A$AP Ferg: Life After ASAP Mob, Self Growth, & Finding Your Flow

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Watch live on Fox Thursday, March 26th at 8, 7 central and listen to I heart radio stations across America and the free I heart app. Hey there, this is Josh from stuff you should know with a message that could change your life. The stuff you should know. Think spring podcast playlist is available now. Whether spring is sprung in your neck of the woods yet or not, the stuff you should know think spring playlist will make you want to get your overalls on get outside and get your hands in the dirt. You can get the stuff you should know. Think spring playlist on the I heart radio app Apple podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Daniel Alarcón and this is my friend is much more famous than I am. I wouldn't go that far, but I'm John Green cohost of the podcast the away and with my old friend Daniel honor podcast the away and we'll share with you the magic of international football, all leading up to the 2026 World Cup together. We'll find out why of all the unimportant things football soccer is the most important. Listen to the away and with Daniel Alarcón and John Green on the I heart radio app Apple podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. I was thinking about this the other day is like when a group splits or whatever the case may be or evolves, I want to say split. Yeah, your fans is it's like having a divorce. It's like a blended family. You stay at mommy house. You stay at your uncle house. Your pops like where you gonna go. And then it's like hard to make it everywhere at one time. So it just, you know, you kind of start developing your own family. I can't look at anything negative because I'm just not that type of person. I look at it like this is how it has to happen. So we could all become fixtures and pillars to hold up a building that you know it's a temple now everybody could come and like this side is strong this side is strong and that side is strong. And we're aimed like just us in the middle and it's lobster building is lopsided. Yeah. You know what I'm saying. Thanks for watching guys. Today's episode is brought to you by boost mobile from Harlem battles to platinum plaques. He has built a career that spans rap, fashion, art, design, acting. Long before music he was a high school art student and he launches on clothing line and created pieces that were worn by artists like Chris Brown and many others as a founding member ASAP mob, lots of hits, work, shopper, plain Jane, we go on and on and on. He's carved out a signature lane that blends style, personality and raw talent. Today he has his own art exhibitions, fashion collaborations and a decade of cultural impact. And he continues to redefine what it means to be a multi disciplinary creator. Welcome ASAP for. I love that I was getting all warm and tingly. I feel like wow you was the first to acknowledge that Chris was like our early supporter in my clothing line. So shout out to you for that. You know, Swiss beats. Yeah. Well, um, J Cole. I had a longer version that had all the artists but I was like, I didn't want to make it about all the artists. But yes, people. No, but I mean, this was a young man that was in Harlem. Tell me how old you are at this time. I had it been about straight out of high school. Yeah, trying to figure it out. Linkin up with an early stylist named Fatima, an early stylist named, you know, Quasie Casey that worked under Mike B. and Groovy Lou. Legends. Yeah. So, you know, these guys, I will go take my belts. I mean, I was making these belts. It was the brand called the Pony. And I would, I would, they would get these budgets from like huge budgets. I remember one time I went to go visit Quas and he was shipping clothes out to Chris Brown. He had like, I swear, it looked like 200 pairs of sneakers stacked to the ceiling and they closed down. And this is what Chris Brown, he's already Chris Brown. This is Chris Brown. This is like, yeah, he's like. Second album. This is Michael Jackson of our generation. Yeah. And like, I remember I go like, Quas is like, oh, we got a budget. And I'm like, I bet. And he's like, I'm going to get a few belts from you and, you know, just if you could jazz it up. So I put all his, all in all his belts, I put his name inside all his belts. And he just went so crazy with the belts. He loved them. He loved them. He still got the belt. We did a skit on one of my albums where we were talking about. The belts. We had a conversation about the belts. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So shout out to Chris Brown. So you're 18, you're designing, rapping, right? You like, you just want to make. Well, I was always a rapper. I was a rapper. I was kind of doing both at the same time because I was battle, battle rapping. Oh, right. Since I was 14. So I just go on to be in the streets and I had a crew called H team. And, you know, it didn't turn into Harlem Envy. And I would just go to different people blocks and just battle rap people, watch Mad Siphers, loving all of the Philly rappers, Vaka, Kaboom, Meek Mills, Reed Dollars. And then also like Harlem rappers, Jay Mills, Charlie Clips, you know, Vado, you know, all of the guys, you know, yeah, just really diving into that world. I'm hearing the Harlem Cookouts with it, where you risked your life. Oh, yeah. Yeah, we was at the Harlem Cookouts. Like we was going to take, they used to have an M.H. Cookout, most hated Cookout where it used to be like thousands of people outside. All of the fly chicks was outside. Cam is pulling up with the pink range. He got the Air Force ones with all of the dipset members faces on them. And I'm like, you know, this is. Do they know who you are at this point? No, they knew my dad. They didn't know that my pops had a son running around like looking at what they was doing. Not inspiring, but this was like the inspiration around in the neighborhood. Right. Yeah. And you're making clothes. I'm making clothes for all of the crews coming up rich girls. Team nerves, super fly. Like rich girls. Tiana was a part of that crew. Oh, wow. It was a bunch of crews in Harlem. Trump divas, rich girls, top models and a Dougie freshen them sons. They, they was called square off our crews called Harlem envy. Rocky crew was called million dollar babies. It was mad crews in Harlem. So he was like famous before the famous crew is called rich. She was a part of a crew called rich girls, but then she made team nerd after the crew started dying out. She made team nerd and she had yams, ills, like a few of the mob members before the mob. And then, um, yeah, the crews faded out and then it was like ASAP. And like, that was it. That was it. What a moment though. When you think back about that time, it's funny because when we came in, you asked me about some of my moments and times, but for you, like that time, when you think about all that talent running around Harlem, really just trying to find yourself and trying to create, trying to make some shit matter and trying to like, what was the goal? Like, what, what were you chasing? What was the, was it fame? Was it money? Was it to be fly is the muta fly is like, what are you chasing at that age? I felt fly already because my dad and my family was fly. Like, you know, my part of driving around silver benzes with the mink the match, you know, we