Willie Junior Maxwell II (born June 7, 1991), better known by his stage names Fetty Wap or Harlem Fetty, is an American rapper, singer and songwriter. He rose to prominence after his debut single "

Trap Queen "Trap Queen" is the debut single by American rapper Fetty Wap from his self-titled debut album (2015). Following its online premiere in March 2014, it was released independently on April 22, 2014, before being re-released in conjunction with 30 ...

" reached number two on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart in May 2015. This helped Fetty Wap secure a record deal with

300 Entertainment Theory Entertainment LLC, doing business as 300 Entertainment, is an American record label founded by Lyor Cohen, Kevin Liles, Todd Moscowitz, and Roger Gold. The label's roster includes acts across multiple genres such as hip hop, rock, pop, ele ...

. The single was followed up with two top 10 hits in the U.S., "

679 __NOTOC__ Year 679 ( DCLXXIX) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 679 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar ...

" (featuring Remy Boyz) and "

My Way "My Way" is a song popularized in 1969 by Frank Sinatra set to the music of the French song "Comme d'habitude" composed by Jacques Revaux with lyrics by Gilles Thibaut and Claude François and first performed in 1967 by Claude François. Its E ...

" (remixed featuring

Drake Drake may refer to: Animals * A male duck People and fictional characters * Drake (surname), a list of people and fictional characters with the family name * Drake (given name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * ...

). All three songs were featured on Fetty Wap's eponymous debut album, released in September 2015, which peaked atop the U.S. ''Billboard'' 200 chart.

Early life

Maxwell was born and raised in

Paterson, New Jersey Paterson ( ) is the largest City (New Jersey), city in and the county seat of Passaic County, New Jersey, Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Born with

glaucoma Glaucoma is a group of eye diseases that result in damage to the optic nerve (or retina) and cause vision loss. The most common type is open-angle (wide angle, chronic simple) glaucoma, in which the drainage angle for fluid within the eye rem ...

in both eyes, Maxwell revealed in a 2015 interview that doctors were unable to save his left eye and instead fitted him with an

ocular prosthesis An ocular prosthesis, artificial eye or glass eye is a type of craniofacial prosthesis that replaces an absent natural eye following an enucleation, evisceration, or orbital exenteration. The prosthesis fits over an orbital implant and under ...

. He attended Eastside High School before dropping out in order to pursue his music career.

Career

2013–2015: Beginnings and debut album

Fetty Wap developed an interest in making music in 2013. Initially starting off as a rapper, he later decided to start singing as well because he "wanted to do something different". He was nicknamed "Fetty" (slang for money). "Wap" was added to the end of the name to perform in tribute to

Gucci Mane Radric Delantic Davis (born February 12, 1980), known professionally as Gucci Mane, is an American rapper and record executive. He helped pioneer the hip hop subgenre of trap music alongside fellow Atlanta-based rappers T.I. and Young Jeezy, ...

's alias, Guwop. Fetty Wap's commercial debut single, titled "

", was released in early 2014. This song appeared in his 2014 mixtape ''Up Next'' released in July 2014. He recorded the song in February 2014. However, it did not gain major recognition until mid-November 2014, and since then it has become a

platinum record Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...

and has over 130 million plays on

SoundCloud SoundCloud is an online audio distribution platform and music sharing website that enables its users to upload, promote, and share audio. Founded in 2007 by Alexander Ljung and Eric Wahlforss, SoundCloud is one of the largest music streaming se ...

. In November 2014, Fetty Wap represented by Attorney Navarro W. Gray secured a

recording contract A recording contract (commonly called a record contract or record deal) is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording artist (or group), where the artist makes a record (or series of records) for the label to sell and promote. Artists ...

with

, the imprint was founded by Lyor Cohen, Kevin Liles, Roger Gold and Todd Moscowitz, with distribution through

Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most i ...

. The song "Trap Queen" is about a woman dealing and cooking

crack cocaine Crack cocaine, commonly known simply as crack, and also known as rock, is a free base form of the stimulant cocaine that can be smoked. Crack offers a short, intense high to smokers. The ''Manual of Adolescent Substance Abuse Treatment'' calls ...

