NJ School Under Investigation After Fetty Wap Video Shoot, Principal Suspended
“Wake Up” music video causes backlash.
An investigation has been launched in New Jersey in an effort to uncover how Fetty Wap was able to film a music video at his former high school in his hometown of Paterson, according to The Record.
The rapper released the visuals for his “Wake Up” track last week and, in them, a woman can be seen dancing on a pole inside a classroom, another is seen smoking out of an apple-turned-bong grabbed from a teacher’s desk, and several visible banners and posters make references to drugs, with phrases like “Go Team Kush.”
Terry Corallo, spokeswoman for the public school system, said that the district didn’t “endorse the content of the video,” and that it is investigating whether the proper procedures were followed when permission was granted for the video to be recorded at Eastside High School—the same school Fetty dropped out of. Corallo confirmed, however, that no students participated in the shoot.
Still, NBC New York has reported that, as announced by superintendent Donnie Evans on Wednesday, the school’s principal, Zatiti Moody, has been suspended and placed on administrative leave.
Fetty has defended his actions in a statement, saying, “I went back to my old high school because I love my city. I wanted to show the students of Paterson that someone who walked those same hallways they walk every day and sat in the same classrooms shown in the video has become successful. If I can do it they can do it too.”
He also posted an open letter to fans on his Instagram account back in April when the song was first released:
Fetty’s label, 300 Entertainment, has also supported Fetty, saying it “encourages and champions artistic expression and creativity from our artists.”