New Jersey rhymer Fetty Wap, who is best known for his 2014 single “Trap Queen,” was arrested by the FBI on drug charges on Thursday. The rapper, born Willie Junior Maxwell II, was previously arrested in 2019 for multiple counts of battery after he allegedly assaulted three staff members at a hotel. The charges were dropped.
Most recently, Maxwell, 30, was arrested at Citi Field stadium in Queens, New York, where popular music festival Rolling Loud was taking place. According to ABC7, the indictment is sealed. He is expected to be arraigned today in Central Islip, New York.
He was also arrested in 2017 for a DUI charge. He struck a deal, which allowed him to prevent serving time in jail.
As we shared, Maxwell skyrocketed to fame in late 2014 after the release of his debut single. “Trap Queen” peaked at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100, beating out popular singer Taylor Swift. During a 2020 interview with the rapper, The Fader spoke on how his rise contributed to the popularity of melody-based hip-hop in the 2010s. “Fetty Wap’s success also came when many of hip-hop’s hottest songs were trending towards a more melodic future: ILoveMakonnen’s “Tuesday,” Dej Loaf’s “Try Me,” and Post Malone’s “White Iverson” all achieved major success in the previous year without much actual rapping involved,” Lawrence Burney wrote.
When asked by NME to describe his early sound, he replied, “I stay in my lane, I’m not trying to be anyone else.”
The Daily News reports that Maxwell was in a group with five other men who were also indicted. A law enforcement source alleges the crew was dealing drugs while Maxwell was famous.
The rapper’s most recent Instagram story read, “N—-s move cautious never worries,” with a crown emoji and a praying hands emoji. It was posted around 6 am CST on Thursday.
This story is developing.
Photo credit: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Billboard