Fetty Wap
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New Jersey is no stranger to hip-hop talent. Redman, Queen Latifah, and Wyclef Jean are just a few of the artists that have come out of the Garden State and led successful careers. However, it’s definitely been a minute since the last Jersey MC popped off. Now, 24-year-old Paterson, NJ native Fetty Wap is trying to put the state back on the map with his buzzing record, “Trap Queen.” Is Fetty Wap—the newly signed artist to 300 Entertainment—truly Next Up, as the title of his latest mixtape suggests? Find out in The Break.Eli Schwadron

Name: Fetty Wap

Age: 24

Hometown: Paterson, New Jersey

I grew up listening to: Gucci Mane, Yo Gotti, Juelz Santana. That’s really it for the most part.

Most people don’t know: I’m probably one of the first rappers/singers to come on the scene with [only] one eye and be comfortable with it. A lot of people are judgmental but it’s all on how you show yourself to the people. That’s probably one of the main things people won’t know about me until they see me.

My style has been compared to: Honestly, I get a lot of my melodies from Future, Rich Homie [Quan] and Young Thug. A lot of the Southern artists I really cling on to. I wouldn’t want to say their styles, but their way of making music. I like the way they changed rap—I want to say they changed hip-hop into a melody rap thing. You don’t really gotta rap no more, you can just say the verse with a swag now. 

My standout records and/or moments to date have been: My standout record as everybody else knows is “Trap Queen.” I’m trying to make it the No. 1 single right now. It took flight so fast. I actually made the song almost a year from now. About eight, nine months ago. "Trap Queen" was actually a freestyle. I freestyled the whole three verses of the song at one time. I just posted it as a rough copy. And then I formatted the song, put a verse on it and made a radio version. It was just one of them nights where I was like, "Oh my god, do you hear this beat?" When I heard the beat again I just automatically went to the booth.

So that’s how it came about. I was dealing with a female at the time. She kind of really inspired the whole thing. That’s really where it came from. [She's] the inspiration of my Trap Queen. The funny part about it is everybody was telling me, "Why did you put that verse on it, you should have just left it how it was, I think it was best the way it was." I’ve only been making music for about a year now. I can’t really remember, probably like March or April is when I started taking it serious.

The second track I want to say would be “679.” I made that on my birthday and that’s already calculating over like 500,000 plays on SoundCloud. Every fan that I encounter, they don’t even have a favorite song. At first it was “Trap Queen,” because that’s the song that drew them in. But once you hear the other music, “Trap Queen” was cool, but we really got some work.

My goal in hip-hop is: I just want everybody to know my music and get to know my squad, Remy Boyz; just to show people New Jersey. New Jersey got talent too. I mean everybody sleeps on us and they put us as the underdog. My goal is to let everybody know where I’m from, rep my city and let 'em know what it is. This is Jersey music. 

I’m gonna be the next: Michael Jordan. I got a big mixtape coming out. I haven’t even been promoting it, it’s just everybody’s been waiting. That’s just really the main thing right now. I pushed the single, tried to get it as far as I could. It’s playing on a couple of radio stations, Hot 97 and 105. That’s just really it, gotta just keep pushing to the next level. I ain’t really tryna stop.

Follow me on Twitter (@zoowap), Instagram and my website.

Standout: "Trap Queen"

Also check out: "679" feat. Remy Boyz

And: "Make It"

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