ASAP Ferg | |
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_(cropped).jpg) ASAP Ferg in 2017 | |
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| Born | Darold Durard Brown Ferguson Jr. (1988-10-20)October 20, 1988 (age 37)[1] Manhattan,New York City, U.S. |
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| Works | ASAP Ferg discography |
| Years active | 2007–present |
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| Website | fergofficial |
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Darold Durard Brown Ferguson Jr. (born October 20, 1988), known professionally asFERG (previouslyA$AP Ferg (/ˈeɪsæp/AY-sap)), is an American rapper fromHarlem, New York City. He is a lead member of the hip hop collectiveASAP Mob, from which he adopted his moniker and recording contract withPolo Grounds Music andRCA Records.
His 2013 commercial single, "Work (Remix)" (featuring ASAP Rocky,French Montana,Schoolboy Q, andTrinidad James), a remix of his 2012 debut single, was released in May of that year; it marked his first entry on theBillboard Hot 100 and receivedtriple platinum certification by theRecording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The song preceded his debut studio albumTrap Lord (2013), which saw positive critical reception and peaked within the top ten of theBillboard 200 along with his second album,Always Strive and Prosper (2016). His 2017 single, "Plain Jane" (remixed featuringNicki Minaj), became his first song to peak within theBillboard Hot 100's top 40, while his 2020 single, "Move Ya Hips" (featuring Nicki Minaj andMadeinTYO), peaked at number 19, becoming his highest-charting entry.
Outside of music, Ferguson founded the street fashion brandTraplord, namesake of his debut album, in 2012. In 2013, he was named "Rookie of the Year" at theBET Hip Hop Awards.
Darold Durard Brown Ferguson Jr.[2] was born on October 20, 1988, in theHarlem neighborhood ofNew York City toTrinidadian parents.[3] Ferg was raised inHamilton Heights.[2][4] His father, Darold Ferguson, owned a small Harlemboutique and printed shirts and created logos forrecord labels; includingBad Boy Records andUptown Records and performersTeddy Riley,Heavy D andBell Biv DeVoe. Before starting his music career, Ferg initially aspired to start his own clothing line.[4] Inspired by his father, who died of kidney failure, Ferg launched clothing and jewelry lines at a young age and attended art school.[5] In 2005, Ferg launched Devoni Clothing, which designs and distributes high-end belts that have been worn byChris Brown,Swizz Beatz andDiggy Simmons.[4]
By 2009, he started developing an aggressive,trap style of hip-hop. "Trapping means hustling," he explained. "I went from painting to making clothes to rapping. I always put myself into everything I do one hundred percent. It doesn't matter what I'm working on. I want to perfect everything I do. Success is the only option. They call me 'Trap Lord' because my hustle game is impeccable." Friends since high school,A$AP Rocky recognized that Ferg had an "impeccable hustle game" and pushed Ferg to continuerapping as much as possible. They later joined the hip hop collective A$AP Mob, from which they both adopted their respectivemonikers.[4] Since 2010, they collaborated on various songs such as "Get High," "Kissin' Pink" and "Ghetto Symphony", the latter being from Rocky's chart-toppingmajor label debut,Long. Live. A$AP (2013).[6]
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Ferg's debut single "Work", produced by Chinza and Fly, appeared on the A$AP MobmixtapeLords Never Worry, released on August 28, 2012.[7] The song's music video quickly earned over 2 million online views and was dubbed one of the "50 Best Songs of 2012" byComplex Magazine.[8] On January 10, 2013, he announcedTrap Lord would be the title of his debut album.[9] When speaking on his debut albumTrap Lord, Ferg said: "I hope people take the good and the bad from what I've got to say, I've seen so much shit in my life. There were times I ducked bullets at a basketball game, and then I went to a fashion show. I've experienced depression. I've experienced triumph. I've experienced hate. I've experienced love. I learned how to be independent. I made it out of the hood, and now I want go to the top."[4]
