Fetty Wap’s successful year has culminated in a #1 album. The rapper’s self-titled debut just landed on top of Billboard’s Top 200 Albums chart.
It’s a great accomplishment for the Paterson, New Jersey native who released his album on September 25. Prior to the album release, Fetty dominated the singles chart with tracks like “Trap Queen,” “My Way” and “679.”
In terms of Hip-Hop, it’s been over two years since a rapper’s debut release hit #1 on Billboard’s Top 200 chart. A$AP Rocky’s Long.Live.A$AP managed the featu when it occupied the space in 2012.
What is it about Fetty’s album that has fans racing to purchase it? Benjamin Miller, of University of Southern California, Santa Barbara, helped explain in a detailed review for The Daily Nexus:
The cover art for Fetty Wap features a dramatic close up of Maxwell with a hand over his face, but of course exposing the universally recognizable pigmentless left eye, which he lost to glaucoma as a child. From the fully-exposed slit of an eye to the “SQUAAAAD” ad lib heard in nearly every track, Maxwell is whipping into his way into pop culture without being too much of a nuisance. When it comes to staying in the spotlight, quality of music is most important, followed very closely by image. Maxwell is mastering both.
The three aforementioned debut singles simultaneously charted in Billboard’s top 11, a feat only achieved by none other than The Beatles. The singles follow a foolproof formula; one or two extremely catchy melodies are cycled over and over, allowing for effortless memorization. All three have become sing-along anthems, each with its own unforgettable chorus and sustaining verses.
Other highlights off the album include “How We Do Things (feat. Monty)”, “Again” and “RGF Island.” Maxwell’s friend and colleague Monty is featured on nearly half of the tracks, delivering a nice vocal pace change whenever it feels needed.
Read the full review, check out Benjamin Miller’s full review of Fetty Wap’s album on The Daily Nexus.
