Rod Wave on Club Shay Shay

Description

Rod Wave joins Club Shay Shay, reflecting on turning 28, the lessons he would give his younger self, and why patience, growth, and enjoying the journey matter more than chasing instant success. Rod Wave opens up about his mindset, his evolving dreams, and how his goals have grown alongside his career. The conversation explores Rod Wave's chart-topping success, loyal fan base, Grammy nominations, and why awards have never been his biggest motivation. He discusses his relationship with fans, the importance of networking, becoming more approachable, working with artists like NBA YoungBoy, his admiration for Prince, and the business lessons he has learned while transitioning from artist to entrepreneur. Rod Wave explains why ownership has become his biggest priority, breaking down record deals, label partnerships, publishing, and why understanding the business is just as important as making music. He shares why he created Mainstay Touring, how he built one of rap's strongest touring businesses, and the blueprint behind promoting Kanye West's massive stadium concerts. He also reveals how pitching Kanye West and his team became a defining business moment and why he believes artists should own more of their careers. The interview also dives into friendships with Druski, mentorship, and the people who helped shape Rod Wave's career. He reflects on learning from older artists, discusses Kodak Black's influence on him, responds to the past misunderstanding with Boosie Badazz, and explains why mentorship can completely change a young artist's future. Rod Wave gets personal about surviving a serious car accident, becoming a father, discovering a greater purpose, and how near-death experiences changed his outlook on life. He also talks about money, investing, trusting people, buying cars, learning financial discipline, and why building businesses creates more long-term wealth than owning luxury items. Later, Rod Wave shares stories about borrowing Wi-Fi to upload music, performing at strip clubs as a teenager with his father serving as his chaperone, DMing artists before fame, wanting to collaborate with Metro Boomin, and his thoughts on the future of hip-hop and R&B. He explains why younger generations deserve support instead of criticism and why innovation is essential for every industry. Rod Wave discusses what he has learned about the music business, why artists must educate themselves instead of relying on others, responds to DJ Akademiks calling him "the Jay-Z of this generation," explains how studying Jay-Z, Kanye West, Drake, Kodak Black, and NBA YoungBoy shaped his business mindset, and previews his new album Don't Look Down along with his upcoming North American tour.