ASAP Ferg takes music, fashion and hype by storm
Had he become little more than an afterthought, ASAP Ferg could have been forgiven. After all, earlier this decade, back when his fellow Harlemites in the ASAP Mob first broke onto the hip-hop scene, and were almost immediately heralded as the exalted ones primed to return New York to the heights of its previous rap-game glory, it was the group’s swaggering frontman, ASAP Rocky — self-proclaimed “pretty boy,” perpetually draped in high-end designer wares like Raf Simons and Yves Saint Laurent — who stole all the shine.
But Ferg was schooled in the art of patience. Growing up, when other kids his age were goofing off with each other, the rapper born Darold Ferguson Jr. was instead shadowing his father, who owned a Harlem boutique and designed the iconic Bad Boy Records logo. Ferg was learning to appreciate art; at a young age he became enamored with iconic talents like Jean-Michel Basquiat and Andy Warhol. More importantly, the young man was learning to carve out his own identity. “I always got game from people that was older than me,” says Ferg, who in recent years has established himself as hip-hop’s preeminent Renaissance man. “I surrounded myself with wise people,” the 29-year-old adds, “so my perspective is probably a little different from other people my age.”
Lately he’s become a certified fashion icon — designer Pierpaolo Piccioli cited Ferg as direct inspiration for the Valentino men’s spring collection he recently showed at Paris Men’s Fashion Week — but it’s the way Ferg’s effortless brand of charisma seeps into his music that first made him a bona fide star.
But it was his surprise hit last year, “Plain Jane,” a chest-beating banger off his “Stay Striving” mixtape that, after exploding on streaming services, elevated the rapper’s status in a major way.
Ferg says he’d always been fascinated by celebrity, but in the wake of “Plain Jane” going double platinum, he has found himself re-evaluating fame and, more importantly, how people react to it. “I feel like now, with so much social media, it’s like some people are living life as a TV show as opposed to just really living life,” he says. It’s why he felt it essential to release “Verified,” a throbbing new single that takes aim at those whose self-worth is tied up in “the blue check” next to their name on social media services like Twitter and Instagram.
Recent events have made him put things in perspective. Earlier this year, Ferg canceled a string of tour dates following the death of his close friend and ASAP Mob member, ASAP Press. “Just had to regroup with family and friends,” he says. “It’s about wellness.”
The time off also gave him the space to complete work on his forthcoming third album. “By the way,” Ferg says, “you’re the first person I’ve told I finished the album.”
And does he plan to release the LP later this year? “We don’t know yet. But it’s done. It’s finished.”
Ferg says he’s excited to get back on the road and perform for his fans. Music may be front and center at the moment, but he admits he’s never one to limit his artistic expression. He likes keeping his options open.
“I use different mediums to express myself,” Ferg offers. “So I may not want to put out an album next year. I may just want to have an art show. Or maybe I’ll have a fashion show next year. Balance cool.”