Rod Wave has shared that he doesn’t want to be known as the “sad” rapper anymore.
The singer-rapper addressed the moniker and meme that he’s become famous for over the years during an appearance on the Joe Budden Podcast after he was asked about his music.
"Pardon my ignorance, but do you have happy songs?" Budden asked as the room laughed.
"Shit like that make you don’t want to be that sad n***a," said Rod. "You walk in the room and bitches be like (sucks lips)."
"I even told my girl one time, like damn this music is hard but I don’t want to keep being the sad n***a," Rod continued. "I feel like the concerts and shows and shit, it shows me who fuck with this shit."
Rod continued on, explaining his response to fans when they call him sad. "I got to tell people when I made the song, that’s what I was feeling," he said. "You heard the song eight months later. I’m good."
In other Rod news, the artist has filed a countersuit against a promoter who sued him for $27 million for allegedly violating their contract after the cancellation of days on the Last Lap Tour.
In court documents, Rod accused Grizzly Touring of attempting to trap him in an "exclusive arrangement."
"Grizzly Touring’s lawsuit is baseless and an unfortunate extension of its prior failed attempts to trap Rod Wave into an exclusive arrangement," the statement read.
In a statement from his attorney, James Sammataro, Wave alleged that Grizzly was attempting to force him into indentured servitude.
"Grizzly is not entitled to this improperly requested specific performance or equivalent injunctive relief, which effectively amounts to an indentured servitude," Sammataro wrote. "Defendants have lost confidence in Grizzly as their tour promoter and no longer wish to perform services for Grizzly or receive Grizzly’s services."
Grizzly alleges that the $27 million they’re seeking is for "unearned and unrecouped advances," claiming that they agreed to pay the rapper $40,250,000 to perform 35 shows. Half of the fee was allegedly paid up front.
“[Rod Wave] has only performed 26 shows since the Last Lap Tour began in October 2024,” Grizzly’s attorney wrote. "That means [Rod] has only earned $29,900,000 against the guarantee, pursuant to its terms, and, as a result, now owes Grizzly $27 million for the amounts Grizzly advanced and paid on [Rod’s] behalf."
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