000 in net worth (as of 2025). Here’s his story.
Rod Wave’s Early Life
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Rod Wave was born Rodarius Marcell Green in St. Petersburg, Florida. His life of struggle began as early as elementary school when his parents divorced. Besides the emotional hit of the divorce, his family was left in a bad financial situation.
In addition, he grew up in a harsh neighborhood. This shouldn’t make an issue for a regular child who stays at home, eats, studies, and plays. However, because of the financial (and mental) struggles, Rod found himself turning to the streets to make ends meet.
This is never a good mix, so it wasn’t surprising that he ended up in so much trouble, including stints in juvenile centers and involvement in illegal activities like drug dealing and robbery.
Things got even worse when his father was sentenced to six years in prison due to charges related to aggravated assault. He was incarcerated shortly before Rod Wave entered middle school.
This non-stop struggle affected his education; despite managing to finish Lakewood Elementary School and continuing to Lakewood High School, he didn’t finish.
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Eventually, he dropped out in the ninth grade due to the difficulties he faced at home and his inability to focus on his studies in the middle of all the chaos.
The Turning Point
Up to this point, Rod’s life was shaping up to make home another street guy with no apparent future, or worse. Fortunately, things took a turning point when his father was released from prison.
Rodney (his father) quickly recognized the destructive path that his son was going for and quickly took action. He started encouraging him to let out his frustration in the musical industry, and kicked off his passion by buying him his first microphone.
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His brother also stepped in and bought him his first computer. This double approach actually worked, and Rod managed to find himself in music around the age of 18.
Early Mixtapes
It didn’t take long for Rod to start releasing mixtapes, with “Rookie of the Year” (2015) kicking things off.
He followed by:
- “Hunger Games” Series (2015-2018) – A trilogy of mixtapes that he released before and during his time with Alamo Records.
- “PTSD” (2019)” – This mixtape was a breakthrough for him, featuring “Heart on Ice” which went viral on TikTok and YouTube.
Later Releases
With his work getting some of the appreciation it deserved, his following releases were annual without any interruption, up to this year.
- “Ghetto Gospel” (2019) – His official debut album, produced by Kevin Gates. This really put him on the map, hitting #10 on the Billboard 200.
- “Pray 4 Love” (2020) – His second album, which included “Rags2Riches” – his highest-charting song at that point.
- “SoulFly” (2021)” – This was a huge milestone – his first #1 album on Billboard 200.
- “Beautiful Mind” (2022)” – Another #1 album featuring collabs with Jack Harlow and December Joy.
- “Jupiter’s Diary: 7 Day Theory” (2022)” – An 8-track EP that hit #9 on Billboard.
- “Nostalgia” (2023)” – His third #1 album, featuring artists like 21 Savage.
- “Last Lap” (2024)” – His latest album, hitting #2 on Billboard and featuring artists like Lil Baby and Lil Yachty.
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Final Words
Rod Wave’s life is a great example of how you can redeem yourself after a difficult beginning. It doesn’t matter who started before you or how slow you are progressing. The point is to keep going until you find success, and that’s exactly what Rod Wave did.
As of 2025, the 26-year-old rapper has a $4 million fortune and is ready to get even bigger.
Featured image source: Pinterest
