Out Of Context: Rod Wave

Summary

The Breakfast Club – "Out of Context: Rod Wave"

Podcast: The Black Effect Podcast Network and iHeartPodcasts
Episode Date: August 11, 2026
Hosts: Charlamagne Tha God, Jess Hilarious, DJ Envy (DJ Envy and Jess Hilarious largely absent from this episode)
Guest: Rod Wave

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Episode Overview

This intimate and insightful episode of The Breakfast Club features a one-on-one conversation between Charlamagne Tha God and multi-platinum-selling artist Rod Wave. The focus is on Rod Wave's new album, Don't Look Down (his seventh studio project), the evolution of his career from artist to mogul, his personal growth, emotional transparency in music, mentorship, and fame. Listeners gain a rare, in-depth look at Rod Wave's philosophy on pain, healing, business, and the importance of passing wisdom to the next generation.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Rod Wave’s Journey from Artist to Mogul

• Mainstay Films & Virgo Network: Rod Wave describes his ventures into film and content distribution, explaining his desire to give the youth a seat at the creative table, which Hollywood often overlooks.
  • "They wasn't giving the youth or the people the ball... I bought a script called Raven Valley... People had to double back because they had the script for like two years and people was passing on it." (03:05)
• Creating & Owning Content: He explains the power of generating and distributing original content, aiming for Virgo's catalog to primarily feature original TV, film, and podcast content.
  • "Content going to be original." (03:59)
• Learning the Business Through Touring & Promotions: Rod discusses rebuilding his touring brand, taking lessons from independent promotion (notably with the Kanye concert), and using that framework to build cross-industry confidence.
  • "We do this for Wave. We can do this from anybody smaller or bigger, right?... I started getting too arrogant... but do I really? Like, is people around me really just don't want to tell me I got to test this theory? And that's what the whole Kanye thing was about." (51:02)

2. The Metaphor & Meaning Behind “Don’t Look Down”

• Rod interprets the phrase as a metaphor for not letting the fear of falling paralyze growth and for moving forward despite pressure.
  • “Don’t look down means… when you get so high up, it’s not as scary if you don’t look down… keep going, keep dreaming. Don’t let nobody put no ceiling on you…” (04:54)

3. Money, Success, and the Burden of Fame

• Solved Problems: Financial independence allows creative control and mental clarity.
  • “Once I got something in my head and I want to do it, that’s what I want to do...I’m in control of my destiny… I can just think clear and see, and just think at a different level.” (05:57)
• Created Problems: Money brings entitlement from others and makes genuine relationships more complex.
  • “People look at you and they see money… that’s the number one problem with me with money…” (07:14)
• Trust: Success didn’t change his approach to trust – it always must be earned.
  • “Trust has to be earned. No matter where you at…” (08:01)
• Misconceptions & Privacy: Rod embraces an air of mystery; people construct an image of him due to his privacy.
  • “I don’t give them enough reality to the point where they take whatever they see out in the world and they make that image of me because I give them so little…” (09:20)
  • Charlamagne supports this, saying it’s “old school star” behavior (10:53).

4. Expressing Pain, Emotional Authenticity & Therapy

• Rod reframes “pain” as “testimony” or simply “reality.” He stresses he isn’t depressed or defeated; expressing emotion is normal.
  • “People always take it and say pain. Like, I'm starting not even like that word… it's just testimony. It's just real life… it's normal. It's reality.” (12:53)
• His music gives men, especially young Black men, permission to express emotion – acting as a “sacrificial lamb.”
  • “If you talk about your problems or you get too vulnerable or whatever, like nobody want to hear it… I’m like the proof… a walking example that people… don't care about what you go through. But the people who feel how I feel, they connect with it.” (14:51)
• He doesn’t see himself as everyone’s therapist (“ghetto psychiatrist”); he’s just expressing himself, and people find healing through his music.
  • “I’m just going in there having my own little therapy session.” (16:27)
• Difference between sadness and depression is about resilience and capacity to move forward.
  • “Depressed is like defeated. Flat tire, can’t go no more… Sad, happy can come ten minutes after sad.” (27:27)

5. Healing, Growth & Letting Go of Childhood Trauma

• Rod addresses growth from childhood drama and forgiving the people in his past as a key to healing.
  • “As time went on, I done healed so much… nobody was out to get you, bro. It's life. Everybody got their own problems…growth is… stop taking shit so personal, you know what I'm saying?” (35:52)
  • Charlamagne: “Everything is just about healing that inner child.” (37:15)

6. The Importance of Mentorship and Giving Back

• Mentorship is a recurring theme; Rod credits “Flip” as a mentor and underscores its necessity for speeding paths to success.
  • “Mentorship is important because if… not having a mentor could slow the process down… save you time, save you money…” (42:39)
• He wants to pay it forward, mentoring youth to keep them from making the same mistakes.
  • “At some point in my life, I should be up in the youth and teaching them what I learned…” (34:53)

7. Legacy, Love, and Fatherhood

• Rod wants his own children to avoid the hardship he endured, especially financially, but stresses that life’s struggles are inevitable.
  • “I never want them to be able to like, have to lean on nobody… I want them to be able to live a free life and do what they...admire to do and not what the world wanted them to do because of finances.” (67:23)
• Becoming a father gave him empathy for his own parents and changed his perspective on childhood experiences.
  • “When I was younger, I was so dramatic. But I want to have my own kid, like, I understood my parents.” (67:01)
• On love: you must love yourself first before you can recognize love in others.
  • “You gotta love yourself… if you love yourself, then you’ll be able to recognize it…” (66:21)
• Peace is found in simple pleasures: time with family, a clean house, and productive days building his business.
  • “Peace look like I’m in Georgia… biggest king bed… baby just kid back watching tv, laughing…good meetings at the office… I feel so peaceful, like, in this space in life that I'm in.” (68:44)

8. Reflections on Loss & Grief

• The loss of mentors (specifically "Flip") and friends causes reflection but also a drive to be present, positive, and make the most of time with loved ones.
  • “I wanna have more fun. Like, I wanna be more positive. I wanna be more in the now… tomorrow really not promised.” (60:28)
• Grief “comes in waves.” Shock gives way to acceptance over time.
  • “They definitely come in waves though, man.” (59:55)

9. Thoughts on Betrayal

• Betrayal hits deeper than poverty; you can't blame anyone for being poor, but betrayal is a choice.
  • “You can’t blame nobody for poverty… But betrayal, like, you chose that… it hit different.” (64:18)

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Memorable Quotes

• "Don’t let nobody put no ceiling on you or what you can, what you can’t do." – Rod Wave (05:27)
• "They see pain, I call it testimony." – Rod Wave (12:53)
• "I’m like the sacrificial lamb if you look at it… for men to express their emotions, especially young Black men." – Rod Wave (14:51)
• "Music saved my life… Not just me, 10 million young, black, angry young men in the world… music changed my whole trajectory." – Rod Wave (23:23)
• "Healing, right, is what we all should be working towards… we shouldn’t just be stuck." – Rod Wave (30:44)
• "Mentorship is important… a mentor can save you time, save you money…" – Rod Wave (42:39)
• "Peace… I’m in Georgia… me and baby just kid back watching TV, laughing. That’s when I be at real peace." – Rod Wave (68:44)

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Notable Timestamps

• Breaking into Film: 02:39 – 04:24
• Album meaning – 'Don’t Look Down': 04:42 – 05:42
• Money and Fame: 05:42 – 08:43
• Rod on Emotional Authenticity: 12:38 – 16:27
• The Burden/Benefit of Creating Music for Healing: 16:16 – 18:30
• Sadness vs. Depression: 27:22 – 30:07
• Healing and Growth: 35:52 – 38:30
• Mentorship and “Flip”’s Influence: 41:46 – 42:39
• Kanye West Concert – the Business Move: 50:37 – 54:14
• Fatherhood, Legacy, and Love: 66:57 – 68:44
• Rod’s Vision of Peace: 68:44 – 70:32

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Episode Takeaways

• Rod Wave exemplifies growth both as an individual and an entrepreneur: He is committed to evolving beyond artistry into mentorship, business ownership, and giving back.
• He encourages emotional honesty for men: By being authentic in his music, he sets a template for others to express pain, joy, and growth.
• He’s focused on legacy: His investments in youth, original content, and his family highlight his forward-thinking approach.
• Therapy comes through music for him: Rather than conventional counseling, Rod channels his life experiences through his craft, providing both personal catharsis and comfort to fans.
• He values mentorship: He stresses it's his duty to help the next generation avoid pitfalls, make better moves, and accelerate their success.

