Fetty Wap continues to whip up tracks from the trap since stomping onto the rap scene with his 2015 breakout hit “Trap Queen.” Before his headlining set at Billboard’s Hot 100 Fest on Aug. 20 to 21 in Jones Beach, New York, study up on the New Jersey rap star with these Fetty facts below.
1. Fetty Wap lost his right eye
In an early 2015 interview with Shade 45’s DJ Self, the MC born Willie Maxwell explained how he suffered from congenital glaucoma. “When I was little I had gotten into a little accident and it gave me congenital glaucoma in both of my eyes,” he said. “The doctor saved one, I was blessed to still have my vision.”
2. Fetty Wap returned to his high school for “Wake Up” video
Zoovier headed back to his alma mater East Side High School in his native Paterson, New Jersey to film the video for his graduation anthem “Wake Up.” Despite stirring up some controversy with the school district (Paterson school district spokeswoman Terry Corallo said the district didn’t endorse the content of the video, which included drug references and a scantily clad woman dancing on a pole), the 300 Entertainment signee defended his actions in a statement.
“I went back to my old high school because I love my city,” he said. “I wanted to show the students of Paterson that someone who walked those same hallways they walk every day and sat in the same classrooms shown in the video has become successful. If I can do it they can do it too.”
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3. Fetty Wap has three kids
Fetty’s full-time gig may be rap but he’s also a father. Earlier this year, Fetty welcomed a daughter named Khari Barbie with his ex and the baby’s mother, Masika Kalysha, a former Love & Hip Hop Hollywood star. He also has a young daughter named Zaviera and a young son named Aydin from previous relationships.
4. Fetty Wap’s idol is Gucci Mane
Zoovier’s own hit “Trap Queen” was inspired from Gucci’s 2006 song “Trap Gurl.” Even his stage name is a tribute to Guwop — “Fetty” is slang for money while “Wap” salutes the Atlanta rapper’s nickname Guwop. The two recently met at Gucci Mane’s homecoming show in Atlanta (July 22) where he gushed on Snapchat, “Yesterday, I met Gucci Mane. I met mother–kin’ Guwop … My life is f–king finished. I’m done.”
5. Fetty Wap runs his own roster
Fetty Wap’s 1738 shout outs aren’t just random numbers. The New Jersey rhymer also runs his own label, RGF Productions, which hosts collaborators you may have heard of including Monty (who appeared on “679” and “My Way”) and the Remy Boyz (also on “679”). Last year, P-Dice of the Remy Boyz left the group after a publicized fallout with Fetty.
6. Fetty Wap grants wishes
During a recent visit to Virginia, Fetty Wap granted the wish of a 17-year-old cancer patient named Richie Artis, who was diagnosed with prostate cancer this past November following a battle with brain cancer in 2002, per a release. Zoo Wap bestowed on Richie his 1738 chain to honor him as an official member of the #ZooGang.