going to fat Joe store in the Bronx. He put his clothes in there on, on Cassame. He teaching me how to hustle. I'm so screened in shirts, taking garbage bags and shirts to my high school. I got my mom's earrings in so the boogers is looking crazy. Like I was already super fly. I was chasing aura. Like me and my bro, J West, we'll be on the phone for hours talking about the smile talking about, you see how he popped out that red, which is extra. We talked about the aura. That's with the skin glowing because we just noticed like there was a certain type of person that brought a certain type of energy and it was aura. And there were certain characters in Harlem that had the aura and we just always wanted to be the aura full people. There's a shitload of aura that you just explained in terms of all the people that were involved with that. I love that definition. Yeah, like even an early on like Tiana having a sweet 16 getting signed to for around like and then you got like and still running around Harlem still running around Harlem like talking about yo I just came back for one or six and park. I did the tone, what and Harlem shake for Beyonce. And that's funny. My space, you know, it's funny you hear all stories are like, you know, we was all young struggling trying to get out this in the story you guys tell of this time and this generation is not that. No. We wasn't young struggling trying to get out of hard times trying to feed our family. Of course everybody's always trying to make money take care of your family but I mean the story is not that the story is like we were young. We will fly. We wanted to be more than just fly. It was having fun. And it was an internet too. So it was like, it was a lot of entrepreneurial energy and then I came from my pops who was an entrepreneur. So I never seen him have a boss and I might have took the train with him like three times. So like and then he only introduced me to bosses. So I only knew one way to go. But I was really trying to understand the metaphysical part of not needing a boss because it was a point in life when my pops pass and I'm like, Yo, how can I work for myself literally like really trying to figure it out. I didn't click to me right then and there. But then as I like I just, I don't know I figured it out. You figured it out. But that was important thing to use to be your own boss. Oh for sure. Definitely. I hated working with people. How dope is that though? That's also your story is different in that way. Like the fact that you had somebody, your pops that was teaching you how to to even or even be in the example of something that you wanted to become. I'm sure not everybody around you has the same story of that. We have we interview a lot of people here and a lot of the girls got daddy issues. A lot of the dudes didn't know how to do certain things because they didn't have that. Me and Brittany talk about this a lot because I'm always I'm always like deep delving into like women's issues with daddy issues and she's like I don't understand that because my dad is to shit. He was there and how that's effect and change her life. So I would imagine for you having that that role model. I'm sure it was important and special to you at that. Super important because you know that's why I try to be like a role model to my little brother because my father passed away. Well, our dad passed away when he was super young. So it was like I got a chance to witness pops like hustle out of the trunk and then get his own store and then support his brother that was locked up and then like. Introduce me to like all his celebrities and superstars and you know I'm still hearing stories about what he did for people that just came home from jail and you know the amazing things he did in the industry. And still being like a super grounded person and a relatable person community person. I could walk the walk and talk to talk because I've been near for it like as he was growing I was growing with him. You know what I'm saying so it was his aura like. Oh it's always like nothing can happen around this dude like you know how like you know like he passed away but he's one of the people that you just think like that can happen to him. Yeah, it's a few people in my mind like it was a girl named Kalani that was in my Catholic school. And I was like she can't pass she can't ever pass away because she too bad like her energy was like oh she was like a eighth grader giving me like hugs. I was a freshman but my pops was like a pure light like and I was like just impossible. So you're thinking about upgrading to the all new iPhone 17 pro designed to be the most powerful iPhone ever. But are you also thinking about the traffic on your way to the store or transferring all your data and all the time that takes. Well the good news is that when you order a brand new phone online with boost mobile they'll send an expert to your home or to your work to deliver your brand new iPhone 17 pro and get you all set up. Boost mobile can do that within minutes no hassle. All you got to do is visit boost mobile dot com to get started delivery available for select devices purchased at boost mobile dot com terms apply. You know what's so interesting you said about that. I always have a theory that because there's people that I have met and I was like wow they are light and then they pass. And I wonder like oh maybe they maybe they really were a light and that pop smoke. Yes. Like I feel like he went like yams like like that. Like they light is so bright. It can't stay in this vehicle like they have to or they did already what they were supposed to do. And that's why I'm saying yes. I'm just like oh yeah good. I'm out of here. Aliyah when I think of going back like Aliyah was that type of energy like anybody in the room with her you feel that like how you talk about aura or that light is bright. And then when they're gone it's just like I don't know but I always thought maybe there's something to that maybe there's something to the to the idea that somebody when they're light is that that bright and nobody can front on it. Ultra violet. Maybe they closer to God in some type of way for sure. You know what I mean. Or like who says you got to go until you're 200 years old like you could be a baby and just do something vibrate something to your parents that they needed to get right in the name and the baby go. You know what I'm saying like a baby only been alive for a month a day. You just never know what they leave right. How did that shift you when your pops left. You were young right. Yeah it was three days before my 17th birthday. So when he left when he left I was just trying to figure out the rest of what he was trying to teach me or what he would have thought like what he would have tried to teach me. I was looking for like male figures older brothers mentors. You know I have a few of them in my life and. Yeah it was it was a bunch of that it was unanswered questions. And as far as like the emotional part of my father leaving. I was emotional but I wasn't too emotional because I always felt like I was a part of my dad. Like I always felt like I look just like him. I look in the mirror. I can't miss him. So it's like and I literally feel like that. I like I came out of his nut sack. I'm literally an extension branch of his tree. So you still feel him. It's okay. So whatever's true. It's true. It's true. Yeah. Now