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For Listeners

If you haven’t listened, this episode is an honest road map through Rod Wave’s perspective on pain, healing, grind, and the responsibility of leadership — a rare, long-form look at a star who usually lets his music do the talking. Rod shares philosophies for both artists and entrepreneurs, offering real wisdom on how to process pain, find purpose, and turn hard-won lessons into positive change for yourself and others.

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Note: All ad reads, generic intro, and outro sections have been excluded from this summary to focus solely on the core content of the conversation.

Transcript

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[Charlamagne Tha God]

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[Rod Wave]

It's so crazy because I launched Mainstay Films and I was telling my partner the reason, like, why the movies in Hollywood is so, like, in the space that it's in, because they wasn't giving the youth or the people the ball. They wasn't giving them like this shot like they want to do what they want to do or lean toward they people instead of like getting the culture or the youth involved.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Fresh ideas. Yeah, like shit that people ain't never seen before. They keep recycling the same ip, right?

[Rod Wave]

And it's so crazy cause, like, we just hit big because I bought a script called Raven Valley, right? But it's this two. It's like a duo, like two brothers. But they edited, they wrote it, and they gonna direct it. But you know, right now in the movie space, like, that's what buck Buzz is. Obsessed. So, like, I kind of really, like, got in early because I was just thinking that like six months before Obsessed came out and we bought the script. And it's so crazy because people had to double back because they had the script for like two years and like, people was passing on it.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

What's it called?

[Rod Wave]

It's called Raven Valley. That film is so crazy. Like once. Once I really learned it, like, how you can, like, come up with the idea, hire the writer and hire the director, attach the talent to the script, and it could be halfway sold around the world before you even shoot a first shoot.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

And then when you realize how much. How much it takes to do one, you're like, what am I waiting on?

[Rod Wave]

Right? And that's why my whole idea was to, like, not only produce the films and be in the film space, but also the distribution. That's what Virgo, the network. That's where that idea came in at. Because like, 75 of our content won't be original. You know what I'm saying? From TV shows to movies, dramas, podcasts, stuff, stuff like that. Content going to be original.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

That should make sense, especially for somebody like you, because you're a storyteller.

[Rod Wave]

Yeah.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

We good? Everybody good? You check Rock.

[Rod Wave]

Chat, chat, chat.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Rod, wave. How you doing, my brother?

[Rod Wave]

It's cooling it, man.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

The new album, Don't Look Down.

[Rod Wave]

Yes, sir.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Was this your seventh, Seventh studio album?

[Rod Wave]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Seven studio album. What's that title mean to you? Don't Look Down.

[Rod Wave]

I mean, you get. Well, me personally don't look down means, like, I get in these moments where I can't even believe I'm here. And it's kind of like a metaphor. Like, when you get so high up in the ground, it's not as scary if you don't look down, but looking down make the situation worse, you know what I'm saying? So I kind of used it metaphorically speaking, like. Like the heights that I'm at. It's a lot of pressure. Like, you know, like, you don't want to fail. You don't want to make the wrong moves. Like, it's such a blessing and it's so rare to, like, with the hand that I was dealt, to come as far as I came. Pause. You know what I'm saying? But just to be here in this space is like, don't even, like, don't look down. Like, just keep going, keep dreaming. Don't let nobody, nobody put no ceiling on you or what you can, what you can't do.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I hear that in your music a lot, man. That's why one of the things I wanted to talk to you about was just like, fame and how fame might have. Might have changed things for you, right? Like. Like. Like we talk about money. Like, what problem did money solve for you?

[Rod Wave]

Just like, no limitations. Like, I got my own money because I'm a. I'm. I don't. I don't like that. I don't like to take, Like, I don't like the negative. Like, no energy with, like, stuff or ideas that I have, you know what I'm saying? I don't want to wait on nobody or nobody. I don't want to play by nobody else rules, you know what I'm saying? Like, I like to go, like, if I. Once I got something in my head and I want to do it, like, that's what I want to do. And I feel like a lot of businesses or a lot of stuff in today's time, like, people use other people's money and it's smart and it's okay to do, but, like, if I got something I'm passionate about, like, I can just get up and push it. I can. I'm in control of my, you know what I'm saying? Destiny, how I feel like, once, now that I'm financially, you know what I'm saying, stable, so all these ideas, they can actually come to life, you know what I'm saying? And I feel like. And I'm able to think clear. Like, I don't have to have the pressure of, you know, what I'm saying, where this gonna come from or what I'm gonna do for this? I can just think clear and see, you know what I'm saying? And just think at a different level, you know what I'm saying?

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Oh, we know you get into the money. We see the sold out shows at the arenas. You got guys like Todd Moskowitz showing up to your interviews.

[Rod Wave]

Yeah,

[Charlamagne Tha God]

what problems did money create

[Rod Wave]

it create? I mean, I feel like you always have problems, you know what I'm saying? Your problems, just, the problems just, you know what I'm saying, became just different. Like they came, but they fit a suit. Like certain problems, I could say, like people, a lot of people feel entitled, you know what I'm saying? A lot of people feel like, you know what I'm saying? Like, oh, you got all that money, like you should be able to, you know what I'm saying? People feel entitled to it, you know what I'm saying? Or people, people look at you and they see money, you know what I'm saying? So I feel like that's the number one problem with me with money, you know what I'm saying? It's just like that's all people. That's. That's mostly what people see when they first see you, you know what I'm saying? They see money or, you know what I'm saying? And it can ruin a lot of things, you know what I'm saying?

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Has success made trusting people easier or harder?

[Rod Wave]

I mean, success, success didn't really, like, change the way I trust people. I mean, seeing I've always, you know I'm saying, felt like people got to earn trust, you know what I'm saying? No matter you successful, you failing, you poor, you rich, trust has to have to be earned, you know what I'm saying? So it didn't really, like, change the shift drastically. Like I saw a lot of things that I couldn't have imagined, you know what I'm saying, when I got successful or financially stable. But trust has to be earned. No matter where you at, who you talking about, where you go, do you

[Charlamagne Tha God]

feel successful or do you still feel like you're surviving?

[Rod Wave]

I mean, hell yeah. Okay, I feel successful because I watched me and my team put together a plan, studied a plan and executed, and I feel successful. And it got me ready for the world. Like I can look at anything and piece it together and deep like, and break it down and put it back together. And now I feel like I can do whatever I put my mind to, like it's actually possible. To come up with a plan, come up with a blueprint, execute it and succeed. So, yeah.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

What's the biggest misconception you think people have about you?

[Rod Wave]

The biggest misconception people have about me is that I'm. The biggest misconception that people have about me. I feel like people don't really understand like my personality. I feel like I don't give, give them as much of reality as I would as, as I, as I wish as much as I could. I don't give them enough reality to the point where they take whatever they see out in the world and they make that image of me because I give them so, so little that they gotta use, they gotta work with what they got, you know what I'm saying? So the biggest misconception would be like my energy or my attitude towards like, you know, saying life or people, you know what I'm saying? I feel like I'm like, I'm. The image that people got about me is totally different than, you know what I'm saying?

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Is that by design, like you don't, you don't do a lot of interviews, right?

[Rod Wave]

Nah, that's what I'm saying. I mean, I don't know, man. You know what I'm saying? I can't control what other people and what they put out in the world about me. I can't control that. I can only control what I put out in the world or what I do. And it's just not natural for me to push that on people or try to prove a point of who I am or I'm saying what I, what I am or how I, I just don't never feel the need to do that. When I wake up in the morning is explain to people or prove to people who I am. Like, that's the. You want to take what you see online or you want to do that, like, then that's your God given right. I don't, I don't know.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I think that's dope though. That's like old school star, right? Like old school superstars. They had an air of mystery about them, you know what I mean? Like you got their music and you had to hear what their life was like through their music. Every now and then you might get an interview, like rarely, rarely, but I think that's dope. No move like Michael Jackson. And the one thing I like about you, man, is like, you not out here doing no goofy shit, you know, like you, you, you ain't, you ain't on the blogs and you know, all over social Media doing dumb shit. Like, people know Rod Wave for being a dope artist, right? Selling out these shows and building a fan base through music. Like, I think that's what you're supposed to do.

