Fetty Wap

Fetty Wap Bio

Willie Junior Maxwell II (born 7 June 1991), known professionally as Fetty Wap, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He rose to prominence in 2014 with his breakout single “Trap Queen,” which peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100, and followed with the top-ten singles “679” and “My Way.” His self-titled debut album, released in 2015, debuted at number one on the Billboard 200. Fetty Wap became known for blending melodic singing with rapping, lighthearted lyrics, and the catchphrase “1738!” He has earned two Grammy Award nominations, a 2016 iHeartRadio Music Award for Best New Artist, and a 2016 Billboard Music Award for Top New Artist.

Early Life and Background

Willie Junior Maxwell II was born and raised in Paterson, New Jersey, on 7 June 1991. He grew up in a city with a deep musical heritage, an environment that helped shape his early interest in hip hop and R&B. Maxwell was born with glaucoma in both eyes. In a 2015 interview, he revealed that doctors were unable to save his left eye, and he was fitted with an ocular prosthesis.

He attended Eastside High School in Paterson before choosing to leave school in order to pursue his music career full-time. As a young artist, Maxwell gravitated toward Atlanta-based rapper Gucci Mane, whose influence later inspired his own stage name, with “Wap” added as a tribute to Gucci Mane’s alias “Guwop.” He also embraced Haitian culture, often wearing the flag of Haiti to honor a former girlfriend’s late grandmother, and he has described himself as someone who “fell in love with the culture.”

Path to Music

Fetty Wap developed an interest in making music in 2013. He began as a rapper before deciding to add singing to his sound because he “wanted to do something different.” He was nicknamed “Fetty” and chose the additional name “Wap” as a tribute to Gucci Mane. The combination gave him a distinctive identity in a crowded hip-hop landscape and helped him stand out in his early performances and recordings.

His commercial debut single, “Trap Queen,” was recorded in February 2014 and released early that year. The track appeared on his 2014 mixtape “Up Next,” released in July 2014, but did not gain major recognition until mid-November 2014. By that point, the song had already begun to circulate online, and the attention soon translated into mainstream success. In November 2014, Fetty Wap secured a recording contract with 300 Entertainment, an imprint founded by Lyor Cohen, Kevin Liles, Roger Gold, and Todd Moscowitz, with distribution through Atlantic Records.

Fetty Wap Career

Early Career (2013-2015)

Fetty Wap’s early work centered on building a local following around the Remy Boyz collective. After the breakout of “Trap Queen,” he released follow-up singles “679” (featuring Remy Boyz) and “My Way,” the latter of which was later remixed with a verse from Drake. All three tracks preceded his self-titled debut studio album, and the success of these songs established him as one of the most promising new voices in hip hop. In June 2015, Fetty Wap was included in XXL’s 2015 Freshman Class, an annual list highlighting rising artists.

During the week of 26 July to 1 August 2015, Fetty Wap matched Billboard marks previously set by Eminem and Lil Wayne. He became the first male rapper with three songs occupying the top twenty of the Billboard Hot 100 since Eminem in 2013, and the first in four years to have concurrent singles reach the top ten since Lil Wayne in 2011. With “Again,” he became the first act in the 26-year history of the Hot Rap Songs chart to chart his first four entries in the top ten simultaneously.

Breakthrough (2015-2016)

Fetty Wap’s debut studio album, “Fetty Wap,” was released on 25 September 2015. The album debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200, with 129,000 equivalent album units, including 75,484 in pure album sales. The success of the album cemented his status as a mainstream artist and was followed by streaming-only mixtapes, including “Coke Zoo” with French Montana and “ZOO 16: The Mixtape” with Zoo Gang.

In 2016, Fetty Wap saw moderate success with the singles “Jimmy Choo” and “Wake Up,” and he was featured on Fifth Harmony’s “All In My Head (Flex).” He received two nominations at the 58th Grammy Awards, recognized by his peers in the recording industry. He also won the Best New Artist award at the 2016 iHeartRadio Music Awards and the Top New Artist award at the 2016 Billboard Music Awards, marking a defining stretch in his early career.

Notable Works and Milestones

“Trap Queen” remains Fetty Wap’s signature song, reaching number two on the Billboard Hot 100 and earning platinum certification, with more than 200 million plays on SoundCloud. His self-titled debut album topped the Billboard 200 in its first week. In 2018, his single “Keke” with 6ix9ine and A Boogie wit da Hoodie marked a brief resurgence. In late 2022, “Sweet Yamz,” a recreation of Masego and Devin Morrison’s “Yamz,” went viral on TikTok, prompting praise from Charlie Wilson and Snoop Dogg, who called it the “song of the year.”

Fetty Wap Award Nominations

Fetty Wap has received two Grammy Award nominations during his career, both coming at the 58th Grammy Awards in 2016. These nominations recognized the impact of his debut album and breakout singles on the broader music industry. Additional nominations and recognitions from other organizations have accompanied his two Grammy nods across his career.

Fetty Wap Awards Won

Fetty Wap has won two notable industry awards early in his career. He received the Best New Artist honor at the 2016 iHeartRadio Music Awards and the Top New Artist award at the 2016 Billboard Music Awards. These wins reflected the commercial and cultural impact of his debut single “Trap Queen” and the success of his self-titled debut album.

Fetty Wap Family

Fetty Wap is the father of six children with five different women. He has spoken publicly about the death of his daughter Lauren in June 2021 at the age of four, an event that inspired several elements of his 2021 album “The Butterfly Effect.” Fetty Wap has also shared that he obtained his GED while imprisoned on federal drug charges, completing an important personal milestone during a difficult period in his life.

Personal Life

Fetty Wap married model Leandra K. Gonzalez in September 2019, and the couple divorced in 2020. He has been in a relationship with model Alexis Skyy, with their relationship documented on the ninth season of VH1’s “Love & Hip Hop: New York.” He has also been in a relationship with Masika Kalysha, with their relationship featured on the third season of VH1’s “Love & Hip Hop: Hollywood.” In early 2018, Skyy named Fetty Wap as the father of her daughter Alaiya, although Wap publicly stated in 2019 that he is not her biological father while remaining a father figure; his non-paternity was confirmed in December 2020.