. His second mixtape, ''Fetty Wap: The Mixtape'' was originally set for release in February 2015, but was delayed because he continued to create new songs. In June 2015, Fetty Wap was included in '' XXL''s 2015 Freshman Class. On June 29, 2015, Fetty Wap released his second single "

", originally from his ''Up Next'' mixtape. The song's accompanying music video premiered on

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

in May, before being commercially released. "679" had an original version with Monty only and an added verse by Fetty Wap. The Remy Boyz version was removed from the album. His next single, "

", became his second top 10 entry on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Later,

remixed "My Way" and created the version that was then played on radio. Afterwards, "679" reached the Hot 100 top 10 peaking at number four. During the week of July 26 to August 1, 2015, the rapper matched ''Billboard'' marks by hip-hop prominent artists

Eminem Marshall Bruce Mathers III (born October 17, 1972), known professionally as Eminem (; often stylized as EMINƎM), is an American rapper and record producer. He is credited with popularizing hip hop in middle America and is critically acclai ...

and

Lil Wayne Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. (born September 27, 1982), known professionally as Lil Wayne, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record executive. His career began in 1995, at the age of 12, when he was signed by rapper Birdman (rapper), ...

. He became the first male rapper with three songs occupying the top 20 spots on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart since Eminem did so in 2013. He also became the first male rapper in four years to have concurrent singles reach the top 10 of the same chart since Lil Wayne did so in 2011. With his fourth single "

Again Again may refer to: Entertainment * ''Again'' (video game), a 2009 adventure game for the Nintendo DS * '' Again!!'' manga * ''Again!'', a 2011 children's book by Emily Gravett * ''Again'' (film), a 2015 Japanese film Music * Again (band), a ...

", Fetty Wap became the first act in the

Hot Rap Songs Hot Rap Songs (formerly known as Hot Rap Tracks and Hot Rap Singles) is a chart released weekly by '' Billboard'' in the United States. It lists the 25 most popular hip-hop/rap songs, calculated weekly by airplay on rhythmic and urban radio stat ...

chart's 26-year history to chart his first four entries in the top 10 simultaneously. Fetty Wap's debut studio album ''

Fetty Wap Willie Junior Maxwell II (born June 7, 1991), better known by his stage names Fetty Wap or Harlem Fetty, is an American rapper, singer and songwriter. He rose to prominence after his debut single " Trap Queen" reached number two on the U.S. ''B ...

'' was released on September 25, 2015. The album debuted at number one on the US ''Billboard'' 200, with 129,000 equivalent album units (75,484 in pure album sales). Fetty Wap subsequently released two mixtapes for streaming only: '' Coke Zoo'' in collaboration with

French Montana Karim Kharbouch (Arabic: æɾiːm χɑɾbuːʃ born November 9, 1984), better known by his stage name French Montana, is a Moroccan-American rapper. Born and raised in Morocco, he emigrated to the United States with his family when he was 13. ...

and ''ZOO 16: The Mixtape'' with Zoo Gang. Fetty Wap received two nominations at the 58th Grammy Awards.

2016–2020: EPs, mixtapes and other releases

On February 5, 2016, Fetty Wap released a new single titled "

Jimmy Choo Datuk Jimmy Choo Back from ...

". On April 26, 2016, it was announced that Fetty Wap would be getting his own

mobile Mobile may refer to: Places * Mobile, Alabama, a U.S. port city * Mobile County, Alabama * Mobile, Arizona, a small town near Phoenix, U.S. * Mobile, Newfoundland and Labrador Arts, entertainment, and media Music Groups and labels * Mobile ( ...

racing game Racing games are a video game genre in which the player participates in a racing competition. They may be based on anything from real-world racing leagues to fantastical settings. They are distributed along a spectrum between more realistic ra ...

available on phone, tablet, and

Apple TV An apple is an edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus domestica''). Apple fruit tree, trees are agriculture, cultivated worldwide and are the most widely grown species in the genus ''Malus''. The tree originated in Central Asia, wh ...

starting on May 3. The game is offshoot of mobile game Nitro Nation Stories. A street racing game, it has

multi-player A multiplayer video game is a video game in which more than one person can play in the same game environment at the same time, either locally on the same computing system ( couch co-op), on different computing systems via a local area network, or ...

, car customization, and different storylines to choose. It has partnered with automotive brands like BMW,

Nissan , trade name, trading as Nissan Motor Corporation and often shortened to Nissan, is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automobile manufacturer headquartered in Nishi-ku, Yokohama, Japan. The company sells ...

, and

Cadillac The Cadillac Motor Car Division () is a division of the American automobile manufacturer General Motors (GM) that designs and builds luxury vehicles. Its major markets are the United States, Canada, and China. Cadillac models are distributed i ...