[Rod Wave]

Yeah, I think it's so crazy that you say that because, like, we were just talking about that earlier. Like, I've. I feel like I'm Rod Wave once out of the year. When it's time to drop an album, do a tour that I'm back to. I'm saying normal living. It really don't really hit me until it's time to drop albums or do tours or do press runs or where I actually, like, remember who, right? Remember who I am. You feel what I'm saying? Because, like, throughout the year, I'm just like, normal, you know? Especially like this chapter that I'm on, chapter that I'm on, you know what I'm saying? Like, building businesses and getting deeper into the business and just like building companies and networking and building relationships. That's what I'm doing. Like 300 days out of the year, you know what I'm saying? Another 65 is like straight rock and roll, you know what I'm saying? But then it's back to the basics. And I feel like it was kind of like a good, a negative and a plus, because negative. Like, I wish people didn't know what I'm saying, take my image and run with it. But it's a plus because that mysterious. Like people. Some people understand that they only got what the Internet gave them and it make them want to dig a little deeper, you know?

[Charlamagne Tha God]

You know the thing too, man. You know, I always wonder about you, like, how does somebody who seems like they carry so much pain, at least in their music, right, become one of the biggest artists in America without letting that pain destroy them, right?

[Rod Wave]

I mean, it's. Bro, I feel like everybody in the world, like, people always take it and say pain. Like, I'm starting not even like that word, you know what I'm saying? Because it's not even just pain. Like, it's just testimony. It's just real life. Like, if you get up in the morning and you late to work, bad accident, fucking coffee spilled on you, shit, like, whatever going on, right? And you come in the office and you talk about it. Like you. Not like crying or dwelling on it or. It wasn't painful. Like, it was just like something you went through and you found somebody, you express it to them and life went on. So, like, I don't. It can't destroy me because it's just. It's. I turn it just into a positive, right? And I feel like everybody in the world go through stuff, go through things. Like everybody problems is. You know, I'm saying case by case, but it's all normal. Like, it's not pain, it's not sad. It's not. It's normal. It's reality. For, like, the world is so stuck on the Internet, everybody's living these fake perfect lives. All these people living this fake fairy tale. You take 65 pictures, but you only post three of them. You found the most perfect pictures. You see what I'm saying? You're gonna edit and do all this. And I feel like that's not reality, you know what I'm saying? So I'm just living in reality. I'm just speaking. And that's why I say, like, I'm only right away once a year, because the rest of the year I'm in reality. You know what I'm saying? Of course I'm on social media and I'm watching and I'm laughing and joking and I'm watching this and watching tv. I know what's going on in the world, but I'm in reality, bro. And I try to keep that balance, you know what I'm saying? Because the fake perfect and stuff is not real, you know what I'm saying?

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Are you aware that you give people, especially young men from the hood, permission to feel like they're not afraid to express their emotions and talk about what they're going through because of your music?

[Rod Wave]

Yeah. And it's so crazy because I'm kind of like the sacrificial lamb if you look at it. Because men, young men, young black men, young men, black, green, orange, white, whatever color. Like, it's not. It's not like if you. If you talk about your problems or you get too vulnerable or whatever, like, nobody want to hear it, you know I'm saying? So I'm like the proof. I'm like the walking example that people, you know what I'm saying, don't care about what you go through. They don't care about how you feel. They don't. And I feel like the people who feel how I feel, they connect with it, right? Like, the young black men, they see, like, damn, I'm not tripping. Like, it's just not me. Like every. You can see that rock got all these fans and all these following and all these people who feel how he feel, how I feel, how we feel, you know what I'm saying? So I feel like it's cool that I was able to take reality, right, and turn it into a positive. And it's just like a walking example of why men can't, can't complain. You can't, you can't do nothing. You just got to shut up and deal with it because you is a man, right? And if you don't, people will point at you and say, like, look at all your flaws and why they, why they got 10,000 more flaws than you, you know what I'm saying? But they just not talking about theirs or living in they truth, you know what I'm saying? That's right.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

But that's why your music connects with people the way that it does. Cause you live your truth. Is it a burden to be like everybody's therapist? Are you like the ghetto psychiatrist? Does it feel like a burden sometimes?

[Rod Wave]

Not really. Because I don't really look at it like that. Like if I'm making a song, I'm not looking at it like, I gotta make a song for these people. I'm not looking at it like I gotta do this for these people. Like I'm just going in there having my own little therapy session. I'm just going in there talking and just having my own thing going on. My hobby, my therapy, my what I like to do, right? And it turned into what it is. Like as a young black man in America, when it, when I couldn't talk to nobody or when I. Nobody wanted to hear what I was saying, I go around my homeboys and they understand how I feel or I get in the street. So going to the studio made me like that was my hobby. I had a lot of built up anger. I had a lot of built up, like I didn't know how to express it. And other, other people my age or with the hand that I was dealt that was similar to mine, they expressed it in different ways. Some people violently expressed it, right? Some people expressed it traumatically and couldn't get through it. And I just kind of expressed it through music, right? And it turned into what it is today and how successful it then became, you know what I'm saying? Like, I was just trying to find a way to express what I was feeling or what I'd be feeling, right? And as a, as a, and as a, as an adolescent, I didn't know how to. Right. And I had a lot of built up anger and I just would express it in dangerous or ways that stuff put myself in stuff I probably couldn't get out of. So finding music was my way of of escaping or expressing or letting it out. Because I don't want to like you. Like I said, nobody want to hear a man. Nobody want to hear that, right? Because that's just the rules. That's just how the world work. So I found a way to express it, right? And other people around the world felt it. So now my music, whenever they feel how they feel, they don't got to express it violently or traumatically if they just listen to the music and they understand. Like, it's okay for you to not understand why you feel how you feel or why the world. It's okay. You know what I'm saying?

[Charlamagne Tha God]

It's okay to not be okay.

[Rod Wave]

It's normal. It's reality. It's 99% people acting. They faking like they. That they perfect, right? That don't mean you're not happy or you. You don't love life or you not excited about today, or you don't love your family or your friends, right? It's just reality, bro.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Hey, y'. All, what's up? It's Lauren LaRosa, and we gotta talk. We gotta get into something that Sprite just dropped, because this is right up my alley. As somebody who's been in audio and hip hop culture for over a decade, this is exactly the kind of thing I geek out about, okay? It's called the Sprite Living track list. Fifty tracks, handpicked, that shaped hip hop from the ground up to right now. And this isn't just a playlist to bob your head to all cute. This is designed to start real conversation, to get people arguing. Y' all know how y' all love to do about the hip hop and the list reminiscing as well, sending it to their group chats like, yo, do y' all remember when this song was it? And honestly, as a producer of content campaigns like this hit different for me. I spent my life thinking about how the perfect story gets told. How one moment in a song is. Becomes a moment for the culture. And seeing 50 records that literally define eras of hip hop laid out like this, side by side. Yo. Masterclass. Mwah. Chef Kiss. Now, this list itself, it's incredible. You've got the foundational stuff sitting right next to the new class. Real then and now vibes. My personal top picks from the pack. I gotta go with Unity, Bodak Yellow, and who's that Girl Child. You can't tell me nothing about that song because those are just non negotiables for me. But here's the best part. This goes way beyond the kin, hip hop authorities and tastemakers actually break down the history and the impact behind every single track on the list. The samples, the influence. Why it mattered then and why it still matters right now. That's the real story. So go run your own list. See how many of these 50 you grew up on, which ones surprise you, and which ones you're sending to your friends. First, check out the full Sprite Living Track List and break down the stories behind your favorite bars@livingtracklist. Genius.com this is the Sprite Living Track List. Obey your thirst.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

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[Rod Wave]

to join T Mobile Girls.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Trip booked and switching to T Mobile

[Rod Wave]

Help make it happen with experience beyond switch and get $100 back plus $650 in value in built in plan benefits. That's $750 in your first year Gary.

[Lauren LaRosa]

And honestly that hundred dollars back I'm putting it towards the zipline now.

[Rod Wave]

That's how you do summer. Exactly.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Best switch I ever made.

[Rod Wave]

This is just one reason to join T Mobile this summer. There are 250 reasons. Find yours Savings based on the value of benefits included with experience beyond like entertainment and one year of Triple AAA Classic and DashPass on us. Benefits may require activation. See plan for details. Get $100 via virtual prepaid MasterCard with eligible ported no cash access and expires in six months. Issued by Sunrise Banks and a member FDIC. Allow eight weeks.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Reese Witherspoon here. Checking into my favorite hotel in Paris.

