Fetty Wap has a lot to say on 'Zavier.’ It’s his first album since being released from prison

NEW YORK (AP) — Fetty Wap is beaming so big, it is almost as if his smile enters the room before he does. And these days, the Paterson, New Jersey-born melodic rapper and singer has a lot to be happy about.

In January, he was released from federal prison to home confinement after serving just over half a six-year sentence for his role in a New York-based drug trafficking scheme. During that time, he thought about everything he missed: his family, his kids, the sound of a car engine as he drives, food — “I love to eat,” he told The Associated Press — and, of course, music. He wasted no time jumping right back into it: His next album, “Zavier,” arrives Friday.

He started working on it “as soon as I got released,” he said. “Jan. 7, 2026.”

And when did he finish? “Jan. 10, 2026,” he laughed. “I had a lot to say. It’s been a few years of holding things in there.”

He estimates that he and his collaborators made 123 songs in total; 17 make the final list.

Less than a week after the artist born Willie Maxwell II dropped “The Butterfly Effect,” in 2021, he was indicted and arrested. He released his last album — 2023's “King Zoo” — while incarcerated. Because of that, “Zavier” feels like both a reintroduction and new chapter for him — a real opportunity to make an album truly his own for the first time in half a decade.

“Before, being incarcerated, I had to call when I could call, 15-minute calls,” he recalls of working on “King Zoo.” “After a certain time, the phone was off. So, it was just, like, ‘I just hope it sounds good.’”

This time, he could be in the studio. He could be hands on. “That's my safe haven,” he said. “The studio is my safe haven.”

Those expecting a concept record about Fetty Wap's time behind bars would be wise to look elsewhere. “I didn’t want it to be an emotional album,” he says. “I didn’t want it be, like, ‘OK, we get it. You were away. You’re home now.’ Where’s the fun Fetty?”

Fun Fetty Wap abounds on “Zavier,” as does a serious Fetty Wap, a lustful Fetty Wap, a tender Fetty Wap. It's “a lot of different sounds up in there,” he says. “A lot of different areas to go to.”

The eclecticism works, largely because of Fetty Wap's unmistakable style.

“The whole ‘Zavier’ thing is just, like, bring back the same energy as the ‘Fetty Wap’ album,” he continued, referencing his 2015 breakthrough record — the one that brought the diamond-selling “Trap Queen” to the masses. “Just a more matured sound. … ‘Zavier' is just an upgraded Fetty Wap.”

As for that name? “I'm Zavier,” he said. “This is who I am. It's just a different side of me when I came home from prison.”

If there is a song that encapsulates that time in Fetty Wap's life, it's “I Remember” featuring Chicago rapper G Herbo. It's as diaristic as a songwriter can be: a list of recollections from each stage of his life atop a minimal beat and spare guitar. He describes it as “an ode to the past and the present.”

“I gave them a glimpse of what was going on with me. … Pre-Fetty, then being Fetty Wap, and after Fetty Wap,” he said. “Then prison, then coming home, you know what I mean? I put everything in that song.”

But there is no shortage of what he calls “feel-good music.” That's found in the NSFW-and-then-some R&B banger with Tink, “Nasty” — “Gotta get a little freaky,” he says, smiling — and in all-star collaborations, including tracks with Wiz Khalifa, Honey Bxby and Max B, the last of whom was also released from prison recently.

“I got the beat, and I’m like, ‘I’m about to sound like Max B. I’m going to sound Max B and then I’m gonna make Max B sound like the old Max B,’” he said about the song “BossDon.” But it worked.

He also looked toward his family for inspiration: Fetty Wap's sisters are featured on the throwback “White Roses.”

“‘White Roses’ is actually my favorite track,” says Fetty Wap. “I recorded everything exactly how I wanted it to sound. … And then after it was done, I’m like, ‘Something’s missing.’ I called my sisters. I was like, ‘Yo, come to the studio.’ They was like, ‘What’s up?’ (I said) ‘I need you to go in there.’”