I come out of like I'm a part of him. Yeah. I literally come out of that person. I'm like the best creation that my mom's and my pops could have made. Oh I love that you feel like that. It's a fact. You just reminded me of something was I was telling you before how about how we launched this pod and our first episode was with Lauren London. You know she went through it with Nick and she was talking about it was a light. Nick was a light. Right. And when he left she said her relationship. She still had a relationship with him even when he was gone. Wow. It's like the relationship still continued and it wasn't just memories. It was like her it still was there some things we've been better and so or you know like the way she explained having a connection to people who are already gone was really ill to me and something about the way you just said that you're like an extension of your dad and I never really heard that but I think that's probably important for somebody who has maybe lost a family member or something because it's really true. It's forever. It's like when you eat an orange and you spit the seed out and the wind blows it into the dirt and then it rains. It grows another orange tree. Yeah. It's just a cycle. It just keeps going. Yeah. That's really good. So what's your relationship now with your brother with your little brother? Oh we lit. Like he's in a movie. He's in a movie. Yeah he got a role in the movie and he's a rapper. He's actually super nice. He's a rapper and a singer. I gotta stop saying rapper because he knows how to sing really good. He's like I'm one of his biggest fans. But I also told him I was like because we did songs and stuff together. I was like do this because you want to do it and figure out your purpose of why you're doing it. And don't ever be a, like I want him to know like don't ever be afraid to pivot and act like this is what you gotta do. Because I know as my little brother he probably look at me as like this is the way. I gotta be baby Ferg. He probably feels like I gotta be like. Exactly. But even with my pops I watched him do a certain thing but I still ventured off and experimented a little bit because I always, my father's shoes is so big to Phil. I was like alright I need to do my own thing. Ask my grandma what's the age he drove his first car? What's the age he got his first apartment? Da da da da da. So that was like, you know I was just trying to create my own space and I just wanted to know what he did so I can kind of make my own moves as well. Use it as like a blueprint. Exactly. Yeah. So this show is brought to you by Hard Rock Bet. Hard Rock Bet is a sportsbook app and it's a really simple sportsbook app if you just want to see what everyone's talking about or if you don't even really care about the game but you want to make it a little more interesting. 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Offered by Seminole Hard Rock Digital LLC in all other states. Must be 21 or older and physically present in Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, New Jersey, Ohio, Tennessee or Virginia to play. Terms and conditions apply. Concerned about gambling in Florida call 1-888-ADMITED in Indiana. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help call 1-800-9 with it. Gambling problem call 1-800-GAMBLER in Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, New Jersey, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia. Hey there. This is Josh from Stuff You Should Know with a message that could change your life. The Stuff You Should Know ThinkSpring podcast playlist is available now. Whether spring has sprung in your neck of the woods yet or not, the Stuff You Should Know ThinkSpring playlist will make you want to get your overalls on, get outside, and get your hands in the dirt. You can get the Stuff You Should Know ThinkSpring playlist on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Plus, Taylor Swift makes her first award show appearance this year. Gold medal Olympian Alyssa Liu, Neo, Nick Colesure Singer, Nicky Glaser, Sombra, Weiser, and more. Watch live on Fox Thursday, March 26th, at 8.7 Central. And listen on iHeartRadio stations across America and the free iHeart app. I'm John Green. You may know me as the author of The Fault in Our Stars, and now I guess also as the co-host of The Away End, a brand new world soccer podcast. I'm Daniel Alarcón, a writer and journalist, and John and I have known each other since we were kids. My first World Cup was Mexico 86. I was nine years old. I watched every game, and I fell in love. On our new podcast, The Away End, we'll share with you the magic of international football, all leading up to the 2026 World Cup. For us, soccer football is a story we've shared for over 30 years, since Daniel was the star player on our high school soccer team. Very debatable. And I was their most loyal and sometimes only fan. I love this game. I love its history, its hope, its heartbreak, and above all, its beauty. Together, we'll find out why of all the unimportant things, football, soccer, is the most important. Listen to The Away End with Daniel Alarcón and John Green on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. And he's in the movie, so you did a movie? Yeah, did a movie. It's called Flip Phone Shorty. It's like the whole concept of my project album. And yeah, it's a short. It's a 25-minute joint, and I wrote, produced it. Directed it? Sage directed it. Sage! You know, but me and him work very good in collaboration. He's great. Yeah, he's amazing. Sage does a lot of our trailers for this podcast. Shout out to Sage, man. Sage helped bring our trailers to life for this show. Yeah, shout out to Sage. I'm gonna have him do the trailer for this episode for sure. You have to. For sure. For sure. I just shot my first short too. Shout out to you for that. It's crazy. Are you excited about it? I am, but it's kicking my ass a little bit because we did it with a very low budget, and it was my first time. I always wanted to write something. I've been part of projects and films and things in small levels, but I wanted to just me in a room, write something, make a story, shoot it. I just wanted to do it all the way through, get the story across the board. And so there were some mistakes that happened when you're doing that for the first time. So I made a lot of mistakes, missed some shots, and now I'm trying to figure out creative ways to still make it come alive. But that's the thing though. I feel like the mistakes is actually the purpose, but it's God's purpose. It's like we look at it like a mistake, but it's like, you're supposed to go there the whole time. Yeah. And that's how I be looking at it now. I study the art of the Tao, and basically it's like the art of letting it flow. So if it don't go the way you wanted it to go, and it's like we can't control everything. So it's supposed to just, it's like you don't try to be, it's like the moment you try is like the moment that thing dies. It's like a tree ain't trying to be a tree, an apple ain't trying to be an apple, an orange ain't, it never tries. Humans is the only thing, animals don't try. Humans is the only species that try. And when we try, we just put roadblocks in ourself. So now I just, when that happens, I just let it flow. And I just see where universe is taking me. Like what am I supposed to learn from this? So it's no losses