[Rod Wave]

Bonjour. Bonjour. I'm traveling with my Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card. So I earn rewards wherever I book.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Travel five times points with hotels, four times with airlines, three times on restaurants

[Rod Wave]

and other travel, and one point on other purchases.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Phew, that was a lot.

[Rod Wave]

I need to lie down. Is the room ready? Visit Wells Fargo.com autographjourney Terms apply.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

You know, millions of people as. As you just said, you know, say your music saved their lives, right? Who saves Rod Wave?

[Rod Wave]

Music. Music, Music. Music's got me out of. Cause you gotta think about it. Not only did music help me express what I was feeling when all I knew was violence, right? And I found a different way to express it. It saved my life then, right when I couldn't get nothing right, right when I couldn't get right, couldn't hustle, and kept messing up my money, kept doing this, and I was out in the world by myself, music came and saved me again, and it helped pay my bills. When I had kids and I was trying to figure out what I'm about to do, music helped feed them. When my mama was tired of working and she was tired, music helped retire. You see what I'm saying? So nobody. I mean, I love my support system, like my family, my team, right? But music is a part of that, my support system, like, it saved my life, you know what I'm saying? It changed my whole trajectory on the path that I was at from 17 to 27. Like, I probably would have just been coming home, you know what I'm saying? Like, it changed my whole trajectory on what I was on and where I was going in life. And not just me, 10 million young, black, angry young men in the world was headed the same way, right? And music changed my whole trajectory. So whenever I. You know what I'm saying? That's what. Even if you look at any other businesses that I'm starting, like, my edge on it is what I did in music, my influence that I built doing

[Charlamagne Tha God]

music, you already got an audience, you

[Rod Wave]

see what I'm saying? So, like, that's what I'm just thankful that I was able to find a hobby. And guess what? My hobby probably was music. Some people hobby was basketball, football, filmmaking. Like my. Like a great friend of mine, Ryan Cooler, you know what I'm saying? Like, that's how people expressed. And I speak with people like Ryan, and he tell bro, your music family. And we have conversations that go deeper than the surface. You know, I have conversations with people that people probably can't when they see Me on the street and they talk to me. They probably never even told their wife how they feel or what I help them. Do you know what I'm saying? Because they don't feel like they can.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I told you, you the ghetto psychiatrist, you don't have a therapist, bro.

[Rod Wave]

It's just real life, man.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

You're the go to guy, right? For so many people. And you said music. But who does the go to person go to? Oh, you can't. You can't carry all this weight by yourself, man.

[Rod Wave]

I mean, that's. That's just that come with the territory, you know what I'm saying? I said come with the territory. Because if you really ask yourself, like, who can anybody go to for real? Like, it's not just me. Like, I'm just, yeah, I'm rock wave and I'm everybody. I have fans and shit. But who can anybody go to? Like, I really ask yourself that.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Yeah, because there's only one you, like, you can talk to other people who might have had similar experiences, but nobody's lived your life, right?

[Rod Wave]

Everything is case by case. Like, who can you go to? Right? Because even when you go to somebody, they got problems of their own. I don't want to hear that. It's not even a sad thing. It's not even about problems. It could be a happy. I don't know how to explain it, but is not what people try to make it to be. It's just reality.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

The Internet be acting like you just this sad, depressed person all the time.

[Rod Wave]

A lot of that should be like propaganda. Like, if you really pay attention to it, like, a lot of it be a lot of campaign and pushing and angles and you know what I'm saying? A lot of it just be narratives, you know what I'm saying? The real what's going on in reality. Come to a concert, you'll see what's going on in real life. Go and look at albums in seven platinum albums. Go and look at it. Six platinum. Like, go look at reality, you get on the Internet. That's what I'm saying. Like, you never know what's really behind that, what's controlling that. But if you just look at reality on what. What Rod got going on.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Is there a difference between being sad and. And being depressed?

[Rod Wave]

Hell yeah.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Okay. What's the difference?

[Rod Wave]

Okay, bro, you could be like, sad is a feeling. So sad and depressed is feelings. And sad and depressed might be like, sad feel like, damn, like that shit. Sad is like. To the point of that hurt my feelings or I feel away about it, but I'm moving. Depressed is more like defeated. Like you just beat down. You know what I'm saying? Like, do I look defeated? Nah. No, that's what I'm saying. I'm still going. And I done been through shit just like everybody else in the world. So depressed is like a word of like, flat tie, can't go no more. I've been going. I've been going and I've been going since I was 14. I've been ready for the world. So I ain't depressed. I don't even like that word because I don't let nothing get. I don't even let nothing get to me for real. I don't even take. Nothing's standing my way. Like I don't want to hear no's what we can't do and how hard something is. I don't even. Like, that's just always my attitude. Like we can always get anything done. Like, I don't even have a. I don't even have a depressed attitude, right? Because even depressed, even by me going in the studio and expressing my music and turn to turn what I'm going through into a positive, that's not even depressed action. Like, I'm. I'm moving forward. I'm getting up, going to the studio and hobbying and exercising my hobby and what I want to do in life. You know what I'm saying? So depressed is like depleted, like flat, can't go no more. And sad is like, that's how I feel. But sad, Happy can come 10 minutes after sad. Excitement can come.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

That's right.

[Rod Wave]

10 minutes after sad.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

That's right.

[Rod Wave]

You know what I'm saying? Or sleepy can come five minutes before sad. So it's like I could be sad that it's raining and I wanted to drive and I just washed my car. I could be sad that fucking. Or I could be happy. I could be sleepy, I could be funny. I can be depressed is like, can't do it no more. I don't want to rap. I don't want to do nothing. Can't take it no more. I don't want to. You know what I'm saying?

[Charlamagne Tha God]

You've never been there.

[Rod Wave]

I mean, bro, I mean, like in life. Yeah, I been there, right? But that shit, not like every day. The fact that I'm even sitting with you. I had to get on a plane, get on the trip, get it in. I had to cross a river and cross a lake to get here. So like that, that go to show you. Like, that's not depressed. Like, if that was the case, I would be up under a rock, like, don't even want to, you know, push it no more. But this is my hobby. And if I were depressed, if depressed mean depleted, can't take it almost flat down to the ground, how the hell do we do six albums back to back to back to back to back to back.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

That's right.

[Rod Wave]

Where was he depleted? Where did he get. Where. Where did. Where did it get confused at?

[Charlamagne Tha God]

You know, one of your fellow Florida boys, my man Lil Duvall, he said, you're not depressed. You just need some money.

[Rod Wave]

For real. Because you. Like, if you go back to what I'm saying, like what depressed really mean. Like, if you got money, maybe, you know what I'm saying? Like, maybe you'll have more motivation. Like, it gives you, like, that. Like, anything is possible. You know what I'm saying?

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Have you ever worried that. That healing might change the music? Like, that people fell in love with a version of you? That. That was, I guess, hurting?

[Rod Wave]

I do, but I used to think about that, right? But at some point, it's like, these people been with me since I was 19. I'm 27 now, so these same people, right, should be. We together. Together should be healing, right? We shouldn't just be stuck. Now, that's depressed. You stuck. Can't get past you can't move through it, right? So healing, right, is what we all should be working towards. Whether it's tonight, today, tomorrow, next week, next year, 10 years from now, we all should be taking steps forward to healing whatever hurt us. Because holding on to that shit is not. That's not healthy. That's depressed. That's when you're not trying to find ways to move forward in life. But the music, you know what I'm saying? It's gonna grow because we all growing. I was 19 then when you first listened to me. I'm 27 now. Right. How many years is that? It's like eight years.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Eight years. You did a lot in eight years, bro.

[Rod Wave]

Thank God.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Well, you know, when I listen to the new album, Don't Look Down, I do hear. I hear a lot of happiness, but I also hear a lot of grief as well. Right? Yeah, I feel like I hear a lot of heartbreak. Like, when you perform songs that come from some of your darkest moments, does it help you heal? Or does it make you just relive those emotions?

[Rod Wave]

I mean, even recording a song is like a form of, like, venting and getting it out your system. Like, I could have been the song That I made could have been an hour of my life. And I took this, whatever I was going through in that hour, and then two days later, I might have didn't even feel that way no more, right? But it's a great song, like we got something great from it. So even recording it made me feel better about the situation, right? Getting on stage, of course, might be a year later from the time I recorded it to the end. So maybe I've already felt better. Maybe I'm in a whole nother space about what happened to me or whatever I felt, or whatever I'm going through, whether it be small, big, whatever the case may be. Regardless, bro, I'm a soldier. I'm moving forward. I'm going forward. Ain't nothing stopping me. I ain't no. I'm not letting up for nobody now does that mean I'm a way rapping? That's a whole nother conversation. But just in life, you know what I'm saying? I'm always working for the healing, trying to grow, move forward, build businesses. But I feel like this chapter of my life and I found so much happiness with all the other things that I'm building, you know what I'm saying? Like, I feel excited, wake up and go to the office and sit with the team and surround myself with people who think like minded people, you know what I'm saying? People who want to grow, people who love creating and art, you know what I'm saying?

