Rod Wave Net Worth

What Is Rod Wave's Net Worth?

Rod Wave is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter who has a net worth of $10 million.

Rod Wave is known for his strong voice and as a trailblazer of the soul-trap genre. Wave made his mark with his first two studio albums, "Ghetto Gospel" (2019) and "Pray 4 Love" (2020), which reached the top 10 on the Billboard 200. His heartrending lyrics, often focused on his struggles with mental health, poverty, and the harsh realities of street life, resonate deeply with his listeners. Wave's breakthrough hit, "Heart on Ice," showcases his ability to fuse raw, poignant lyrics with melodic tunes. His distinctive voice and passionate delivery have set him apart in the contemporary rap scene. In 2021, his third studio album, "SoulFly", debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200, solidifying his place as a leading figure in the music industry.

Rod Wave's career has been overshadowed in recent years by a major legal battle with Grizzly Touring, which alleges he owes more than $27 million in unrecouped advances tied to an unfinished tour. According to the lawsuit, Grizzly guaranteed him more than $40 million for 35 shows and advanced roughly half upfront, but Rod performed only 26 dates before the tour stalled. The promoter claims he failed to honor the amended tour agreement and spent large portions of the advance on private jets and luxury homes instead of completing the contracted shows. Grizzly also accuses him of violating exclusivity provisions by announcing a new tour through his own company. Rod has publicly blamed routing and scheduling issues for the canceled dates, while the suit argues production problems outside the promoter's control were the real cause.

Early Life

Rod Wave was born Rodarius Marcell Green on August 27, 1999, in St. Petersburg, Florida. His parents separated when he was in elementary school, and he was primarily raised by his mother. His father was involved in various illegal activities and was sentenced to over five years in prison when Wave was young. His mother struggled to make ends meet, and Rod also got involved in robbery and drug dealing while a teenager. He attended Lakewood High School and graduated in 2017. He enjoyed rap and hip-hop music growing up and was a fan of artists like E-40, Chingy, Boosie Badazz, Chief Keef, Kanye West, and Kevin Gates.

Career

Rod Wave began his career in 2016 with the release of his mixtape "Hunger Games Vol. 1." He followed it with several independent projects that showcased his emotional vocal style and melodic delivery, eventually attracting the attention of Alamo Records. In June 2019, he released the mixtape "PTSD," which included the breakout single "Heart on Ice." The song went viral on YouTube and TikTok for its raw lyrics about pain, struggle, and perseverance, peaking at No. 25 on the Billboard Hot 100 and establishing Rod as one of hip-hop's most distinctive new voices.

Later that year, he released his debut studio album, "Ghetto Gospel," executive produced by Kevin Gates. The album peaked at No. 10 on the Billboard 200 and blended gospel-influenced melodies with introspective street storytelling. Building on that success, Rod released his second album, "Pray 4 Love," in April 2020. The album debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 and spawned multiple charting tracks, including "Rags2Riches." He followed up with a deluxe edition in August and was named to the 2020 XXL Freshman Class, cementing his reputation as a leading voice in "pain music," a style marked by its mix of vulnerability and Southern grit.

Rod's third album, "SoulFly," arrived in March 2021 and became his first No. 1 on the Billboard 200. Its standout single "Tombstone" reached No. 11 on the Hot 100, his highest chart position to date, and the project earned him the Top New Artist Award at the 2021 Billboard Music Awards.

In January 2022, he released the single "Cold December," followed by a freestyle over Future's "Wait for U," where he revealed the title of his fourth album, "Beautiful Mind." Released in August 2022, the album again topped the Billboard 200, marking Rod's second straight No. 1 debut. He spent much of late 2022 touring across the U.S. with Toosi and Mariah the Scientist, before dropping the EP "Jupiter's Diary: 7 Day Theory" that November. The project featured "Break My Heart," which reached No. 76 on the Hot 100.

Rod's fifth studio album, "Nostalgia," released in 2023, extended his streak of chart dominance, debuting at No. 1 and producing hits like "Call Your Friends" and "Come See Me." His sixth album, "Last Lap," arrived in 2024 and peaked at No. 2, supported by an ambitious arena tour of the same name. Despite subsequent disputes with his tour promoter, the "Last Lap" era underscored Rod's evolution from viral newcomer to one of hip-hop's most commercially consistent and emotionally resonant performers.

In November 2025, Wave received his first Grammy nomination for "Sinners" (Best Song Written for Visual Media), marking a major milestone in his rising profile in mainstream awards recognition.

(Photo by Prince Williams/Wireimage)

Legal Dispute with Tour Promoter

In 2025, Rod Wave became embroiled in a high-profile legal battle with Grizzly Touring, the promotion company behind his "Last Lap" tour. The dispute escalated after Grizzly filed a lawsuit claiming the rapper owed more than $27 million in unrecouped advances tied to a $40 million, 35-show touring agreement. According to the filing, Rod performed only 26 shows and failed to complete the remaining contracted dates. Grizzly also accused him of violating exclusivity terms by announcing a new headlining tour through his own company.

Rod responded with a countersuit accusing Grizzly of severe mismanagement, alleging that production failures, last-minute schedule changes, and poor routing made it "logistically impossible" to complete the tour as planned. His legal team argued that he was often unaware of rescheduled dates until tickets were already being sold online and that Grizzly's operational failures voided any obligation to continue the partnership. Grizzly disputed this characterization, insisting that any canceled or postponed dates stemmed from production issues outside their control rather than routing mistakes.

Rod's countersuit also included an allegation that AG Entertainment, a partner company of Grizzly, secretly paid his former agent $1.8 million in kickbacks to insert an unauthorized exclusivity clause into his contract, a provision his team said they ultimately discovered and rejected. His representatives publicly called Grizzly's lawsuit "baseless" and argued that the promoter had "grossly mismanaged" the "Last Lap" tour, causing canceled shows, fan frustration, and reputational damage to the artist.

Arrest and Legal Defense

In November 2025, Rod Wave was arrested in Atlanta on drug and weapons charges just hours after receiving his first Grammy nomination. Police records from Fulton County listed his legal name, Rodarius Marcell Green, and cited suspicion of possession of a controlled substance, possession of a firearm or knife, and reckless driving. He was taken into custody on a Friday and released the following day.

His attorneys — Drew Findling, Marissa Goldberg, and Zack Findling — issued a statement calling the arrest unlawful, claiming Rod was "unjustly profiled and unlawfully arrested" by a member of the Atlanta Police Department's Crime Suppression Unit, a division they described as "controversial" and focused on "high arrest numbers rather than genuine public safety." The legal team said the artist had been unfairly targeted under a "quota-driven approach" and vowed to fight what they characterized as a baseless case and a violation of his civil rights.

The arrest coincided with one of the biggest career moments of Rod's life — his first Grammy nomination, for Best Song Written for Visual Media for "Sinners," from the film of the same name. It was the second time in a year Rod had been detained by Georgia authorities; earlier in 2025, he was briefly booked on property damage and weapons charges, though his lawyers said he was actually a burglary victim in that incident and was wrongfully arrested.

Personal Life

Rod Wave is in a relationship with a woman named Kelsey. The couple had twin daughters together, who they reportedly named Kash and Mocha Green. Wave keeps his personal and family life private and does not share information about them on his social media.

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