really. We all made it to the egg. It's supposed to be here. It's so funny because when I do, because I live my life that way, I try to. So I'm not perfect though. Sometimes I want to control some shit. I want to like, I have a vision and I want it to be that. So sometimes I hold on too tight and it never works out good. You hold on too tight to something, it really, you do have to be in a flow. You do have to like, what is the word I'm looking for? It's like just release. Like it just be in present and let it happen and trust. Yeah, you got to trust. You got to trust that it ain't up to us. We ain't coming up with none of these ideas. Like bloop. Like if someone be like, yeah, bloop. God put that on your head like bloop. Like people be like, yo, I need you to make another plane chain. I need you to like get into your trap, Lord, bad, get into this. And I'm like, I ain't come up with none of that shit. Like I'm not trying to do it. It just came. And that was a moment of time. And that was a moment of time in your life where you was having experience. And listening to that music that left a time stamp on your heart. Like I can't create all of that for you again. Like it's not just a song. It's like, but also if you try to do that, you might be blocking your blessing of what you actually supposed to be uncovering in the flow of your life. Yeah, you basically like trying to like go against the current. And it's like, I'm not here to do that. I'm here to just flow and let it let the art come out though, the way it's going to come out. I love that you know that. Yeah, now you fuck up with that. But that's, I think that's that's the exercise of being an artist. It's like, we always want to. We always want to be on the edge of like the cutting edge. Like a great artist always want to be on a cutting edge. Like how close can you get to the cutting edge of whatever? You know what I'm saying? Like I when I when I say that I'm thinking about like people like Andre 3000 or like, you know, where's like, you know, the society may not agree with this, but fuck it. Like I'm not going to have to come meet me. Yeah, because I'm just a container that's holding energy and I got to let it loose. I was just going to, it's going to materialize as something else. You could turn it to depression or whatever the fuck and people be thinking they depressed, but it's no, they just not letting themselves flow. That's good. Is this a real thing that you study? Yeah, I mean, I just I'm into psychology. I'm into like that was him who put you on to that. Or you to like just me. Let me let me dive a little bit. It's Buddhist, right? Well, like flow state is like Buddha, Buddhism. The name of my festival is called flow, flow, flow fair. It's a health fair. Yeah. We do yoga. You did one today. You did one yesterday, right? No, no, no, no. That was a that was I did a run today. But that was a fair strong run. But we did one the first one in Harlem in the beginning of the year. What was happening? Tell me. So basically, can you invite me to the next one, please? Of course. Okay. So we have soundbowling healing. Well, we have a 5k run in the morning at nine o'clock. Then we have a soundbowling healing class. We have meditation. We have a workout boot camp. We have Afro aerobics. We have arts and uncles with the vegan food. We have melbas. We have a bunch of like juice makers and healthy snacks and stuff. And then around four o'clock, we start gearing up for the music. And this year I headlined and I brought out Renee from Jaune. Yup, which is my favorite artist in the whole world. That's my twin. And I brought out a lot of up and coming artists as well, like before me. So yeah, we're going to do another one next year. We're going to do it annually. But when will you introduce to that idea of living that way and just like the kind of the science behind that? Because I hated feeling jealous or I hated feeling like comparing. I hated all of these things and I had to figure out the root of where this energy comes from. So it was the energy that you had? Yeah, I didn't like the energy. I don't like forcing. I hate like reaching. I never like trying too hard. Trying too hard. I don't like none of that. And all of that comes from like ego and where does ego come from? It comes from just like insecurity. Like you just got to trace it all the way. Why am I feeling like this? And then just, you know, being stressed out about everything to the point where I feel like I'm out of my body and I'm not present. I think that really brought me into like a therapy. Love therapy. Therapy. Ding. As you were saying that I was thinking about this. You know, I'm not like a fashion girl. I've never been one to like I've probably been to fashion week twice my whole career, whole life. I just, it ain't my type of people, my type of vibes. I do appreciate art. I love when people look good or do interesting things. Like I can appreciate fashion, but it's just not, you know, it's not my world really like that. So, but I remember being, I was being, I was probably young in a game just started and I was at a fashion event, feeling a little like out of place. Out of place. I don't belong here. And somebody was sitting next to me at a table and they were talking about somebody else and they went, oh, it reeks of effort. And I remember the line. It reeks of effort is crazy. Right. And when I tell you that has stayed with me my whole life. But the, uh, Because I, but I also felt, I felt her. I felt that like that's probably why I don't like this. That's why I'm not comfortable here because everything in this room reeks of effort to me. Yeah. So to me as I'm sitting there, I'm like, I don't, I don't want to try that hard to impress anybody. And I don't want, and it's nothing wrong. If I'm not disrespecting the fashion world and anything, I'm just saying me internally why I didn't, why I felt out of place. And something about the way she coined that to me, like, I don't know. I've always, that phrase is literally part of my. What she Parisian. Maybe. It reeks of effort. Maybe, but I do think that's like part of my DNA is like, I don't want to. Don't try. I don't want to try so hard. And then you get older. And I don't want to feel you trying that hard. Like I want us to just kind of like, I just want to be around people that know themselves and we can just be a tribe of people that flow. We all got the right energy because that's when you have the most fun. For sure. Yeah. Like you ain't got to worry about like, then this person like me, I don't know if this person like me. And the fashion, the fashion industry is really like that. It's really a lot of insecure people. Cause remember you dress yourself a lot of times and make yourself look beautiful. Yeah. You don't need to try to follow a trend instead of the ones that are. Actually pure and creating from a place that's like different. Exactly. So it's like the fact that you're not into it. I could feel that is because like. It's not that I don't appreciate fine material or dope look or like I love how you carry yourself and sometimes you put it on. And I'm like, I would never think that you should wear that together. But I don't remember just times I've seen you. You come out with a shoe with a thing or the, and I'm like, that's so interesting to me. It's so dope that you have that type of, that you could express yourself that way. And