Florida rapper Rod Wave has reportedly been arrested in his home state and charged with battery by strangulation, according to XXL based on Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office online records. As of press time, he was still in custody and awaiting arraignment (meaning he has yet to go before a judge to enter a plea or have bail determined). Understandably, details are limited, but may be forthcoming. Stay tuned.
The timing is certainly inopportune. The breakout crooner had just announced the title and release date of his fourth studio album, Beautful Mind, over the weekend. Due June 3 on Alamo Records, the project will be Rod’s fourth in as many years beginning in 2019 with Ghetto Gospel. In 2020, he followed up with Pray 4 Love, which was warmly received, landing at No. 2 on the Billboard 200. Then, in 2021, he improved on that showing with Soulfly, which ended its first week at No. 1 on the chart.
Although the St. Petersburg rapper was mostly radio silent in the year since releasing Soulfly, he has kept his buzz alive with a few new singles, including “Nirvana,” which he had to clarify after some fans interpreted it as a possible suicide note, and “Cold December,” his first single of 2022.