Tipping the Scales: A$AP Ferg
by: Punya Sidhu & Kyliah Almeida
illustrations by: Natasha Brao & Aiden Reese-Taylor
“From cuffing season anthem “Dreams, Fairytales, Fantasies,” to classics like “Work” and “Shabba,” Ferg’s eye for aesthetics and romantically unorthodox lyrics are everything that makes us hate to love this sun sign placement.”
Think of the most charming, charismatic man you know. You know, the kind that’s just so great you almost hate him because you love him so much? He’s probably a Libra like the ever so stylish, perfectly-toothed A$AP Ferg. From cuffing season anthem “Dreams, Fairytales, Fantasies,” to classics like “Work” and “Shabba,” Ferg’s eye for aesthetics and romantically unorthodox lyrics are everything that makes us hate to love this sun sign placement.
A Harlem native through-and-through, Ferg calls his home a “fashion Mecca.” His stylish upbringing allowed him to cultivate and curate a unique sense of style that makes him stand out without ever trying to. As a kid, his father, Darold Ferguson Sr., owned a t-shirt company and boutique in Hamilton Heights, Harlem, where he would design the first Bad Boy Records logo. It was there that Ferg first started developing his now highly praised eye for design, art, and fashion.
Born on October 20th 1988, Ferg takes on the characteristics of a Libra man: worldly, charming, stylish, and likeable. In an interview with CNN, when asked what he was like in high school, he answered with: “I was popular. I got the best style, most likely to be a millionaire, best dancer”. A total Libra. Charismatic, well-liked, and fashionable, it comes as no surprise that Ferg has an inviting smile that immediately makes you feel at ease coupled with a calm, soothing voice that radiates peacefulness, like Libras so often do.
Like a lot of (male) artists, his lyrics tote references to his unique style (see: “couldn’t copy my style in Kinkos”; Work REMIX, 2014). However, the difference between Ferg and other artists that name drop brands just to flex is that he can actually back it up. Ferg has his own label, Traplord, and has collaborated with Adidas on shoes and other pieces as part of the AdidasxTrap Lord Ferg collaboration. One of Ferg’s signature looks—an unbuttoned silk shirt or jacket with his chest peeking through and his chains on— tells you about his exuberance and eye for aesthetics. He can show you he’s different, rather than telling you.
Ferg is one of those Hip-Hop artists that has infiltrated the world of high fashion, much like fellow Libra and A$AP Mob member A$AP Rocky (Ed Note: Rocky’s impeccable grin must also be noted here). As a brand ambassador for Tiffany & Co., one can see how Ferg’s taste for the finer things manifests itself in more than just his music. He’s an undeniable expert in any and all things having to do with art; the man has taste.
“What me and Tiffany have in common is elegance and style,” he boasts in a Vogue UK interview discussing what it means to be an ambassador for the legendary brand with the little blue box. Tiffany’s acquisition of one of Hip-Hop’s casanovas is evidence of Ferg’s literacy in the “receiving gifts” love language— very on-brand for a Libra man.
In Ferg’s “Floor Seats” music video, him and a crew of bikers ride around Harlem during the day and go to a house party at night. The video— directed by French director Valentin Petit— shows grainy film footage of him flashing his gold grills while riding through the nighttime streets of Harlem on his yellow bike: a Ferg staple. Petit has directed campaigns for powerhouses like Adidas and Puma, and has created dramatic, grimy visuals for French artists like Prince Waly. He has a unique, moody, style with a lot of shadows and darkly lit spaces. Ferg’s choice of director exhibits taste and shows his eye for visuals extends beyond his signature fashion sense: like the typical Libra, he has a vision that goes beyond the basics.
Ferg doesn’t rock and name drop luxury labels just to flex for the hell of it, he is the personification of all that is luxe. Wearing a custom Gucci basketball uniform that he and fellow Harlem legend Dapper Dan designed qualifies Ferg as a premier creative: he doesn’t just wear the brands, he is authentic and sets the tone for the masses to follow. Always the leader, never the follower. The same goes for his sound. Lyrics like “hop back in the villa to get up in her/fireplace when it’s winter/fuckin’ on a chinchilla” sound more sensual than raunchy, with this idea of “rich sex” that a Libra man knows all too well. This Hip-Hop auteur brings an element of romance and love for finer things—finer women, finer jewelry, finer dining— to a genre seen as gritty and unemotional. And it’s just like a Libra to do such a thing, to see beauty and art in every sphere and give it a unique touch that’s often imitated, but never duplicated.