even when you guys all came out, even when ASAP first launched, it was a big part of that brand. And I don't, I don't mean to call it a brand. I mean, it was more than a brand. It is, but it was, you were people behind the brand. But, but it represented like a culture, a culture and a freedom, just a creative freedom that I hadn't seen in a while from Harlem or from New York or. Hip hop, especially. We was the kids that felt like we wasn't being heard. We was the creatives. The, you know, we was in the streets, but it's like, oh, you gay. If you wear skinny jeans or you know what I'm saying? It was like that era where it was like everything was gay. If it wasn't ACG boots and true religion jeans, it's gay. So what guys, what made you confident enough as a crew to not like fall victim to. Because I think my vision was strong enough to just believe in what I was in on. And I was confident in myself. I mean, I was a, I was in junior high school, rest in peace at Tonell. That was my first, my first girl. Um, she was in a Ralph Lauren pageant. Long hair, light skin, green eyes, black, nice body, lifting the projects. I had the hottest joint in the Bronx. Like I'm taking a train to go see it. Like I'm having joints like this, you know, I'm having girls pull up from so to the hood and like I just dress different. I'll just move different and my family is my family. So it's like, I gave you almost a freedom and a license. Yeah, it's definitely like, oh, yeah, that's, that's, you know, that's fair. So he do whatever you want to do. But I still like, I could have just been like trying to be like them. That was the safe way to go. My mother hated the way I dress. She like, what's them orange shoes? Why you keep getting these different haircuts? And I was them like, wow, this is Yoshi Yamamoto. Like from the sample sale, right? A hundred cash. These is four 20 in the store. I just came up. So like, you know, I knew what I was into. And then when we found each other, I was going to say, how do you find each other? How do you find like minded people? So, but you all, and in the hood though, but you from all, but we always shopping. And we all go to the same spots. We all go into atrium where Kalish used to work at. We all go into the BAPE store where Cuddy used to work at. We all go into all these, we all go into the alien parties. That's like early underground. We all go into the underground hood by air parties. Like we're like an early shame. This is you and Yams and Rocky and all of these. Well, this is that's later. That's later. But like this is me and like my immediate crew from like homies, a part of HMV. Got it. You know, peso, slim dollars, all of those guys. I was a part of a crew before ASAP. Got it. So then when the ASAP happened and how did that happen? So ASAP happened, me and Rocky, we will always see each other. He was down with million dollar babies. I'm down with Harlem MV, but we used to go to all of these parties back in the days. And we was like the rappers out of the crews. So he like, yo, let's do something. Let's get it. We always say, and then I remember like when Charles Hamilton was, he was like hot. And he had like this, the studio, he would use the studio out of FDA. It was a junior high school in Harlem. For some reason they allowed us to go into school when it was closed and they had a studio and he will be in there recording with my boys, Zany. And he was like, man, man, Rocky will go up there and record our shit too. And we had like, we will call ourselves ASAP Red. That was Rocky and D Ferg. And then I remember we had like a conscious meeting and it was like with Callender and Callender and St. And we all sat down and we was just like, yo, we're going to change all of our names. We're going to put our first name is our last name and ASAP is our first name. And I'm ASAP Ferg, Rocky is ASAP Rock. Like, you know what I'm saying? What was the thinking that we were going to just lift each other up or we were going to be a movement? Oh, bone thugs. Yeah, like how they got lazy bone, fleshing bone, crazy bone. Yeah, but we just did the opposite. Yeah. So more of a unit, more uniform. More black. And it wasn't like we had it all thought out like that, but it just seemed like it was clicking. Yeah, it was that little flow. Yeah, it was the flow. Yeah, that's fire. So what happens in the real world when you get a little notoriety, sometimes it fucks up the flow because even take that, take ASAP, whatever was happening creatively when you created that. I'm just thinking that people want to define that label that keep it a certain way. You know, you know, you know what I'm saying? Yeah, you just want some people that ever get weird. Some people don't want to stop eating McDonald's. You got to try caviar one day. You got to try collard greens one day. I didn't like collard greens when I was a kid. Yeah, your taste change. Yeah, you grow. You like you're a certain age. You're doing certain things, certain things is cool for you. We talk about body counts, how many girls we had and all of that. I don't care about that now. I don't care. Rocky's married with kids. You just start thinking about different things. You learn different things. You get exposed to different things and you want to elevate. Oh, righty. The holidays are here already and don't let them stress you out. Make the holidays amazing. I'm feeling very festive in my red sweatshirt today. But yes, I'm having family over. I never have enough place for people to sleep. I have one of those houses where it's like sleep wherever you want. At Wave Fair, let me tell you how much they helped me because number one, air mattresses. We love them in my family. It makes lots of room for people. Not just the air mattresses, but I have a pull out sofa in my office. That's always a place where people can sleep. The mattress is not great in there. What I can get and what I plan to get on Wave Fair is the toppers that go on top. I'm going to order a foam topper for the sleeper, air mattress for some extra guests. Then all the things that it takes to host a beautiful and lovely. I told you, my grandmother, it's tradition in my family that you have to have the house dripping in Christmas ornaments and wherever you can add a Christmas touch. That is definitely a tradition in my family. Wave Fair has so much of that. You can actually do everything there, including gifts. You can do your gifts. You can get your family places to crash at your pad. You can get stuff to help the meal amazing and not just like regular cooking utensils, but really cute like little accessories that really add that holiday flair to your home. So get it all at Wave Fair. It's super easy. You have delivery. You don't have to waste time because shopping during the holidays is stressful for me. I don't know about for you. I don't love it. So Wave Fair makes all of that really easy. So get your last minute hosting essentials, gifts for all your loved ones and decor to celebrate the holidays for way less. Head to Wave Fair.com right now to shop all things home. That's W-A-Y-F-A-I-R.com. Wave Fair, every style, every home. I was just wondering if there's growing pains in that, right? Because the inception of that is like a really, I don't know, like a moment, right? It's like a moment, especially in the culture. It's a moment, but then it has to evolve and the flow has to happen. Yeah. It's definitely