Ferg will be the first to admit school didn’t teach him everything he needed to know in life. For the Harlem rapper, it was lyricism in hip-hop that guided him. He learned from the great Jay-Z first. The Notorious B.I.G., Jadakiss, Styles P, Cassidy and Nas also schooled Ferg with their rhymes. The knowledge, storytelling, wit and metaphors these respected MCs dropped in their music inspired the Trap Lord to do the same as he walked his own path to rap stardom. Ferg brings his skills to the mic as he steps into the spotlight for the XXL Cypher Lab, presented by the must-see boxing event: Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson, live on Netflix on Friday, November 15.
Before he was a member of A$AP Mob, Ferg grew up as a battle rapper in Harlem. He and his friends would go to different neighborhoods and rap for sport. The 36-year-old artist has come a long way from Hamilton Heights or, as he calls it, “Hungry Ham,” the area around 143rd Street between Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue in Harlem that molded him into the creative polymath and self-proclaimed Hood Pope he is today. With a catalog of anthemic hits like “Work,” “New Level” and “Plain Jane,” which have bolstered his career, the art of lyricism is a craft he’s been perfecting in his own rhymes for more than 15 years.
“I feel like not enough people make me a part of that conversation of lyrics and artists having lyrics and substance in the lyrics,” Ferg tells XXL. “I’ve always been big on bars. I used to just write nothing but bars before I could even write to instrumentals… I didn’t even know how to write hooks. I didn’t know how to write girl songs. I was just writing bars and battling people.”
Seeing Ferg in a cypher with Ab-Soul and Sauce Walka recalls the camaraderie and brotherhood he once shared with the members of the A$AP crew. Dressed in a yellow leather Vanson with his name emblazoned on the front, Ferg’s lyrics are replete with the Uptown bravado, fun familiarity and velocity that have made him stand out as a solo artist.
He’ll showcase his unique artistry further on his upcoming sixth album, Darold. The title is simply his government name, which means the music will be full of introspection and reflection. Four years between albums can seem like a lifetime in hip-hop, but Ferg needed to get out and live again after he let loose his last LP, Floor Seats II, in 2020. The Harlem rhymer felt stagnant, which inspired new tracks like “Thought I Was Dead,” coproduced by Lex Luger and Mike WiLL Made-It, among others.
“When we came out of the pandemic, it was so much more to write about because everybody was so excited to be out and living,” Ferg shares. “So, I had to live again. I had to put the pen down and live and be like, alright, let me sit down, let me meditate, let me fast, let me work out, let me get my mind together, talk to all of the pillars and giants in my life to figure things out.”
According to Ferg, he had been on “monk time” for a bit, and got back outside. His renewed vigor opened doors within himself, which allowed him to be more free and create more flow in his bars. The end result will be what’s to come on Darold, arriving later this year. With his growth comes change, but the goals for Ferg remain the same: Always strive and prosper.
Check out Ferg’s verse in the XXL Cypher Lab and his interview, presented by the must-see boxing event: Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson, live on Netflix on Friday, November 15 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.
