Fetty Wap - "Fetty Wap"

[StevePulaski]

Fetty Wap (2015)
By: Fetty Wap

Rating: ★★★

I would've loved to see the person claiming that Fetty Wap would be an international sensation at the first sign of his first single "Trap Queen" making the rounds on the Billboard 200, when, at that time, most, including myself, were claiming he'd be a one-hit wonder whilst singing the song on a daily basis. I'm sure Fetty thought so too, so he churned out another single while the burner was still hot; "My Way," a melodic, soulful tune with basic 808s (something out of Kanye's underrated 808s and Heartbreak album perhaps) and his fellow Remy Boy member Monty chiming in for a verse (or Drake on the far superior remix). The single, like "Trap Queen," found its way into the top ten. Fetty had silenced all naysayers saying he'd be a one-hit wonder just like that; so he did it again, releasing "679," featuring Monty and P-Dice, the other two members of his Remy Boyz moniker, an infectious cut off his mixtape Up Next that shot right up to the top ten alongside the aforementioned hits. Now he'd done it; Fetty took up 30% of Top 10 music. Finally, just before the release of Fetty Wap, his mixtape-turned-debut-album, Fetty released "Again," a more-or-less remake of "Trap Queen," that currently sits in the Top 30. Fetty is now the first musician since The Beatles to have four concurrently charting singles.

Fetty Wap is about what you'd expect from the showstopping rapper; it's a strange, but triumphant debut for the sensation, equal parts energetic, woozy, and romantic, as Fetty capitalizes off of everything that has worked to make him a star. He is a master of choruses, working with a wide-variety of producers like Peoples and Yung Lan, in order to produce infectious songs that cater to life, having fun, or, most often, celebrating women, one particular woman, specifically. This right there makes Fetty a different rapper than most.

Of course, we have the aforementioned four songs intermixed with thirteen other tracks (sixteen others if you count the three bonus tracks on the deluxe edition) in addition to big winners like "How We Do Things," a showcase of Fetty and Monty's talent that surpasses the enjoyable, but occasionally uneven sound and sentiment of "679," "Trap Luv," which sounds a lot like the late Speaker Knockerz's song "Money," which has Fetty going for a more decidedly unique flow than ever before, "I Wonder," where Fetty takes a moment to self-reflect and ponder how he got so big and so famous so quickly, and "Boomin," a thunderously produced, anthemic banger that has Fetty asserting the prominence of his RGF label.

More experimental tracks are songs like "Time," which takes on a more hypnotic effect than many other songs, which fit that kind of anthemic bill, and even "D.A.M.," which bears the same kind of methodical slowness. While these songs work, I'm still a fan of Fetty's zealous spitting abilities and talents at making a downright lively banger - something along the lines of "I'm Straight," where a fast-talking Fetty creates a lively club track by, again, simply being himself.

There are downsides, even though they are relatively small ones; for one, many of these tracks were released when Fetty went on a single-releasing spree this summer, dropping a new song almost every other day. Songs like "I'm Straight," "Boomin," "I Wonder," and "D.A.M." were all released previously, and when they were dropping like flies, I worried that Fetty would simply result from overexposure and the lack of hype. Thankfully, these songs are good and help assist the album's quality (even if, in its current state, it's about four tracks too long and the deluxe edition makes this album almost an eighty-minute investment).

At the end of the day, the real appeal of Fetty Wap is its authenticity. Fetty doesn't have to put on a persona that involves stealing your women, being richer than you'll ever be, nor trying to best you with the clothes he buys. He also doesn't even need to try to create a club anthem or a love song by sloganeering or turning heartfelt emotions into saccharine displays of incorruptible affection or whiny breakup melodies (while the two are incomparable, one reason I've never particularly cared for Taylor Swift). Fetty is the real deal, and his triumphant success is celebrated with an album that, while overlong by about four tracks, asserts that this is a rapper who doesn't seem like he'll fade right after his song does from the Top 10. Silentó should stop whipping and nae-naeing for five minutes and take note.

Recommended tracks (in order): "Trap Queen," "Trap Luv," "How We Do Things," "I Wonder," "My Way," "D.A.M.," "679," "I'm Straight," and "Boomin."