Fetty Wap, real name Willie Junior Maxwell II, was raised in Patterson, N.J., where he attended Eastside High School. Realizing school wasn’t part of his plan, he dropped out in 2013 to pursue music full-time. Fetty Wap’s debut single, “Trap Queen,” was released in early 2014 and became his first Top 10 entry on the Billboard Hot 100. He had a deal with 300 Entertainment before the year was up. Around the same time, Fetty Wap was named an XXL Freshman in 2015, he released his second mixtape, Zoo Style, then followed up with Coke Zoo, a joint project with French Montana. His self-titled debut album arrived in September 2015 and landed at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. It was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in 2018. Fetty Wap landed his second Top 10 single with “679” featuring Remy Boyz and his third with “My Way” featuring Monty, both in 2015.
Plagued by legal troubles, Fetty Wap didn’t release his sophomore album, The Butterfly Effect, until October of 2021. The same month, federal prosecutors unsealed an indictment against Fetty Wap and five others, charging him with one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess controlled substances. He was arrested at Citi Field and pleaded not guilty to federal drug charges in a New York court. Fetty Wap was ultimately released on a $500,000 bond on November 5, 2021, but was locked up again on August 8, 2022 after violating the terms of his pretrial release. Fetty Wap pleaded guilty to his drug charges in May 2022 and was sentenced to six years in prison.