Fetty Wap

“They originally booked us on the smaller stage, that only fit 3,500 people, and we got the call two weeks ago that he was the third-most requested artist at HARD,” ICM Partners’ Zach Iser told Pollstar. “So in order to avoid having some kind of safety problem they asked us to move him to the main stage … in front of 20,000 people.”

The soulful-singing rapper has already demonstrated the ability to churn out hits, at one point having three singles in the top 20 spots of the Hot 100 Airplay chart.

At press time, Fetty Wap was just hours from joining Chris Brown’s One Hell Of A Nite tour for five weeks of arenas and amphitheatres.

“I think it was perfect timing,” Iser said. “He’s got a new record coming, so it’s a nice way to get him in front a lot of people before that happens.”

And that has been the strategy so far, playing in front of as many fans as possible but without overdoing it.

“We’ve been focusing on smart promoters, and weekends with club dates, making sure we’re not playing the markets too many times, protecting the major markets and cities, so when festivals or colleges come around we haven’t overplayed,” Iser said. “But he wants to get out there and play the clubs right now and see his fans.”

And play the clubs he will, with a headlining tour in the works to coincide with the release of his forthcoming debut LP, through 300 Entertainment.

Iser says to expect a healthy combination of club dates (sold out the Observatory in Los Angeles in July), support slots and festivals, and added that a Las Vegas residency is in the works.