. The Fetty Wap version will include Fetty Wap and Monty into the storyline. Fetty Wap was featured on the

Fifth Harmony Fifth Harmony, often shortened to 5H, was an American girl group based in Miami, composed of Ally Brooke, Normani, Dinah Jane, Lauren Jauregui, and previously Camila Cabello until her departure from the group in December 2016. The group sig ...

single "

All in My Head (Flex) "All in My Head (Flex)" is a song recorded by American group Fifth Harmony, featuring vocals by rapper Fetty Wap, for their second studio album, ''7/27'' (2016), which was released on May 27, 2016. It was produced by Stargate and Brian Garcia ...

". He released the single " Wake Up" in April 2016. The official music video for the song was filmed at his alma mater, Eastside High School. His single "Make You Feel Good" was released in August 2016. On November 21, 2016, he released a 19 track mixtape titled ''Zoovier''. His song "Like a Star" features

Nicki Minaj Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty (; born December 8, 1982), known professionally as Nicki Minaj ( ), is a Trinidadian-born rapper based in the United States. She is known for her musical versatility, animated flow in her rapping, alter egos and accent ...

and was released in December 2016. On January 4, 2017, he released the song "Way You Are" featuring Monty, and the song "Flip Phone" on February 10, 2017. He walked in

Philipp Plein Philipp is both a surname and a given name. Notable people with the name include: "Philipp" has also been a shortened version of Philippson, a German surname especially prevalent amongst German Jews and Dutch Jews. Surname * Adolf Philipp (1864 ...

's runway show during

New York Fashion Week New York Fashion Week (NYFW), held in February and September of each year, is a semi-annual series of events in Manhattan typically spanning 7–9 days when international fashion collections are shown to buyers, the press, and the general publ ...

in February 2017. He released the single "Aye" on May 12, 2017. He released the mixtape ''Lucky No. 7'' on June 7, 2017. On August 18, 2017, he released the single "There She Go" featuring Monty. In October 2017, Fetty Wap featured in

Cheat Codes Cheating in video games involves a video game player using various methods to create an advantage beyond normal gameplay, usually in order to make the game easier. Cheats may be activated from within the game itself (a cheat code implemented by ...

' single " Feels Great" with CVBZ. On January 19, 2018, Fetty Wap released the EP ''For My Fans III: The Final Chapter''. He released the mixtape ''Bruce Wayne'' in June 2018. On June 7, 2019, Fetty Wap's birthday, he released the single "Birthday". On September 27, he released the song "Brand New". On February 14, 2020, he released the mixtape ''Trap & B''.

2021–present: ''The Butterfly Effect''

On September 28, 2021, Fetty Wap previewed the song “Out The Hood” in an

Instagram Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...

video with the caption “10/22 T.B.E”, giving speculation of a single or mixtape release. Later on October 13, 2021, Fetty Wap posted the official cover art for the album “The Butterfly Effect” announcing it as his second studio album, releasing six years since his debut, however on the intro, he sings “it’s been seven years”. The Butterfly Effect was released October 22, 2021, through 300 Entertainment & RGF Productions, marking the return of Fetty Wap after several mixtape releases & legal issues. The title derives from his late daughter, Lauren, where he drew inspiration for the album name & some songs. In November 2022, Fetty released a single titled “ Sweet Yamz”, a recreation of the song “Yamz” by Masego & Devin Morrison. The song went viral on the video platform TikTok and the song received positive reception, with singer Charlie Wilson releasing an unofficial remix through the app, and rapper

Snoop Dogg Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. (born October 20, 1971), known professionally as Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg and briefly Snoop Lion), is an American rapper. His fame dates back to 1992 when he featured on Dr. Dre's debut solo single, " ...

calling it the “song of the year".

Influences

Fetty Wap has referred to his music as "ignorant R&B". He combines singing and rapping. Fetty Wap usually wears the

flag of Haiti The flag of Haiti ( French: , ht, drapo Ayiti) is the national flag of the Republic of Haiti. It is a bicolour flag featuring two horizontal bands coloured blue and red, emblazoned by a white rectangular panel bearing the coat of arms of Hait ...

in honor of his daughter's late grandmother and draws influences from

Haitian culture The culture of Haiti is an eclectic mix of African, Taino and European elements due to the French colonization of Saint Domingue and its large and diverse enslaved African population, as is evidenced in the Haitian language, music, and religi ...

. In an interview with CivilTV, he said that he "fell in love with the culture; people don't know what

Haiti Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and ...

means to me." On several occasions, Fetty Wap has also cited

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

-based rapper

as a major influence in his music.