They add doo-wop-style harmonies to the song, a romantic moment on “Zavier” and Fetty Wap's strongest vocal performance — melodic, with a controlled vibrato.

In whole, Fetty Wap hopes “Zavier” gives his audience a sense of “good energy, positivity,” he said.

“I’m not looking for any type of, like, sympathy,” he adds. “Just love the music, you know? And if you don't — let me know so I can make better music.”

This story has been updated to remove Doe Boy as a collaborator on this album.

Fetty Wap Poses for a portrait on Thursday, March 12, 2026, in New York. (Photo by Matt Licari/Invision/AP)

Fetty Wap Poses for a portrait on Thursday, March 12, 2026, in New York. (Photo by Matt Licari/Invision/AP)

Fetty Wap Poses for a portrait on Thursday, March 12, 2026, in New York. (Photo by Matt Licari/Invision/AP)

Fetty Wap Poses for a portrait on Thursday, March 12, 2026, in New York. (Photo by Matt Licari/Invision/AP)

CONCORD, N.C. (AP) — Kyle Busch died after severe pneumonia progressed into sepsis, resulting in rapid and overwhelming associated complications, according to a statement released by his family.

Dakota Hunter, vice president of Kyle Busch Companies, said in a news release the family received the medical evaluation on Saturday.

Busch, a two-time NASCAR champion, died at 41 on Thursday, a day after passing out in a Chevrolet simulator.

Sepsis is considered a life-threatening medical emergency that occurs when the body has an extreme, overactive response to an infection, causing the immune system to damage its own tissues and organs, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Typically the immune system releases chemicals to fight off pathogens like bacteria, viruses or fungi, but with sepsis the response goes into overdrive. The results can cause widespread inflammation, form microscopic blood clots and make blood vessels leak.

Busch was thought to have had a sinus cold while racing at Watkins Glen on May 10 and radioed in to his team saying that he needed a “shot” from a doctor after the race.

However, he bounced back to win the Trucks Series race at Dover last weekend, and then he finished 17th in the All-Star race on Sunday.

Busch, who was preparing to race Sunday at the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, was testing in the Chevrolet racing simulator in Concord on Wednesday when he became unresponsive and was transported to a hospital in Charlotte, several people familiar with the situation told The Associated Press.

During the emergency call placed late that afternoon, an unidentified caller calmly told the dispatch: “I’ve got an individual that’s (got) shortness of breath, very hot, thinks he’s going to pass out, and is producing a little bit of blood, coughing up some blood.”

The caller said Busch was lying on the bathroom floor inside the complex and told dispatch “he is awake,” according to audio provided by the Cabarrus County Sheriff’s Office. The man then gave directions on where emergency responders should go and asked that they turn off any sirens upon arrival.

NASCAR driver Brad Keselowski said he knew Busch wasn’t feeling well recently.

“Yes, but I won’t go into any specifics," Keselowski said. “But then when he ran the Truck race last week, those (thoughts) were honestly kind of erased in my mind.”

Keselowski said running multiple races on the same weekend can be difficult on a driver's health — but most don't want to miss a race for fear of being replaced.

“There’s no shortage of drivers that would love to take my seat or anybody else’s seat if we weren’t feeling well, and I think every driver feels that pressure,” Keselowski said. “All athletes do. It’s not unique to NASCAR in that sense. We’re all thinking to ourselves, ‘I don’t wanna be replaced.’ ... So you try to power through it the best you can."

Busch won 234 races across NASCAR’s top three series over his two-decade career, more than any driver in history.

All 39 drivers in the field for Sunday’s race will race with a black No. 8 decal on their car to honor Busch.

AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

An in memoriam photo of former driver Kyle Busch is displayed on the video board of the backstretch at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Friday, May 22, 2026, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Matt Kelley)

FILE - Kyle Busch waits for the start of a NASCAR Xfinity Series auto race Saturday, June 19, 2021, in Lebanon, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey, File)