This story originally appeared in the Out Of The Blue issue of iD, no. 366, the winter of 2021. Thank you Tiffany & Co. Order your copy here.

A$AP Ferg considers himself a bad boy. Those who have witnessed New York rap in the 90s know exactly who the bad boy baby is: the illustration of the British baby with a side hat on his head emerges from the label logo of Sean "Fluffy" Combs. In Ferg's case, this statement is not entirely metaphorical. This logo was designed by his father Darold Ferguson Sr.. Almost three years later, Ferg is preparing to release his company and draw strength from the example of Sean Combs.

"It really got me on fire-I want to own my own organization and become an entrepreneur," said Fogg, who considers himself the most well-known baby in hip-hop. "I should understand what my father and Puff did at the time, and how Puff led his family."

Ferg's label is called Sewer Sounds. Browsing its website, you will find that the spirit of the brand is summarized as "experimental voices representing the underground world". The roster of Sewer Sounds consists of Antha Pantha, Leek, Tweek, and Hunter, all of whom are basically unknown (at least for now); a blank canvas for Ferg to investigate his strange sound tendencies. His career is ambitious. He wanted to change the popular voice like Kanye West did when he made 808s & Heartbreak.

"This is just the music and collective of my dreams. This is something I have always wanted to work on. "Fearless music" is what I like to call," Ferg said through Zoom-Antha Pantha joined us. "When you make a hit record, as an artist, you will be attracted by things that people like, and you no longer challenge fans. I really want to return to a space like this and fuck all the honor and the fuck All of, "I went to platinum a million times", makes myself interesting again, makes the audience feel challenged, and gives them something new to hear."

Ferg, of course, is already part of a collective. A$AP Mob is a Harlem rap band. They took the baton from The Diplomats and imagined their Upper Manhattan neighborhood as a gorgeous purple paradise, exuding swag. It's been ten years since "that beautiful bastard" A$AP Rocky led the team into the mainstream, and many rappers whose names A$AP can recognize follow closely behind. When Mob released their first mixtape, Lords Never Worry, in 2012, Ferg stood out. He drew inspiration from that album and produced a compilation that will showcase all the artists of the sound of the sewer.

"Those songs are crazy," Ferg of Work and Persian Wine said to the illustrious Lords Never Worry he starred in. "We look at it in the same way. Both the artists from the Voice of the Sewer and who stand out in this compilation project, as well as those people who appeal to-"Yo, I need a project from XX"-this is What we want to do now. Whoever wants it, they will come forward."

For Ferg, Sewer Sounds is more than just a label. This is a way of life, a character. According to his explanation, Fogg is more like a track and field coach than a label leader. "We focus on exercise. If you are a member of my label, if you want to sign with Sewer Sounds, you must be prepared to exercise every day. You must meditate. We eat healthy and we train like athletes. This is a kind of sexy , The performance of art. This is the sound of the sewer."

The style jumping method Ferg envisioned has been reflected in his recent solo albums "Floor Seats" and "Floor Seats II". The main track sampled The Prodigy's Smack My Bitch Up, which is the tone of a rap single you never dreamed of-but Ferg succeeded. The buttery Ride is reminiscent of R&B in the 90s, while the “Hectic” featuring Diddy mentioned earlier uses technically adjacent beats. After Ferg and Timbaland sat down to seek advice, the spirit of Floor Seats merged-Timbaland will continue to produce Hummer Limo.

"I want to make the sound smoother. I want to be able to creatively go wherever I want to go. I don't want any restrictions."

"I told him that I wanted my voice to surpass, and I wanted it to be smoother," Ferg explained. "I don't even know if the word flow is correct, but I want to be able to creatively go wherever I want to go. I don't want to have no restrictions." Any song that is considered to have no level of creativity has not made floor seats.

Floor Seats 2 fell in the middle of the pandemic-"Hectic" includes multiple references to it. As the world fell into trouble, Antha Pantha, which Ferg planned to launch, also fell into trouble. "I first started making Antha's records, and we were almost done," Ferg explained. "But then Covid happened, so I thought, man, I don't want to give up a new artist during Covid. I don't think this is a fair opportunity. She needs to be outside. I want the energy outside to match the music. It's difficult. Release a cover song, and then no crowd will perform in front of it."

Sitting on the Zoom conference call, Antha described her musical background simply as singing in church: "But I always have the personality of a rapper, and Ferg is more able to pull this personality out of me. I always sing R&B, but Ferg let me start rap. Actually, there is a song on my album, which is the first record we made together, called Knees and Elbows. I was shocked myself. I was so crazy, I've been rap since then. I don't even think I can sing anymore."

"Huh, don't say that!" Fogg interjected. "I'm joking, I'm joking," Ansha said with a smile, "you are an amazing singer." "I shocked myself," she continued. "Every time I make a record, I feel better."

Antha Pantha introduced her cat, which hovered in the background of Zoom. "This is Batman." She is interested in cats. A name influenced by jungle cats, her appearance today is leopard print. Obviously, she is a big fan of cats in the DC universe. Antha’s hero is Eartha Kitt, who was the guardian of the Catwoman character. "I think she's like the epitome of a sexy woman who doesn't need to do much. She's like"-in the impression of Kitt in the boomerang-"Marcus, dear".

As work was basically suspended in 2020, Fogg turned his attention from music to charity. In Harlem, he teamed up with Southern Foods United Melba's to provide meals for the medical staff at the Harlem Hospital Center where he was born. Recently, Ferg helped Bodega and Small Business Group raise funds, an organization that helped support New York convenience stores that reflect the city’s personality. For Ferg, it's about focusing on what the wine cellar does for the locals. "There are a lot of bankrupts from nearby who can't put food on the table. You have to wait until next week for your salary and sometimes you can come in to eat, and the wine cellar is just looking for you. Over the years, they have taken care of me many times, and I just want to give back them."

But nothing better reflects Ferg's connection to his roots than the ribbon-cutting ceremony of the Greg Marius Court that reopened Holcombe Rucker Park in October. Ferg and artist Set Free Richardson redesigned one of Harlem's most historic stadiums, adding new scoreboards, rebounds, baskets and stands.

This unique venue is known for the celebrity basketball classics of the early 2000s, when NBA stars played for teams sometimes led by rappers (such as Jay-Z and Fat Joe). Ferg remembers that these games gave local kids the opportunity to see their favorite players up close without paying. "All celebrities will come out, it will be crazy and very energetic," he said. With this development, the significance of A$AP Ferg to Harlem (and vice versa) has become completely clear. "Let me design a stadium and write my name on the fence outside that park," he said with a smile. "I can't express enough gratitude for this."

Thank you Tiffany & Co.

Photography Mario Sorrenti Fashion Alastair McKimm

Hair Bob Recine makeup Frank B at The Wall Group Nail artist Honey at Exposure NY CHANEL photography assistance Kotaro Kawashima and Javier Villegas Digital technician Chad Meyer Fashion assistance Madison Matusich, Milton Dixon III, Jermaine Daley and Casey Conrad Kat Tailor Martin Keehn Hair assistance Kazuhide Kat Tailor Martin Keehn Makeup assist Elle Haein Kim in the production of Katie Fash, Layla Néméjanki and Steve Sutton Production assist in William Cipos casting director Samuel Ellis Scheinman for DMCASTING

All jewelry (throughout) Tiffany & Co.

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