Rising: Fetty Wap: Too Many Hooks

Fetty Wap: "Trap Queen" (via SoundCloud)

Fetty Wap does not have 14 kids—and he has no idea why someone would write that on his Wikipedia page, either. “That’s a lot of kids,” the 24-year-old deadpans when asked about the bogus factoid, before clarifying that he has two children, a newborn daughter and a 4-year-old boy. “My son has been my number one supporter since I started,” he says with pride. After a few years of mixtape toiling, the artist born Willie Maxwell has reached the type of fame where Internet randos feel compelled to just make up shit about him.

K Camp: "1Hunnid" [ft. Fetty Wap] (via SoundCloud)

It’s all because of “Trap Queen”, his ode to love and drugs and money, which currently sits at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100. The track highlights his devilishly melodic singing voice, a warbling, lightning-shocked instrument seemingly descended from Rick James that sounds right at home on the radio following the success of fellow off-kilter hook man iLoveMakonnen. Though he’s received enthusiastic cosigns from Kanye and Rihanna, the native of New Jersey’s crime-strewn city of Paterson isn’t in it for the bright lights. “I don't do this to be famous—I do this so the people around me can live better, and I can live better with them,” he says. “A lot of people don't make it from where I’m from; when you got certain dreams, it's just something you see on TV.”

So when TV beckons for this artist, it’s not just a publicity opportunity as much as an unlikely fantasy realized. When I show up to Fetty’s hotel room in West Hollywood on a Saturday morning, he’s running late for a rehearsal for the MTV Movie Awards, where he’s set to perform “Trap Queen” with emo survivors Fall Out Boy. As he cashes a blunt outside an SUV (the driver won’t let him smoke inside), Fetty flaunts a star’s charisma dressed in a denim jacket, capris, “double nickel” Jordan 10’s, and a fedora with a bandana wrapped around the band. Instead of deflecting attention to his missing eye—he suffered from glaucoma as a young teenager and lost his left eye to the congenital disorder—his sockets are lined with tattoos. "If they gonna stare, I'm gonna give them something to look at,” he says. After Fetty piles into the car, he starts swiveling in his seat, clearly excited about the MTV gig—despite the fact that he's not quite sure who Fall Out Boy are. (On the awards show, Fetty generally manages to rise above the stunt collaboration, even while doing an air guitar move next to Pete Wentz. He’s scheduled to make more TV dreams come true with an appearance on “The Tonight Show” May 5.)

Fetty Wap: "Show You" (via SoundCloud)

At the moment, much of Fetty’s output can be heard on his constantly updated SoundCloud, which also includes tracks from his Remy Boyz crew. Following his recent signing with 300 Entertainment, the power-playing imprint co-founded by hip-hop icon Lyor Cohen, he’s working on a full-length album with the likes of Ty Dolla $ign, Atlanta rapper Rich the Kid, and Migos’ Quavo. Anticipation is high—a recent 15-second video of Fetty singing along with an effervescent new track called “Jug” has racked up over 600,000 views on YouTube—but he’s not psyched out. “It was either music or nothing—and we wasn't settling,” he says. “There's nobody like me.”

Pitchfork: How did “Trap Queen” come about?

Fetty Wap: I was rapping it at first, not singing it. Then I was like, “I wanna do something different.” So I just went in there, closed my eyes, and started singing. I freestyled the song. Seriously. I didn't stop until the beat stopped. And we put it out just like that. The next song, I tried it again. Whatever I hear, I just try it, and it just comes out. I go for how I feel at the moment. When the beat comes on and I can instantly say the words to it without having to think about it, I know that it is something I need to do.

Then we pushed that song crazy on Instagram, Twitter, all day. We did it for two, three months straight—pushing it, pushing it, pushing it, pushing it, like a machine! It was really genuine work. We did it ourselves.

Remy Boyz: "How We Do Thangs" (via SoundCloud)

Pitchfork: When did you lose your eye? How old were you?

FW: I can't remember how old I was exactly, but I know I had my second surgery when I was 12. I had to get the bones restructured because I was getting older and it was growing bigger. I was actually supposed to go again when I was 20 but by that time I just didn't care about that shit no more. I was still wearing the prosthesis, but then one day I was like, “I don't wanna wear this shit.” It used to hurt my eyes.

Now, people don't look at me how they used to look at me. Now they see the guy who sings "Trap Queen". Like, "Oh, that's Fetty Wap. You mad cool, bro."

Bankhead: "Party Girl" [ft. Fetty Wap] (via SoundCloud)

Pitchfork: Do you feel like you're still adjusting to doing this as a career?

FW: No. We all know this is what we gonna do. We ain't going back to being regular. I'm a rookie in this shit, but I’m learning quick.

Pitchfork: "Trap Queen" recently passed Taylor Swift as the #1 most searched for song on Shazam. Does that feel surreal?

FW: Well, I didn't pass her bank account.

Pitchfork: I don't think anyone can pass her bank account.

FW: I don't even plan on trying to. I don't feel surreal. I just feel blessed to see my name right there with these artists that have been out for a long time.