On January 10, 2013, it was announced that he signed a record deal withRCA Records andPolo Grounds.[10] On May 14, 2013, theremix to "Work", featuring fellow American rappers A$AP Rocky,Schoolboy Q,French Montana andTrinidad James, was released to digital retailers.[11] On June 2, 2013, while revealingTrap Lord would featureguest appearances from hip hop groupsBone Thugs-n-Harmony andOnyx, Ferg announced that the album would be released on August 20, 2013.[12] The album debuted at number 9 on theBillboard 200 chart, with total album sales of 46,000 copies in the United States.[13] On October 15, he was named "Rookie of the Year" at the 2013BET Hip Hop Awards.[14] However, he was not there to accept the award as he did not think he was going to win.[15] In 2014, Ferg appeared as a featured artist on the track "Hands on Me" byAriana Grande, from her second albumMy Everything. The album was released on August 22, 2014.[16]
On February 25, 2015, Ferg released the video for the single "Dope Walk", a track from hisFerg Forever (2014) mixtape in which he coined a viral dance of the same name. Composed entirely of iPhone footage shot during New York Fashion Week, the video starred fashion modelCara Delevingne and featured cameos from a host of other celebrities, includingKris Jenner,Kanye West,Diddy,Alexander Wang,Russell Simmons,Justin Bieber,Beyoncé,Rihanna,A$AP Rocky,Jeremy Scott,Les Twins, andHaim. Ferg toldRolling Stone, "With 'Dope Walk' I wanted to bring back kids dancing and having fun again. That's how it used to be in Harlem. I remember everybody Harlem-shaking and 'Chicken Noodle Soup'-ing. Those were some of the most fun and memorable times in my life."[17][18]
In late 2015, Ferg directed the music video for rapperFuture's "Thought It Was a Drought".[19] In an interview withThe Source, Ferg stated that his "...new album is my best work yet. I put my all into it. I always tell people I really don't know what I'm going to do after this album, because I'm bearing so much truth with this album."[20] On April 22, 2016, Ferg released his second studio album, which is titledAlways Strive And Prosper.[21][22] The album's first single, "New Level" featuring Future was certified gold by theRIAA on August 11, 2016. In 2016, he andPlayboi Carti embarked on the "Turnt & Burnt" tour which had 23 stops.[23] On June 9, 2017,Lost Kings released "Look at Us Now" as a single featuring Ferg and singerAlly Brooke.[24][25] On June 13, 2017 he released the single, "Plain Jane" as the lead single from his third album,Still Striving.
Since 2015, Ferg is accompanied on tour by his DJ TJ Mizell,[26] who is the son of the legendaryJam Master Jay.[27]
In 2018, Ferg appeared in a video ad forTiffany's withElle Fanning remixing "Moon River"[28] and later that year, he also narrated theAdidas World Cup advert 'Creativity is the Answer'.[29] He released hisFloor Seats EP on August 16, 2019.[30]
In 2020, Ferg, along with musicianMatt Sweeney, he appeared on theRun The Jewels track "A Few Words for the Firing Squad (Radiation)" on the latter's fourth studio album,RTJ4. He appeared at the end of "A Few Words..." on the hidden track, "Theme Song", providing his voice with the refrain "Yankee and the Brave".[31][32]
Ferg released his fifth album,Floor Seats II, on September 25, 2020. It includes collaborations withMarilyn Manson,Dennis Rodman, andMulatto, among others.[33]
In October 2021, Ferg announced that he would be dropping the "A$AP" from his name and would henceforth be known simply as FERG for his solo career.[34] Roc Nation clarified, "Ferg is very much still part of the Mob, and is A$AP Ferg within A$AP Mob... Ferg as an individual artist and with his solo career is Ferg".[35] His first single under the new moniker, "MDMX," was released in May 2024.[35]
Ferg released his sixth albumDarold, on November 8, 2024. The album features artists such asFuture,Denzel Curry,Mike Will Made It, andMary J. Blige.
In January 2026, rap group The Scythe was formed, featuring Ferg,Denzel Curry,TiaCorine,Bktherula, and Key Nyata as members. The group's debut album,Strictly 4 the Scythe, is scheduled to release on March 6, 2026.[36]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
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| 2016 | Animals | Bodega Cat 1 (voice) | Episode: "Flies" | |
| 2018 | Sugar | Himself | Episode: "A$AP Ferg drops in on a deserving NYC public school teacher." | |
| 2019 | Goldie | Tiny | ||
| 2020 | The Eric Andre Show | Himself | Episode: "The A$AP Ferg Show" | |
| 2021 | Nailed It! | Himself | Episode: "Can't Believe It's Cake!" | |
| 2021 | Godfather of Harlem | Reggie | Episode: "Ten Harlem" |
| Year | Awards | Nominated work | Award | Result |
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| 2013[14] | BET Hip Hop Awards | N/a | Rookie of the Year | Won |
| Video Director of the Year | Nominated |
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