Fetty Wap Explains Why He 'Fell Back' Following 'Trap Queen' Success: 'I Got Depressed'
Fetty Wap was one of the hottest new rappers out in 2014. He broke on to the scene with his diamond-certified smash “Trap Queen,” which peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and paved the way for more success with hits such as “My Way,” “679” and “Again.”
Within a few short years, however, Fetty fizzled out following his meteoric rise to the top. Things got even worse for the New Jersey native this year when he was arrested on federal drug charges in a multi-million dollar bust. If convicted, he faces life in prison.
There hasn’t been much explanation behind Fetty Wap’s career trajectory — until now. In a recent Instagram Live interview with Fat Joe, the one-eyed crooner spoke candidly about his fall from grace and started by addressing his team.
“The people I had around me wasn’t experienced. Nobody was experienced, honestly,” he admitted. “Then the finance part, like, ‘Yo, what’s up with this? What’s up with that?’”
View this post on Instagram
Fat Joe then asked Fetty Wap about his label situation, to which he replied, “I’m still double signed. I’m still signed to two different labels. I’m signed to RGF Records, where I started off at, and I’m still signed to 300 [Entertainment].”
Despite having two record deals, Fetty claimed he received little financial support from his labels and instead had to fund his own career.
“I felt like I had to do everything myself!” he said. “I put up all the bread for the tours. I paid for all the tour buses. Everything came out of my expenses. It was like, ‘I gotta pay y’all, but I’m paying for everything else!’”
Fetty admitted the situation took a toll on his mental health. “I kinda got depressed in a sense, you feel me?”
Fetty Wap plotted his return in October with the release of his sophomore album The Butterfly Effect, the follow-up to his 2015 self-titled debut. But his comeback campaign was cut short when he was arrested by the FBI at Rolling Loud New York just days later.
The 30-year-old rapper is accused of being part of a drug ring that distributed more than 100 kilograms of cocaine, heroin, fentanyl and crack cocaine across Long Island and New Jersey. He is currently awaiting trial.
Fetty addressed his federal drug case on social media earlier this month, saying, “Loyalty can be both a great trait and a deadly one… choose wisely with who you stand with but never change what you stand for Never bend Never Fold. Head up like a nose bleed #ImOnBorrowedTime if it ain’t life it ain’t forever I’ll be back better wiser and smarter.”