Fetty Wap's Real Name: Willie Maxwell II

Quick answer: Fetty Wap's documented original name is Willie Maxwell II. AllMusic lists that form as also known as and dates his birth to June 7, 1991, in Paterson, New Jersey. Billboard independently identifies him as Willie Maxwell and as a rapper from Paterson (AllMusic; Billboard).

Real name and early life

He is known professionally as Fetty Wap. AllMusic says he was born Willie Maxwell II and raised in Paterson. Billboard uses Willie Maxwell and also places him in Paterson, saying he was raised by a truck-driver father and a secretary mother. Billboard records that he lost an eye as an infant to congenital glaucoma. AllMusic notes the nickname Fetty Guwap, after Gucci Mane's GuWop alias, among other informal forms, and later lists 2017 singles including "Flip Phone" and "Feels Great," plus later 2018 collaborations such as "KEKE."

Career highlights

AllMusic says he launched his career with Montana Bucks, Khaos, and P. Dice in the group Remy Boyz, released the 2014 solo singles "Addicted" and "Zoovier," and appeared on the Remy Boyz mixtape 1738. His 2015 single "Trap Queen," AllMusic records, reached the Top 20 of Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart in its third week and later crossed into the pop Top Ten; a self-titled debut album then topped the charts. Billboard, writing in 2015, likewise treats "Trap Queen" as the breakthrough that took him from selling CDs outside a New Jersey pizzeria onto the pop charts, and says he became the first act to place his first four Hot Rap Songs entries in the top ten at the same time. The same feature lists four Hot 100 hits from that period: "Trap Queen," "679," "My Way," and "Again." AllMusic describes a melodic rap-sing style influenced by Gucci Mane and other Southern acts, with enough pop sheen to reach the mainstream, and says later releases include the 2016 single "Wake Up," which reached the Billboard Top 50, a sixth mixtape also titled Zoovier later that year, the 2018 mixtapes For My Fans and Bruce Wayne, then The Butterfly Effect (2021) and Zavier (2026).

Name notes for searchers

Willie Maxwell II is the documented original name in AllMusic; Billboard uses Willie Maxwell. The professional name is Fetty Wap. Searchers looking for "Trap Queen" or the 2015 debut album are usually aiming at the same person.