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Like, what's this chapter, what's this chapter of your life called?

[Rod Wave]

Don't look down.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Don't look down. What does this chapter mean? Because I hear you keep referencing this chapter and I know, you know, you got fatherhood going on the business side going on. Like what is it? What does it represent?

[Rod Wave]

Just going from like artist to mogul, you know what I'm saying? I feel like at some, like we all gotta grow, right? So by me just being on the stage and being the artist, being the talent or whatever, I feel like I wouldn't say I was in the worst position, but maybe like I was like a pawn at the time, you know what I'm saying? So like being. But I'm still in the game, right? So this chapter is like going from artist to mogul because like I learned so much and I done seen how things operate, I done seen how things go. I done got my money right, I done got my mind right. So it's like this chapter was like going from artist to mogul because, you know, like at some point. You gotta like you know, let the kids have it, you know what I'm saying? I let the kids have it. Like let them, you know what I'm saying? I'm always do this because it's my hobby, right? I can, I can make a hundred songs and nobody ever heard them or whatever because. Just because I like to do it.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

What you mean the kids? Are you 27?

[Rod Wave]

Like you a baby, you know what I'm saying? I'm not talking right now. Oh, I don't want to be to that point where I'm not a fucking kid no more. You know what I'm saying? It's like, bro, like I should be getting behind the youth and, and because they the future, at some point in my life, I should be up in the youth and teaching them what I learned or helping them so they don't have to bump their head and go through a eight year roller coaster, you know what I'm saying? It should be an eight month roller coaster. That's how it should go, right? Like we should be teaching the youth or getting behind the youth. That's how that go. Even though now I'm 27, right? It's somebody who's 17, right, who probably might be better than me, you know what I'm saying? Quicker than me, faster than me, whatever the case may be. And I should be, I should make an effort into being a part of that, you know what I'm saying?

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Absolutely. What's something you think you've healed from that your fans probably don't even realize?

[Rod Wave]

I feel like a lot of things that I done healed from maybe like childhood trauma. Like I feel like when I was younger I was so dramatic, you know what I'm saying? Like, I felt like the world owed me something. I felt like mad at these people. These people, what they did to me, how could they do that to me? And I feel like as time, as time went on, like I done healed so much. Like about like my childhood or my earlier younger days. Like nobody was out to get you, bro. Like it's life. Everybody got their own problems. Everybody got their own life. And maybe because the music, like it's timeless. So people go back and revisit and they think like that's still how I feel about certain situations. But I done healed from so many things like family relationships and stuff like that. Cause I was young, right? You know, you 17, 16, and you just, you don't get it. You don't understand it and you think everything's personal. You take everything personal, right? And then you get older and you have your own kids and you have your own life and you become an adult and it's just like, ah, I see. And you know what I'm saying, you give certain people breaks, like damn, you look at it a whole nother way and that help you heal, right? Growth is growing and having your own kids and family and businesses and you stop taking shit so personal, you know what I'm saying?

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Hey, that's why I love talking to brothers like you. Because when I was 27, I didn't have that level of emotional intelligence at all. I was still taking things personal at 27 years old. And then the thing you gonna realize as you get older, like as you get older, everything is just about healing that inner child.

[Rod Wave]

Exactly.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

That, that, that still exists within you. That eight year old, that nine year old, that teen, whatever trauma you was dealing with back then, I promise you, you will be in your 30s, 40s, still trying to help that little boy.

[Rod Wave]

Oh God. And, but it's so crazy because now, but now I look at it and I, and I remember myself like from a child to a grown man, right? And it's just like, what about the people who made us feel away? They was once children and they once didn't have it figured out and they once was dramatic and they once thought the world revolved around them and maybe, you know what I'm saying? And so now once you look back at it and you look at it from that angle, it's like, damn. Some of our parents is like kids who there was once kids and they just growed up and they, they didn't have a rule book up, map book and then they parents, it was just a revolving cycle. So now once I turn around and I look at the world and from that angle it's like, damn, like maybe I was a little too hard or maybe I was a little dramatic or maybe I.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Did you ever had those conversations with your peoples? Because that's one of the. I tell people that's the hard, that's the hard thing. Knowing that your parents had a life before they was your parents and learning about that.

[Rod Wave]

Yeah, especially, especially like when they feel that, like they feel some sort of type of like guilt, like damn, I wish I would have. You know what I'm saying? And then like now you gotta like try to made them understand that you understand it now, right? Because they might have remembered when you was dramatic about it and they, and they think you still feel that way about it. And it's, I'm like, how do you tell them like, it's okay. Like, I understand.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

That's what the look at me, mama record is.

[Rod Wave]

You feel me? Yeah, it's crazy. Yeah.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Yeah. So the conversations, you can't have to them yet. You just. You put it in the music.

[Rod Wave]

Yeah, whatever. I think Wayne said they were, like, kind of hard saying this to your face. So I do it over snails and face. Yeah, shit like that. Cause like, the music is like. Like. Like Vin, you know what I'm saying? Like, the music is like how to express yourself. Like, it's how I express myself, you know? But that's why I feel like this album is, like, so mature. Because it used to be I don't want no more love. I feel it's poison and then it turned into can I have a piece of your luck? But I be fine, you know? And I'm alone tonight But I'm okay you feel me? Yeah, I'm okay. Though it used to be how can I, how can I live? How can I? I don't want to be alone and it turned into okay yeah, if you get lost tonight you'll find your way well, I hope you do. You know what I'm saying?

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Yeah.

[Rod Wave]

It's like, you old or not, it's like, I'm all right, you know, I ain't less dramatic. It's like, I honest, I don't take so personal. I don't look at it. Just look at the world different.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

But you're still human, you know what I mean? So humans long for connection, right?

[Rod Wave]

But as you get older, like, it's growth, you know?

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Do you ever feel guilty for making it out when people you love didn't?

[Rod Wave]

Hell, no. I mean, because, like, this shit didn't fall out of the sky.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

You worked for it, man.

[Rod Wave]

We worked so hard for this shit, man. Nah, nah. I feel bad because I feel like I was so blessed to the point where, like, skated so many times, you know, and I got partners who didn't get second chances, who didn't get. You know what I'm saying? Older people to wrap their arms around them and teach them and guide them, but, you know, I took the hand I was dealt and I played it, and I'm still playing it, you know, I feel bad for, like, a lot of my friends and peers who couldn't make it to here, but that's why I always, like, shout that out. Like, I made it where people couldn't. Like, I'm a bottom bus survivor. Like, I know n couldn't even make it past the first level, you know?

[Charlamagne Tha God]

What I'm saying, you reference. You referenced Flip a lot on this project. Quite a few times. Like, what. What did he mean to you?

[Rod Wave]

Flip. Flip. That's. That's like Uncle D, alter ego, man. So, like, the last little chapter of his life, he flipped. He was total opposite. Like, he was always, like, hiding from cameras and wore the same thing. He had to. He never, you know, I'm saying, never spent no money. Never. He was quiet. My last. Last chapter of his life, he. He kind of flipped, like, to the total opposite. But he taught me a lot, though, man. He meant a lot to me. He. He helped mold this version of me today, like, you know what I'm saying? And as I. From that, you know, from. As chapters changes, I'm different and I'm still growing, right? But I couldn't have got to this point without, I'm saying, that bridge that he built for us. You know what I'm saying?

[Charlamagne Tha God]

So he was like a mentor.

[Rod Wave]

Most definitely. Most definitely.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

How important is mentorship?

