Rod Wave plans birthday concert at Amalie Arena. What to know about the Florida rapper
One of Florida’s top rising musicians is returning home to celebrate his birthday with fans.
Rod Wave is heading to Tampa to hold a his first annual birthday bash concert at Amalie Arena on Sept. 1, detailing surprise guests and songs for those attending.
Want a refresher on the St. Pete native's discography and rise to fame before attending? Here's everything to know:
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Who is Rod Wave?
Rodarius Marcell Green, known by his stage name Rod Wave, was born on August 27, 1999, in the Cromwell Heights area of St. Petersburg, Florida.
Seen as a trailblazer of the soul-rap genre, his music is known for telling the story of his life while in the Sunshine State. Within his multiple mixtapes and singles, he channels the heartbreak and trauma he dealt with growing up, as well as the tone and collective thoughts of Gen Z.
Green grew up surrounded in St. Pete by his mother, siblings, and multiple other maternal figures, inspiring the lyric "All my role models thugs, but when they were in prison I was raised ‘round women, I know how to treat a lady."
According to reports, he grew up writing music as early as elementary school and participated in choir growing up. Rod’s older half-brother had gotten him into the habit of songwriting after school before they were separated when their father left.
He started to take music more seriously in high school after a brief stint with the law in 2014, telling the YouTube channel Koncrete that his arrest and experiences from his father turned him turned the right path. He rediscovered songwriting and had his songs posted online by a friend.
Once he gained popularity, he began playing clubs throughout St. Pete until he reached a mainstream audience with his 2019 single "Heart on Ice." As of 2023, he now sees over 6 million monthly listeners on Spotify and over 5 million subscribers on Youtube.
How did he get his stage name?
In an interview for XXL Mag's 'Freshman Class of 2020' cover story, he told reporters that his stage name was given to him by a friend who uploaded his music on his behalf.
"R, Rod Wave, that comes from one of my homeboys gave me that name ’cause I used to be scared to upload my music," he said to XXL Mag. "I just used to make music and just to listen to it myself. So one day, he just uploaded it and gave me my name. I came back to school, everybody was like, 'Rod Wave!' I ain't know what the hell they was talkin’ ’bout."
In another profile with Tampa Bay Times in 2022, it's elaborated that it was his Lakewood High School classmate Elijah Simmons who gave Rod his stage name, saying it was partially inspired by something on a Gatorade bottle Rod was drinking from one day.
How did Rod Wave get his start?
Green's career began in 2016, with the release of his mixtape Hunger Games Vol. 1. The mixtape gained an initial small, but strong local following. He said in past interviews, fans would recognize him in the drive-thru while he worked at his job at Krispy Kreme.
It wasn't until 2019 that he was launched to stardom due to the success of the single “Heart on Ice" on his mixtape PTSD after it became a trending sound on TikTok.
How many projects has he put out?
Since starting in 2016, he has released four mixtapes — Hunger Games Vol. 1, Hunger Games Vol. 2, Hunger Games Vol. 3, and PTSD.
He has also released four studio albums, with his debut album "The Ghetto Gospel" dropping in 2019. He would go on to release Pray 4 Love (2020), Soulfly (2021), and last year's Beautiful Mind. His last two albums charted at the top of the U.S. Billboard charts upon their release.
He also has an EP titled Jupiter's Diary: 7-Day Theory released in 2022.
Who has Rod Wave collaborated with?
Rod Wave has collaborated with several rappers, including Lil Baby, YNW Melly, Kevin Gates, Jack Harlow, and NBA YoungBoy.
He was also offered the chance to collaborate on rapper Drake's "Lemon Pepper Freestyle" for his 2021 EP Scary Hours 2 but said he pulled his verse because he wasn’t satisfied with the results.
Rod explained to Complex Magazine in 2022 that it took him about a week to write his verse and while he did record it, he didn't like it.
“I heard it, and I was just like, ‘I don’t like this. I wanna come hard,’” he said. “But I sent it to him. … But I got cold feet.”
Does Rod Wave have kids?
Wave has two children with his longtime girlfriend, Kelsey Dee Coleman — twin girls Kash Green and Mocha Green. He confirmed the pregnancy in his 2020 song "Thug Motivation" with the lyrics "My girl pregnant with twins, look how God blessed me again. Took so many losses, can't believe I finally get to win."
"For me, fatherhood changed the way I see the world in a bunch of ways," he said in an interview with MONTREALITY. "I look at girls differently. I look at every girl, and I'm like, 'Damn, that's somebody's daughter.'"
Is Rod Wave coming out with a new album in 2023?
While the rapper has yet to release an album name or date, fans theorize that Wave’s fifth studio album is on the horizon. He has illuded to working on a new album on social media, replying to fans on Twitter about being in the studio.
He released the single "Fight the Feeling" in May of this year.
Where is he performing in Tampa?
The first annual "Rod Wave Birthday Bash" will come to Amalie Arena on Friday, Sept. 1 at 7 p.m. The event describes itself as a “star-studded event with soon-to-be-announced mystery guests."
How do I get tickets?
Fans can purchase tickets on Ticketmaster.com with ticket prices ranging anywhere from $60 to $280. Advanced parking passes are also available for purchase at ParkWhiz.com
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: St. Pete native Rod Wave is throwing birthday bash concert in Tampa