growing pains because we practically live with each other for years, like being on the road together and all of that stuff like that. And then, I was thinking about this the other day, it's like when a group splits or whatever the case may be or evolves, I want to say split. When a group evolves, your fans is like having a divorce or something. It's like a blended family. You're going to stay at Mommy's house, you're going to stay at your uncle's house. Your pops, where you going to go? And then it's hard to make it everywhere at one time. So it just, you kind of start developing your own family. You know what I'm saying? And that's kind of like what happens. But I also, I feel like I can't look at anything negative because I'm just not that type of person. I look at it like this is how it has to happen so we can all become fixtures and pillars to hold up a building that you know, it's a temple now, everybody could come and like this side is strong, this side is strong, that side is strong. And it ain't like just us in the middle and the building is lopsided. You know what I'm saying? I mean, you think about like, and in no way am I comparing this to two different things. But I was watching some footage of Kelly Rowland the other day. And it was Ebro and somebody was like going, no, no, it was Joe Button. It's like all of a sudden he realized how dope Kelly Rowland was. He was like, I don't know what planet I've been on. And she's like a goddess walking around. You know, it's like this whole thing. And I was like, of course, she's Kelly Rowland. She's like, she's always been beautiful. And also like, it's almost like he was surprised at what a dope performer she was. And it's like, she's Destiny's child. Yes, but make that. But because they had this like a flower, right? Like, it's just like, it's still part of your roots. So I would imagine for you, and I know it's a very weird comparison to make. But as you know, it's not, it's the same thing actually. Really? What you're saying? Yeah, it's like, how could she be the Kelly Rowland that's at the boy's mind tour without having grown up in that and having that moment, but also without being able to go past it. If she would have stayed trying to hold on to that, how do you even become that? Or Beyonce become Beyonce? Exactly. And then us be able to see her for her and her and beyond a group, like group think, you know what I'm saying? Like, you know, as an adult, I'm able to grow and think and I'm so into like doing what I want to do more and more and more. Because we grow up with so much group think and like projection that is like we wound up doing what our parents wanted us to do. Like, I had to grow out of that. Even my mother like graduated, you know, bachelors, my stepdad bachelors. I had the pressure on me to graduate college early on. I had to really grow like say like, no, I'm going Bosque out on the mic. I'm going to be, I'm going to really be like just Bohemian lifestyle dude that just sleep on my friends' couches and live like and just figure it out. Like, I'm like, if I got to go there, I'll go there because college wasn't working for me. And I had to really like grow out of that condition and just know that my way will be different from my mom way on my stepdad way. And I understand that my father didn't take the college route either. So, you know, with other things, I tried it. It didn't work for me and you know, it'll be like that. There's a lot of conversation about that now that relevance of college, but in this world right now, AI and this. And also I feel like college is like behind the world. How's kids even like taking tests and all of that? Because I feel like they could just, are they using a phones? Like, are they able to do this? You know, at first those colleges and the schools were like, you can't use AI in here. Then I think now it's suggesting where they're like, okay, how do we use AI, which is smarter? How could you be an institution that's supposed to lead? And you're telling people don't use AI when the whole world is using AI. Yeah. So I think there's a lot of weird shit about school. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And then what are you teaching and who's teaching and based on what? Right. Hey there. This is Josh from Stuff You Should Know with a message that could change your life. The Stuff You Should Know ThinkSpring Podcast playlist is available now. Whether Spring has sprung in your neck of the woods yet or not, the Stuff You Should Know ThinkSpring playlist will make you want to get your overalls on, get outside, and get your hands in the dirt. You can get the Stuff You Should Know ThinkSpring playlist on the iHeart Radio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Thank you. Fox. Thursday, March 26th. Teddy, 7th Central. And listen on iHeart Radio stations across America and the free iHeart app. We'll share with you the magic of international football, all leading up to the 2026 World Cup. For us, soccer, football, is a story we've shared for over 30 years since Daniel was the star player on our high school soccer team. Very debatable. And I was their most loyal and sometimes only fan. I love this game. I love its history, its hope, its heartbreak, and above all, its beauty. Together, we'll find out why of all the unimportant things, football, soccer, is the most important. Listen to the Away End with Daniel Auerkon and John Green on the iHeart Radio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I think socially there's a lot that you can get out of it. Being in a group with people like my, you know, like my other people. Community, yeah, community. But you had community already without having to go to college. Yeah, and that's that's probably what it was. It's like, you know, Harlem was a school of its own. I feel like it's like going to X-Men school, like for fly shit, like for culture. You can come outside without having your superpowers sharp. What's your superpower, Ferg? I'm a thinker. That's my superpower. What has been your greatest thought? My greatest thought is to trust my intuition. Like I got jumped twice not trusting my intuition. What do you mean? Like in Harlem, like I remember it was like a funeral. And like in Harlem, funeral would be popping because all of the girls come out. Like somebody, somebody famous died. Like everybody wanted like, you know, it's bad somebody died, recipes, but everybody's outside. It's an event. Like a club. Yeah, exactly. So we hanging out and all of that. And, you know, the block is starting to thin and out. And my friend tried to highlight some girls girl. And he said some disrespectful stuff. She went back and her brothers, we still on the corner and ain't no more girls outside. And I just knew like we wasn't going to be there. We got jumped. But I knew and I got jumped another time the same way. I knew. So I think that the streets made me super sharp. And that was the lesson that I learned to trust my intuition. Trust of that. Oh, so you knew before it happened. Yes. Yeah. Yeah. I was like, why are we still standing here? There ain't nothing going on. And here it comes. Like it was super lit. Like we out of here. Like why are we still standing here? Yeah. That sounds so scary to me. It's probably like not that scary to you because you've witnessed this so much. No, it's always scary because you don't know if somebody going to cut you or