[Rod Wave]

Mentorship is important because if a lot of things that not having a mentor could, like, slow the process down, you know what I'm saying? So actually having somebody in your ear or your corner that you actually believe, trust and that, you know you can trust, you know, they got your best interest that, you know, they don't. They know what they talking about. They don't been there before, right? Because a lot of us got goals and that we going towards, and it might take you longer or it might. You might go further, and I might get there faster. But a mentor can kind of like help you without bumping your head. Like we tell you, bro, I went down that alley. I got four flat tires. Don't go down there. I'm not going to go down there. You see what I'm saying? Saved me time, saved me money. I went around, I got. He didn't give me the gas money, right? He didn't buy the car for me, but he helped me. He told me, bro, you go down that alley, you'll get four flat tires, and they're gonna slow you down about four or five hours. If you go around, right, you're gonna get further, and you're gonna. With daylight, before it get dark, you're gonna get way further if you don't go down the alley. So mentorship is important. And that's why I said, I want to be. When I get to a point in my life, I want to be a part of the youth and the culture and helping them. Because I, for example, bro, the Kanye Concert, you know what I'm saying? My tour company booked the Soul Fly Stadium, right? And we got. We had the highest grossing hip hop show or concert ever. You see what I'm saying? But the fact that I was able to learn that, right? And it was people around me at the time, before I became, you know what I'm saying, the person I am today, or before I built Soul Fly, I mean, before I built mainstay Touring, right? It was people who should have been mentoring me and helping me and helping me get on this level or growing with me, right? But they was trying to run the game on me. You see what I'm saying? And that kind of just. But we could have built. We could have built this and did this together. We could have been doing this, right? So where I'm at today with the Kanye concert and everything, imagine what we would have been, right, if we would have started this process then when. If the first step would have been mentorship and helping me and teaching me, instead of trying to run the game on me, right? So now once you run the game on me three times, now I learn it. Now you just wasted two years. See what I'm saying? I gotta go over here. And now I'm at this point where, okay, I know how to build relationships, go on tour, leverage relationships, book the building. Can nobody in America got them, get Kanye back, you feel what I'm saying? At the Soul Fly Stadium. Soul Fly Stadium. So it's like learning how to leverage relationship, learning how to do this by going through whatever I went through. You see what I'm saying? But that's why it's important, because now I can take what I know and I can pass it down. So now I can save you two years. I can save you three years, because I did it. I already did it. And I feel like it's my debt to the culture, it's my debt to society. Because when my mentor, I couldn't even see the world in his light, right? I feel like that can make all the difference in the world. Because at some point, I wasn't the most famous in my city, my state, my nothing. I was right there in the room, and I was in last place, right? Some of these. Some of these, right? Trophies was because of whoever could last the longest, right? Whoever could make it to the last round, right? And there was a lot of people who was better, quicker, faster, you know what I'm saying? Had bigger support, but it was structure and shit.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Like that mentor, when Nipsey said, it's a marathon Nah, for real.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Hey y', all, what's up? It's Lauren LaRosa and we gotta talk. We gotta get into something that Sprite just dropped because this is right up my alley. As somebody who's been in audio and hip hop culture for over a decade, this is exactly the kind of thing I geek out about, okay? It's called the Sprite living track list. 50 tracks, hand picked, that shaped hip hop from the ground up to right now. And this isn't just a playlist to bob your head to all cute. This is designed to start real conversation to get people arguing. Y' all know how y' all ought to do about the hip hop in the list, reminiscing as well, sending it to their group chats like, yo, do y' all remember when this song was it? And honestly, as a producer of content campaigns like this hit different for me. I spent my life thinking about how the perfect story gets told. How one moment in a song becomes a moment for the culture. And seeing 50 records that literally define eras of hip hop laid out like this, side by side. Yo, masterclass. Mwah. Chef Kiss. Now this list itself, it's incredible. You've got the foundational stuff sitting right next to the new class. Real then and now vibes. My personal top picks from the pack. I gotta go with Unity, Bodak Yellow, and who's that Girl Child. You can't tell me nothing about that song because those are just non negotiables for me. But here's the best part. This goes way beyond the kin. Hip hop authorities and tastemakers actually break down the history and the impact behind every single track on the list. The samples, the influence, why it mattered then and why it still matters right now. That's the real story. So go run your own list. See how many of these 50 you grew up on, which ones surprised you and which ones you're sending to your friends. First. Check out the full Sprite Living track list and break down the stories behind your favorite bars@livingtracklist genius.com this is the Sprite Living track list. Obey your thirst.

[Rod Wave]

This summer there are 250 reasons to join T Mobile.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Girls. Trip booked and switching to T Mobile help make it happen with experience beyond

[Rod Wave]

switch and get $100 back plus $650 in value in built in plan benefits. That's $750 in your first year guaranteed.

[Lauren LaRosa]

And honestly, that hundred dollars back, I'm putting it towards the zip line now.

[Rod Wave]

That's how you do summer.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Exactly. Best switch I ever made.

[Rod Wave]

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[Lauren LaRosa]

Reese Witherspoon here. Checking into my favorite hotel in Paris.

[Rod Wave]

Bonjour. Bonjour. I'm traveling with my Wells Fargo autograph Journey card.

[Lauren LaRosa]

So I earn rewards wherever I book.

[Rod Wave]

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[Lauren LaRosa]

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[Rod Wave]

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[Lauren LaRosa]

Phew, that was a lot.

[Rod Wave]

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[Lauren LaRosa]

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[Charlamagne Tha God]

I want to stay on the Kanye thing for a second because somebody's envious. I was talking to Envy this morning because I told him I was going to be sitting with you and he was like, yo, you know he, he's one of the promoters for the Kanye show. And I said, oh, Rod out here moving different. I'm like, cause you. Are you selling out your own shows but you promoting shows for other artists?

[Rod Wave]

Yeah, but, but that's what, that's what gave me the. That's what gave me not only the leverage, but that's what gave me the, the knowledge, right? Cause I had to, I had to tear my touring business down, right? And rebuild it, right? And then I learned about touring and I was in rooms and I was meeting people and leveraging relationships. So now I was learning, right? So now I got the confidence, and I know. I know what I'm doing. We do this for wave. We can do this from anybody smaller or bigger, right? It's a simple equation, right? One plus one plus one is three. So it was a simple breakdown, and that's what gave me the confidence to do it. So learning from Broad Waves touring business made me ready for the world. Now I feel like I can throw a tour for the biggest artists in the world, right? Because just because I can't do it. I mean, I can't get it done. You see what I'm saying? And that's where the whole Kanye thing came from. And I just felt like I want to test this theory because you had these moments in your head where, like, I try to be so humble to the point where I, like, I might have to question myself. So I started getting too arrogant. I'm like, well, I got this shit down pat. I'm like, but do I really. Like, is people around me really just don't want to tell me I got to test this theory? And that's what the whole Kanye thing was about. I feel like I got this shit down to a science, and it's. But maybe it's only working for me because I'm wrong. Wait, but what if I try it? Nothing to do with me. Nothing. And I just test this theory, right? And that's what the Kanye thing was about, right? I leveraged my relationship, and I booked the venue, right? And then I. Then I found the talent, right? And we so structured and influence and the finances, and it worked.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Why Kanye? I mean, I mean, it's not why Kanye? Because it's Kanye. But you know, that could be risky, right?

[Rod Wave]

Yeah. And it wasn't nothing, because I didn't. Bro, I'm such a Kanye fan, and I'm such. So out of tune. I didn't even understand, right. The details. But the equation was find a building, right? And do the marketing, right? And then find an artist that has a cult, like, fan base, like, people who, like, love you even if you make mistakes, right? They understand you're not perfect. They understand where you at in life mentally, right? Or whatever you're going through physically, emotionally. Right? But that was the equation, right? Find the building, put the team together. And now we need talent that has a cult, like, following that has a fan base that just loves you thinking through, right? And that's why Kanye. Because it was like, my equation was, okay, is this working for Rod Wade? But I got a different kind of fan base. And that was People always people excuse on why I was different. Oh, he got different kind of fans. So I was like, I want to try this, and I take myself out the equation, but put something similar but bigger, right? So I put, you know, we came up with yay. And it's crazy because he was the first idea. Like, it wasn't even. Like, we thought about it and we came up with nothing. Like, it was like, he was the first person that I thought of, and that's what we did. And I appreciate him and I wish him the most luck, you know what I'm saying? It was successful. It was the biggest selling a hip hop concert in history. So.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

So he came to you or you. You came in?

[Rod Wave]

Nah, I went and got it right.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Yeah, see, that's dope too, though, man. Because it would take a black promoter to do that because nobody else was gonna give him a shot at a time like this.

