Following his early May arrest on a felony charge of battery by strangulation, the charges against rapper Rod Wave have been dropped, Billboard has confirmed.
The arrest stems from an April 24 incident involving Wave, born Rodarius Marcell Green, allegedly entering his ex-girlfriend’s home and choking her, according to the arrest warrant. Green and the woman share two children, who were in another room of the house when the incident allegedly took place. The 23-year-old rapper was arrested a week later during a traffic stop in St. Petersburg, Florida.
According to an email to Pitchfork from Green’s attorney Bradford M. Cohen, the incident was “a misunderstanding between a Girlfriend and Boyfriend,” adding, “That misunderstanding resulted in Mr. Green’s arrest. After review of the evidence and speaking with witnesses, the State entered a Nolle Pross/ No Info on the matter and will not be pursuing charges.” On Instagram, Cohen said, “Sometimes misunderstandings can be misconstrued and it isn’t until all the evidence and witnesses are reviewed that the right decision is made by the States Attorney.”
A charge report on the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office site cites that Green was booked into jail just after midnight on the charge after his arrest by the St. Petersburg Police Department. The rapper’s 2021 album SoulFly debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, launching his career to previously unseen heights. He recently toyed with the idea of leaving behind rap during an Instagram Live, stating, “I’m not no people person, I’m not no center of attention ass n—a, I hate attention.”
His latest release, “Cold December,” is the lead single from his forthcoming fourth album, Beautiful Mind, set to arrive June 3.