shoot you or whatever. They could just do you in. Isn't that funny? There's like terms that people just have become, oh, I got jumped or, oh, I went to prison or I went to or my friend this or like, I don't know. There's just certain terms that we grow up hearing so much that you don't really think about the trauma in it. Oh, it's trauma. But getting jumped must be fucking horrible. A horrible feeling. I've seen my friend get stabbed to death and die. That's the piece not like I've seen. What does that do to you? Multiple times though, not like with two different people. Yeah. Like I've seen. Death. I've seen four Dominican dudes run like run to their car with a gun, with guns, all guns. They catch one of the Dominicans and he's telling the cops I'm with him as a kid as I'm going to my cousin's house. You were with them? He's saying like randomly, yeah, he with me. No, I'm not. I don't even talk your language. Like he like you with him? No. Ring the bell they answer. Like, come on. Yeah. Like, yeah, there's so much that I can like do as a grown man now who's done work on himself with the therapy who's followed flow. Do you see the diff? Do you see that through a different lens? Because as a kid, I don't know. You just this is what goes on in your neighborhood. It almost starts to feel, I think, normal. Those type of experiences or? I think I understand it a little bit more, but it feels the same to me. Like a lot of times it just hurts and it's a shame that we kind of got to like go through it like that. What a tech therapy teach you. When I went to therapy, like I was super anxious and I didn't understand how I worked. I thought I was going to have to take some medication or some shit. I was like, yo, and I'm not a pill person. I don't take pills and I'm like, yo, give me whatever I need because I'm stressed. But he was like, you don't need nothing. You know, this is what he asked me. He said, do you see flying blue birds or something in his room? Do you see like stuff that's just, I'm like, nah, he's like, you good. You don't need no drugs. Yeah. But I was so wound up and I had so much anxiety and I remember I had came out of tour because I was just like overwhelmed. I felt like I wasn't happy. I kicked everybody off tour. It was just like me and T on the bus and I just wasn't happy and I was just trying to figure out what that was. So I was like, damn, if I could come up tour, they're going to definitely think I went crazy. And I'm like, yo, they're going to sue you. These venues is going to sue you if you come up tour. And I'm like, fuck it. I'm coming home. Yeah, I got to go. And then I would see like, I went to San Francisco and I seen all of these homeless people and stuff and it made me real sad. And I'm like, I got to go home. Something was going on with you. Yeah. Something was going on. But I think what happened is the best way I could describe it is like, Angie is a person and then like your ear is over here and your eye is down here and your heart is dead. And like, this is how you're seeing people. No, this is literally how I was formless. I was just like, what's happening? And I was like, no, I got to like sit down and I got to figure this out. Were you on any, were you taking anything? No, not at all. Not at all. I had one vegan and I just was working real hard. So sleep deprived maybe? Yes, definitely. Probably sleep. I couldn't go to sleep for a second. What did the doctor diagnose it at? I think that like literally I needed a break because I've been traveling for 10 years. And I had some unpacking to do. That's what I think it was. And it was like, I had to do a deep dive. I think I was growing and I was still trying to stay where I was at mentally. And like, it was just like I was overflowing and I just had to catch up with myself. I love that you knew that. I didn't know it at the time. But I, but you knew something was wrong. Because sometimes we don't have to know exactly what's wrong, but you know something's wrong. Yeah, I knew something was wrong and I knew that I didn't want to turn to drugs. And I, cause I said, ooh, this is when niggas start taking drugs. And I was like, I'm not going to do that to get through. You didn't pick up a vice? Nah, I just was like, oh, that's some, you know, I mean to each his own, but it just wasn't for me. So you went home and you went some therapy, did some therapy. Yeah. And I rested. And you rested. I had to catch up with myself and rested. Yeah. You know, before I took therapy, I never held my own keys. I never held my own credit card. Like I didn't have a driver's license. I didn't have a house. I didn't have like, I was sad cause I wasn't seeing like my little cousins grow up. You felt disconnected from your life. Super disconnected. Yeah. And I was like, I was even doing it for not even around. Like this is the time I went solo. Like it was like a time where I started with HMV and like all of my creative art friends from school. And then we started marbing ASAP mob. So I kind of went from them to the mob and then, you know, my stuff took off. So now I got my own bus and my own staff. And by that time, it's like 10 years of hard work and no sedatives. Like, you know what I'm saying? No base, no foundation. I don't have a relationship with God. I don't, I don't know what that is. So I had to really figure out what it is. Like I was like, yo, I live this shit to the max life of 10 men. I know what this is about. What is the inside? Like what is making me operate? How am I thinking? I want to know the metaphysical part. And that's when I got into it. I wanted to understand how people die. Like why do most people die and going to researching about that. Like, you know, most of the time is mental. You know what I'm saying? Like mental, you're going to eat it away. You're going to sex it away. You're going to take drugs. People just need things to like escape. I love that you knew that that you found that you didn't go the wrong way. Those are the, those are the forks in the road. Right? Like you could easily go in a different way. But I had examples like yes. You know, like my dad kidney failure. Like what do you attribute that to my father died of a kidney. I know, but why did it was an eating? It was a like, what do you attribute? Why do you think I think it was a bit of just a lifestyle. He wasn't a drink or nothing like that. I think just be eating out, being out all the time. Take care of himself the way maybe he should have. Not getting the proper rest. He was a early silk screen user. So he was using the plastic saw silk screen and the fumes from the curation of the paint going into your lungs and your kidneys and all of that shit. Not having a proper ventilation. Like a lot of people like got to get new kidneys and shit like that after years and years. Like early on, like the early silk screen guys that was in the basement knocking out a thousand shirts. I was in there with him. Like you not you don't got no windows or nothing. You just so unhealthy. I'm so glad you're taking care of yourself. I hate that we have to rap right now because I have so many questions about the way he's fucking figured out his life. It's so good. But you were so great today. I do a part two. No, it was so many good stuff. But I know we have to wrap. We want to go to you want to go to your movie, right? Yeah, yeah. You OK? Yeah, I'm great. Where'd you just go? You went