[Rod Wave]

Yeah, I feel like a lot of people just don't understand business, whether they 14 or they 40 or 50. Like, because our mentors have to tell us and explain instead of trying to run the game, like, somebody got to be teaching us how does business work? You see what I'm saying? And maybe if people like, you know, maybe people would understand. And that's why I wanted to kind of like, for myself. Like, I felt like people wasn't really trying to help me, they was trying to run the game on me, you know what I'm saying? And that's what this whole mainstay thing's about. Even my sport agency, like, you know, I want to help the kid, I want to help the youth. So we're going after the youth, you know what I'm saying? My film company, I want to get the youth involved, the young writers and directors and, you know what I'm saying? Cast, mainstay, distribution and publishing. I want to sign the kids and actually help them build a fan base and build a touring. A touring business, you know what I'm saying? Like, I want to actually take what I know, and I'm saying in my edge, in the game and build or build something, but help the youth, help, mentor, help, no matter. No matter what, you know, because no matter how old you is, how young you is, knowledge is power, you know what I'm saying? You can have all the money in the world, you can have whatever, but knowledge is the power. Like, if you got 100 million and I got 100 million worth of game, you know what I'm saying? My hunting worth of game might just hit that 100 million about you. You see what I'm saying? Yeah. So your granddaddy could have gave you 100 million, right? But I got the game in my head. He didn't give you the game. He just handed you down some money.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

And that game can flip that 100 million, right? A couple hundred million, right?

[Rod Wave]

See what I'm saying? So you got to come to me because I got the key. So I ain't get the money. I didn't get the. I didn't get built into the family or whatever the case may be. But you don't know nothing with the money, so you got to come here, right? And that's just how the world work, you know what I'm saying?

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Oh, I think there's a lot I want to talk about with that. Because Mainstay, right? That's one of my favorite songs on the album. Why is that a thing? Why is it Mainstay? Because that's your entertainment company now as well. Why that word, mainstay?

[Rod Wave]

Is it Mainstay? Because I felt like it symbolized, like it's so many, like, people that be just like, coming up in the rap game. I feel like it was so many people that was in the way. I'm saying, I just wasn't really trying to help or just trying to, like, stick their fangs in people. And I feel like Mainstay was like, bro, whatever we can do, whatever you comfortable with, you know what I'm saying? And I feel like once you find a home like that, like, you don't gotta look nowhere else. And once you find a partner, no matter what you do, whether we your sport agent, whether we distribute your music, you know what I'm saying? Whether we distribute your content, whether we help manage you, whatever the case may be, I want to make it so suitable for you that you feel so at home. And it's your final. This your main state. This is where you. This where you land at. Right this way, you like, you know what I'm saying? You're so comfortable. So that's. That's. That was. And that's the whole right angle for the whole company. Like, I want to help. I want to. You know what I'm saying? Because I. I still got raw ways. So I don't gotta make. You know what I'm saying? I don't gotta make all the money. I don't gotta cheat you out of nothing. Like you gonna know the deal from A to Z, you know what I'm saying? I don't want nobody gonna be feeling no kind of way. Cause you gonna learn everything. And guess what? You can leave at any time, you

[Charlamagne Tha God]

know what I'm saying about the tour. There was a time where you was on tour and you had Ahrii Lennox opening up. I think Ahrii is phenomenal. She dope, she great. Ahri. But your crowd wasn't feeling Ahrii. Would you change that in hindsight? Would you have made a different decision?

[Rod Wave]

I mean, not really. Because I felt like Ari was dope, you know what I'm saying? Like, you can't control some things I just don't got control over, you know what I'm saying? But Ari so dope, you know what I'm saying? I thought she was just such a dope artist. I think she's such a dope artist. So I was happy that I got to work with her, you know what I'm saying? But it's demographics, you know what I'm saying? I just wanted to work with her, you know what I'm saying? And I was excited about working with her, right? And maybe, you know what I'm saying? Maybe if you got. If you understand how demographic work. Like, I got my demographic, you got your demographic, right? And we got different crowds, you know what I'm saying? Like, I wasn't thinking about that at the time, right? But maybe that was like a management call or something, like, you know what I'm saying? Like, she. You know what I'm saying? But I was excited to work with her. I'm glad I worked with her. I want to work with her again. I'm saying I had a good experience and I wish her experience would have been better, you know what I'm saying? And. Yeah, but I don't. I don't. I don't. I don't regret that, though.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Did that make you realize your taste may be different than your fans?

[Rod Wave]

Yeah, I mean, everybody tastes different, man. Everybody tastes different because you gotta think about that. A raw way you show. Like, it's older people. It's, you know what I'm saying? Mid age people, it's kids, you know what I'm saying? And like we talked about as a kid, you look at the world different, right? So it made me like some of these kids, it's too. It's too shuffled. Like, it's all kinds of demographics in here, right? So it's hard to kind of like target your demographic in a group full of six demographics, you know what I'm saying? Like six different types of people from. No matter what color, different ages, different shapes, different however, different attitudes, different backgrounds. So.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Yeah, how has. You know? Because you mentioned Flip, but you also mentioned, you know, your aunt on the album. You know, how have those losses changed the way you move through life today?

[Rod Wave]

My aunt?

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I thought you said your aunt or somebody on this.

[Rod Wave]

Probably. I should probably say.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Oh, okay. My fault.

[Rod Wave]

Okay. Flip.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Yeah, the same person.

[Rod Wave]

So that last, like, last part of his life, like, he flipped. Like, so another person.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Well, the people, they say grief comes in waves, right? Have you found that to be true, or do they show up differently?

[Rod Wave]

Hey, dude, that's crazy. Like, because I feel like when I first. When it first happened, like, when I first. When he first passed, like, I was so in shock. Like, I was. Like, I was in shock. Like, I couldn't even. Like, I couldn't even wrap my head. Like, it felt like a dream, right? So maybe like a year later, two weeks, like a year later, a couple months later, like, I found myself, like, damn, this is real. Like, this real life. They definitely come my ways, though, man.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Has losing people changed the way you change the way you approach your relationships with the people who are still here? Like, do you love differently now?

[Rod Wave]

Yeah, bro, because, like, I wanna. Like, I wanna have more fun. Like, I wanna be more positive. I wanna be more in the now. You know what I'm saying? I don't wanna be like. You know what I'm saying? Tomorrow, really not promised. Grow it up. You know what I'm saying? Cause we get so comfortable. Like, we get so comfortable in life, right? Like, we get so comfortable in our plans and not knowing any day, any moment, like, it all in the same way. So that really changed me a lot, though. Like, the way I look at life. Try to just make everything right. I'm saying.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Yeah, we act like we got one, One more day, when really we got one less day.

[Rod Wave]

Yeah, you should have Empty.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Does your own grief give you a deeper understanding of what your fans feel when they press play on your music? Cause a lot of your fans lean on your music through some of their hardest moments, you know?

[Rod Wave]

Right, right. And I feel like, you know, people relate to the. People relate to this stuff different. Like, it's all different. Like. Like, it's the same. Like, it's hitting the same nerve, but it's all case by case, you know what I'm saying?

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Do you ever worry that fans only want, like, the broken version of Rod Wave?

[Rod Wave]

Yeah, I do, but, like, I used to worry about that, right? But it's like, I want to be. I want to be a part of the I want to be a part of the growth. Like, I want to be a part of the healing process. So it's like, I wouldn't be doing it justice, like, staying. You know, I should be walking by, setting an example, right? I should be, like, trying to, you know what I'm saying? Help, you know what I'm saying, heal or help grow. You know what I'm saying? So even if they feel that way, it's like, that shouldn't dictate, like, the. The reality or the pure pureness of what I'm feeling or what I'm saying on my mouth. Like, I can't, like, you know what I'm saying? Aim it or. Because then it won't be real, right? Then it probably won't even hit the same. I'm saying I can't fake a emotion. I can't fake a feeling. You know what I'm saying?

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I'm glad to hear you say that, because a lot of artists, you know, they wonder whether healing will. Will change the connection with their audience. Yeah.

[Rod Wave]

And you got other artists who just see, like. See that it's working for some people, and they try to, like, do that. You know what I'm saying?

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Yeah.

[Rod Wave]

You know what I'm saying?

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Have you ever gone to therapy or anything?

[Rod Wave]

Just straight music, Great music, man.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

No, I. I hit a new album, and sometimes, man, it sounds like betrayal from people affected you more than, like, poverty ever did. Yeah.

[Rod Wave]

Oh, God. Yeah, oh, God. Cause it's like, poverty was like. Poverty was like. I don't even use that word. It's life, bro. Like, this is how we. Like, when you. You think it's normal. It's like, you don't look at it like poverty. It's normal, like, reality.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

You didn't even know you was poor, right?

