Fedd the God’s Journey from Northview to the Top View of the Rap Game is Inspiring.
Fedd the God's hustle and skill got him this far.
Rap is one of the world’s newest genres and arguably its most successful because of the authentic struggle it arose from. Some of the greatest rappers in the game came from environments where drugs, violence and death surrounded them. Fedd the God, born James Williams Fedd Jr, came from the bottom, spending his formative years bouncing around the Northside of Pittsburgh.
As a teenager and young adult, he maneuvered through the traps of the streets and their violence. Now two years into his record deal with Wiz Khalifa’s Taylor Gang label, Fedd the God is poised for success and eager to provide the life he never had for his children.
Born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Fedd spent his childhood moving around the city’s Northside area, splitting his formative years between two warring neighborhoods, Northview Heights and Manchester.
“Growing up on the Northside you get a taste of everything, the glitz and the glamour and the roughness. That’s where the casinos are, the Steelers and the high fashion malls and the roughest neighborhoods as well,” says Fedd.
Learning how to survive in challenging spots was tough for him, but he involved himself in sports like baseball, football, basketball, and video games to avoid the block.
Fedd credits both neighborhoods with playing a role in his development, which is where his slogan, “They want that Northside shit” comes from. Sports took the front seat in Fedd’s life in the beginning, but music ended up being the catalyst for the change that he needed.
Fedd and his crew gained popularity in high school for throwing wild house parties to gain money, which they then used to book out venues around the city to perform their music. To add to his buzz, Fedd used his personal flair to bring attention to his fashion sense, channeling both his mother's and father’s flamboyant dress game.
Fedd’s name started ringing out in the city as early as 2011, but he walked away from rapping until 2015 and didn’t decide to pick the mic back up until 2017. The birth of his own children coupled with the violence in Pittsburgh’s rap scene took a toll on Fedd’s mood. After seeing the deaths of some of its biggest artists like Jimmy Wopo, Trill Zee, and Teflon, he decided to in his words, “change the narrative.”
“I had to change the narrative in my city because nobody was having fun. I just dropped songs that made people want to come outside again and then Taylor Gang took notice,” says Fedd.
Emboldened to act, Fedd generated momentum, releasing music and branding himself through his Feddchella concert series. By 2020, his movement got the attention of Pittsburgh rap musician, Wiz Khalifa, who then offered Fedd a deal with his label Taylor Gang. From there, he doubled down on his hustle, releasing two projects in 2021, Speed Racer and Sense of Urgency, to rave reviews.
Both projects proved to be successful, garnering over 2 million streams on Spotify. In 2022, he’s dropped two big singles, “Shoulda Been a Hot Boy”, and most recently, “Black Ranger”.
In addition to having the chance to learn from Wiz, Fedd has the chance to work with producers like TM88 and Sledgren, the producer behind some of Wiz, Larry June, and Mac Miller’s songs.
Ultimately, Fedd the God is excited and thankful for what the future holds. His 2022 tour schedule is out and he is poised to release more work before the year ends. When asked what was the biggest blessing of being with Taylor Gang, Fedd responds,
“Being in Taylor Gang is like playing for the Steelers. Wiz is Roethlisberger and I’m the new quarterback coming up.”