Personal life

Fetty Wap is the father of six children with five women. # Aydin (born May 2011) with Ariel Reese # Zaviera (born March 2015) with Lezhae Zeona # Khari (born March 2016) with

Masika Kalysha Masika Kalysha Champ, ('' née'' Tucker; born June 7, 1985) known professionally as Masika Kalysha is an American actress, reality television personality, singer/songwriter, entrepreneur and businesswoman. She is best known for her role on VH1 ...

# Amani (born April 2016) with Elaynna Parker # Lauren (2017–2021) with Turquoise Miami # Zy (born 2018) with Lezhae Zeona In early 2018, model Alexis Skyy named Fetty Wap as the father of her daughter Alaiya. In 2019, Fetty Wap publicly stated that he is not Alaiya's biological father, but is still a father figure to her. In December 2020, Brandon Medford was revealed to be Alaiya's biological father. Fetty Wap appeared on the third season on VH1's ''Love & Hip Hop: Hollywood'', which documented his strained relationship with Masika. He also appeared on the ninth season of '' Love & Hip Hop: New York'' which documented his strained relationship with Alexis Skyy. In September 2019, Fetty Wap privately married model Leandra K. Gonzalez. A year later, Fetty Wap officially divorced from Gonzalez. In July 2021, Fetty Wap's daughter, Lauren, died at the age of four.

TMZ TMZ is a tabloid news website owned by Fox Corporation. It made its debut on November 8, 2005, originally as a collaboration between AOL and Telepictures, a division of Warner Bros., until Time Warner divested AOL in 2009. On September 13, 202 ...

reported that her death certificate stated she had died of complications of a congenital heart

arrhythmia Arrhythmias, also known as cardiac arrhythmias, heart arrhythmias, or dysrhythmias, are irregularities in the heartbeat, including when it is too fast or too slow. A resting heart rate that is too fast – above 100 beats per minute in adults ...

, although her mother Turquoise Miami said on

in August 2021 that Lauren's cause of death had not yet been fully determined. In September 2022, Fetty Wap's most recent divorced partner Lezhae Zeona appeared on the Fresh and Fit podcast only to be kicked out for disrespecting the hosts and getting upset when challenged about her new marriage.

Lawsuits and criminal charges

Over the years, Fetty Wap has been on the receiving end of multiple lawsuits for instances including

copyright infringement Copyright infringement (at times referred to as piracy) is the use of works protected by copyright without permission for a usage where such permission is required, thereby infringing certain exclusive rights granted to the copyright holder, s ...

defamation Defamation is the act of communicating to a third party false statements about a person, place or thing that results in damage to its reputation. It can be spoken (slander) or written (libel). It constitutes a tort or a crime. The legal defini ...

, property damage and assault. At 1:20 AM on November 2, 2017, he was arrested after being pulled over on a

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

highway. He was subsequently charged with drunk driving,

reckless endangerment Endangerment is a type of crime involving conduct that is wrongful and reckless or wanton, and likely to produce death or grievous bodily harm to another person. There are several kinds of endangerment, each of which is a criminal act that can ...

, aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle, illegally changing lanes, and

drag racing Drag racing is a type of motor racing in which automobiles or motorcycles compete, usually two at a time, to be first to cross a set finish line. The race follows a short, straight course from a standing start over a measured distance, most c ...

. On October 29, 2021, federal prosecutors unsealed an indictment against Fetty Wap, charging him with one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess controlled substances. He was arrested at

Citi Field Citi Field is a baseball stadium located in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in New York City, United States. It opened in 2009 and is the home field of Major League Baseball's New York Mets. The stadium was built as a replacement for the adjacent ...

and pleaded not guilty to federal drug charges in a New York court. Fetty Wap was released on a $500,000 bond on November 5, 2021. He was put back in jail again on August 8, 2022 after violating the terms of his pretrial release. On August 22, 2022, he pleaded guilty to his drug charges, and could face a minimum of 5 years in prison for the charge.

Awards and nominations

Discography

*''

'' (2015) * ''The Butterfly Effect'' (2021)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wap, Fetty 1991 births Living people African-American male rappers American hip hop singers East Coast hip hop musicians Eastside High School (Paterson, New Jersey) alumni Musicians from Paterson, New Jersey Musicians with disabilities Rappers from New Jersey Songwriters from New Jersey Atlantic Records artists 21st-century American rappers 21st-century African-American male singers African-American male singer-songwriters Trap musicians Singer-songwriters from New Jersey