[Rod Wave]

It was normal. Like, I didn't know. That's what my mama like. My mama worked her ass off. So, like, my whole family, that's all they did. They all hustlers. Like, from my nana to my grandma to my mama, my dad, my cousin, my uncles, they all get up and hustle. So I never even looked at it that way until I got to where I'm at today, and I'm like, damn, that's how you do that? Or that's a different way of doing shit. You know what I'm saying? But betrayal was like. Betrayal is deeper because poverty. And I'm not speaking on myself, but just poverty is something like, you born into, like, you know, people try every day to change that. Betrayal is like a Decision like a. Like a. You know, it's kind of like an action. It's like a. Like, damn. Like all this over this, all that. Oh, damn. It just hit different, you know?

[Charlamagne Tha God]

You ever thought about that?

[Rod Wave]

I can't blame nobody. You can't blame nobody for poverty. That's right. Right. Because that's like cycle. Like, what about who they blaming? But betrayal, like, you chose that. Like, you did that. Like, that was your move. You chose that move. We didn't choose poverty, you know, like, you chose betrayal. Like, so it hit different.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

You ever thought about that with some of your people? They waited to betray you when you got up, when y' all was poor, it probably was all good. Y' all probably was in the hood.

[Rod Wave]

Yeah.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Thick as thieves. But soon as you got up, you thought, like, why you wait till now to betray me?

[Rod Wave]

Yeah. I mean, some people gotta. They gotta have a motor and they gotta have something to betray a fool, like. But once you see that, they will portray betray you, right? And you realize, like, even in the beginning, the relationship, like the friendship or the partnership or the relationship, it wasn't healthy because, like, you would have. Like, you would have did this now. Like, you would have did it back then, right? So. And maybe it was never healthy to be in a partnership or friendship or. Etc, Right.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

That don't make you close yourself off to people, though, right?

[Rod Wave]

I mean, not really, bro. Because as much as I complain about betrayal, like, I can meet somebody in the hallway and 90 days from now he be working for the company and he be done moved to Georgia. It just be like that. So I let people hang. Like, let people hang theyself, man. I try to, like, give people the benefit of the doubt.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

How does it feel for Rod Wave to open himself up to actual love, man? They're just really getting love from somebody or people in general.

[Rod Wave]

Yeah, it feel good, man. I love love, right? I love love. Like, I love being happy and I love love. So it feels feel good.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

What does love taught you about yourself?

[Rod Wave]

That you gotta love yourself. Like, before you even understand what love is, you have to love yourself. Because you might be looking at something as love, but you can't really recognize it because you never saw it before. So you got these things in your head that you think is love. But if you love yourself, then you will be able to recognize it, you know? I'm saying clear as day, that's what I learned about love. Like, it start within, you know? And you gotta love yourself, right? And whoever you looking or whoever are trying to love You. They gotta love themselves. We gotta look, you gotta be mutual and they gotta be within.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Has becoming a father changed the way you think about your own childhood?

[Rod Wave]

Yeah, yeah, exactly. Yeah, for sure. Like I said, like when I was younger, I was so dramatic. But I want to have my own kid. Like, I understood my parents and. Right. Yeah.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

What was something you making sure your children never got to heal from.

[Rod Wave]

Just like, like going without? Like, I can't. I can't. I can only brace them for the world. Like, the world is the world and their life gonna be their life. Right? But just. I never want them to be able to like, have to lean on nobody or like, have to lose they self for like money or finances and stuff. Like, I want them to be able to live a free life and do what they. What they admire to do and not what the world wanted to do because of finances. So I never want. I never want them to go through that. But besides, like, life though, like, they gotta just go through it. You know what I'm saying?

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I got two more questions. Do you ever ask God, why me? Not just for the blessings, but for the responsibility that comes with who you are.

[Rod Wave]

No, I mean, I understand. Like, me and God got a close relationship since I was young. I always talked about this. Always was like, this made me. This made like how far I came in life. Made my faith so strong. So I got a real understanding on why me? You know what I'm saying? And I accept. I accept every responsibility that come with it, you know what I'm saying?

[Charlamagne Tha God]

What does peace look like for Rod

[Rod Wave]

Wave that piece look like I'm in Georgia, you know what I'm saying? I'm in my biggest king bed, me. And I ran the big castle clean lady just cleaned the house up real good. AC on 65. I'm saying we got a. We got a nice little Apple TV show on. And me and baby just kid back watching tv, laughing. That's when I be at real peace, man. I'll be real happy then. In the morning. I got a good, good day ahead of me, man. Good meetings at the office, good productive conversations. Whenever I'm in that space, like whenever I'm like. Whenever I go home and I'm just in that world, like this space that I've been in lately, bruh. It's like. It's so peaceful and happy, bro. Like just going home and watching tv. Simple shit. Waking up, going to the office and being productive with my time and building my business. Like, I'm just at peace with life. Like, I feel like. Like I'm here now. Like. Like I'm happy. Like, I don't feel like I'm running from nothing or running for something. Like, I feel at peace and just taking my time and building what I'm building, building my team, building my company, building my relationship. I just. I feel so happy, bro. I ain't gonna lie. I feel so peaceful, like, in this space in life that I'm in. And that's what. That's what. That's what it looked like for me, though. Just at home, fresh out the shower, the house that got cleaned up, me and Nari in the bed, watching a good TV show. Good. Good day in the office. Good day ahead of me tomorrow. That's. That's when I'm at my. That's when I'm at my most peace.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Hey, I'm happy for you, Rod. You represent us well, man.

[Rod Wave]

Sure.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Don't look down, brother.

[Rod Wave]

Yes, sir.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

How long was it?

[Rod Wave]

About an hour.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

What? We got an hour and seven minutes out of ra. We got an hour, seven out of Rahway. That's what's up.

[Rod Wave]

Appreciate you, man. Yeah.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Yes, sir. Absolutely, man.

[Rod Wave]

I got your number, bro. So, yeah, I want to talk it about, you know what I'm saying? Like, producing some showing.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Yeah, I got a lot of in. In the can. Yeah, I meant that when I told you, too, man. You. You're not a goofy, like, yeah, sure, you move the right way. Like, all of these young people can learn from how you out here moving. Sure you ain't whoring yourself out on social media.

[Rod Wave]

Oh, yeah.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

You know, like, you let it be about the music. That says a lot.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Reese Witherspoon here, checking into my favorite hotel in Paris.

[Rod Wave]

Bonjour. Bonjour. I'm traveling with my Wells Fargo autograph Journey card. So I earn rewards wherever I book. Travel five times points with hotels, four

[Lauren LaRosa]

times with airlines, three times on restaurants,

[Rod Wave]

other travel and one point on other purchases.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Ph, that was a lot.

[Rod Wave]

I need to lie down. Is the room Ready? Visit wells Fargo.com autograph journey terms apply. Honey, Felipe sent another photo from Argentina. How?

[Charlamagne Tha God]

With T Mobile, of course.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Mira, he's video calling us.

[Rod Wave]

Hola, familia. Did you get my photos?

[Charlamagne Tha God]

We did.

[Lauren LaRosa]

They're so pretty.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Here to share every moment with T Mobile.

[Rod Wave]

Enjoy. Data roaming at no extra charge in 21 Latin American countries. Switch now on the TLife app or t mobile.com connectati qualifying plan required. Not for extended international use. You must reset in the US and primary usage must occur in our network. Visit t mobile.com Some people use ChatGPT to answer questions, others use it to get real work done. With ChatGPT work, you bring the goal plus real inputs like briefs, notes, files, feedback, data and project plans.

[Lauren LaRosa]

It can help turn them into an

[Rod Wave]

analysis, tracker, deck, outline, prototype or workflow. You can review and keep shaping. You stay in control, giving direction and choosing the final output.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Put ChatGPT to work on your most

[Rod Wave]

ambitious ideas and projects.

[Lauren LaRosa]

Get [e-mail] by selecting work mode available

[Rod Wave]

on plus and Pro plans.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Hey everyone, it's Kalpen. I'm inviting you to join the best sounding book club you've ever heard with my podcast, Hearsay, The Audible and iHeart Audiobook Club. Every episode I nerd out with amazing

[Rod Wave]

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[Charlamagne Tha God]

Listen to Earsay, the Audible and iHeart

[Rod Wave]

audiobook club on the iHeartradio app or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Lauren LaRosa]

This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.