#300WordsorLess Review – @FettyWap – Fetty Wap

2015 has pretty much been the year of Fetty Wap, even if “Trap Queen” was technically a song from 2014. But, let’s not split hairs here. The 24-year-old enigmatic artist has finally released his debut album, the self-titled Fetty Wap. Free of the Drake remix of “My Way,” Fetty Wap allows for Mr. 1738 to showcase what makes he can do on a track. And, truth be told, he’s found his niche, he’s probably not going to expand beyond it, and we should say “screw it” and let the man cook.

People don’t go to Fetty Wap expecting existentialist thought on blacks in prison any more than they go to Lupe Fiasco for a turn-up anthem. We come to Fetty Wap expecting some halfway-melodic musings about trapping, searching for a trap queen, and how he’ll put two in someone’s head if they mess with his chick. It’s like going to The Weeknd and expecting him not to talk about drugs, in some way (either negatively or positively). If you go in with that in mind, it’s an album that delivers. Expect anything–and I mean just about anything–else, and you’ll probably be disappointed, even though Fetty’s understanding of melody is actually pretty on-point.

The one gripe that I’ve got about the album is this: just about everything from the album sounds similar and/or interchangeable. Like, you could take the “Trap Queen” beat and put it to the acapella of “How We Do Things” or “Jugg,” for instance and, if you didn’t know better, you’d be none the wiser. But, the production, as repetitive as it is, lends itself well to slow grinds and twerking. And songs like “RGF Island” are quite anthem-friendly.

Final Verdict: Buy (it’s a solid debut for what it is).