somewhere just now? I was just taking in. I'm present. I'm just thinking about how great of an interview this is because it's just different. Thank you. It's very different. Sometimes I don't know how to read that from people because I'm like, I'm also talking about different stuff that I never talked about before. I love that. Being jumped in like my pops and the silk screen and stuff and all that. Yeah, sometimes that makes people uncomfortable. So I try to be like mindful. Oh, no, I don't want to the most uncomfortableest places. I already took myself there. So this is a piece of cake. Okay, good. I love that. All right, we have a segment. So I have a, I have a segment. It's our boost mobile segment. It's a voice note segment with somebody. It's either one of the fans of the pod or a fans of you that knew you were coming left you a voice note. So can we hear it? Yo, Ferg, what's up, man? My name is Mike. I'm a graphic designer. You know, the past couple of years I've been working in nine or five, you know, trying to build my own brand on the side. The hardest things, you know, some days I, you know, I have a lot of energy. Some days I don't, you know, and, you know, that's some of the battles I've been dealing with. When you were coming up is my question. When you were coming up, how did you protect your creativity while still handing the real life responsibilities? That's a great question. Yeah, it's a good question. How do you protect? My creativity while having to handle real life. Keep your job. Keep your job. Keep that money coming in because we got to support ourselves, but also find time to do what you feel like you're destined to do. And that was the way I balanced it. And, you know, I'm great at like throwing paint on a wall and just seeing what sticks and, you know, creating something out of that. So early on I was like making jewelry. I was doing this, doing six ring t-shirts. I was right. I had a card that said all of this. And I remember Rocky told me he was like, um, you got to choose one thing because people ain't going to take you serious. Maybe I was wrong for putting it on the card, but I think what that made me, what would have helped me do was I experimented so much that I figured out what kicked. And I still do it today. I figured out what kicked and then I go with that. And, um, I always kept a job. Like I kept something that had some money coming in. So I would just say that. Throw stuff at the wall. Yeah, just, just, just try different things. You know what I'm saying? Like just whatever comes to mind is your ideas. Just go with the ideas, but always be able to support yourself. There's also got to be something to the fact of leaving room for those, what you explained before that, that thing that pops in your head that I don't know, that's not for us. Making space for that. Making space for that. Yeah. Yeah. Making space. I didn't understand making space then I do now, because I'm so busy, but, um, I would say in, in his stage, take yourself very serious. Yeah. Take, I wish that like I would have took myself more serious. But maybe I mean that, that led me to like being loose enough to, to be in a club. To be in a club? Yeah. To be in a flow. Cause I just was like, ah, but I would sometimes be in a bed with my girl and be like, ah, these people out there getting it. They had the Migos house right now, like making a million songs and I'm here. And I was like, man, I got to take myself more serious. So it took me, I was like, in a full blown relationship. All the time. That's funny. This episode is brought to you by Walden University. You guys think you're too busy to earn the degree that you have always wanted. You are not too busy. It's never too late at Walden University. You can get the W. That's what they do. They get the W. And you can win your time back with tempo learning. You are in control. This is very cool. There are no weekly deadlines. There are no rigid schedules. Who has time for that? There's just a flexibility for you to earn your degree on your terms at your pace and within your budget. Ready to start? Visit waldenu.edu today. Walden University set a course for change certified to operate by Chef. Okay. So we're going to do today's IRL bowl question, which is brought to you by Walden University. And we'll wrap up with one of these. You want me to pick it or you pick it? Let me see if who picks a better one. We didn't really talk about relationship and love. So I'll leave that on the side unless you want to give it love advice. Oh, I'm not the person for that. No. You haven't figured that out yet? No. In therapy? No, you haven't learned nothing about love? I just learned self love and boundaries. Oh my God. Yes. Yes, the boundaries. So of our conversation today with sticks with me, by the way, yes, the boundaries. I wish we had another hour, but also flow. Like leaving room and it's the boundaries like leaving room in your life so that you could be in the flow so that you could even hear the whispers or feel what feels good or see the aura or like how could you even be in it if you don't leave room for that in your life? You know, let it come to you because when it comes to you, that means right. It's so funny. You know what? I'm saying we're saying this and look with the conversation with in the bowl. Look, it was in the bowl. Yeah. And then and I feel like we're doing that. Takeaways from today's conversation. Right. I got to pick one now. All right. What do you take away from today's conversation? And I was actually saying them without even looking in the bowl. Because you was in flow. I was in flow. Yeah. Don't you know when you're in it too? Like you know it. Like the universe. Oh my shit is clicking right now. Yeah. My shit is like, like with my art and all of that, like my music and just my shit is clicking. I love that feeling. What are some of your pet peeves triggers? Lazy people. Lazy people. Yeah. Why does that bother you so much? It don't bother me no more because I just don't fuck with lazy people. Get out of here. Yeah. Don't be around me. You don't know nothing about that life. Let's pick another one because that was too easy. Okay. Easy for you. Not everybody. Yeah. Like what? Lazy people is not it. There's only one thing I want to say. Is it the one my favorite? Yes. If God were to text you right now, what would it say? That was the one? Yeah. I love that question. If God was to text you right now, what would it say? Good job son. Aw. Yeah. Well then good job son. I hope you get that text. You should get that text today. It's downloaded already. I love that. Asap Ferg or just Ferg. Are we going Ferg or is it Ferg? Let's see the oil. Whatever you want to do. You know what I mean? Like it's tattered on me. It's what people know me as. Are you officially going by Ferg just Ferg now? I mean I've been just going by Ferg. People don't, when they call me they don't like. But you never did like a press release. Sometimes people are like, yo, such a such dropped a little. Or we dropped the um. I had to do all of that. Young. Some people dropped like GZ dropped young. You know what I mean? He's just GZ. Nah. It's either oil. Whatever you desire. Today I feel like Ferg. Today Ferg was with us today on IRL. Way to you meet Darryl. I feel like Darryl was here too. Well Ferg is every, all of them but Darryl is just a little different. Next episode. Yeah, next episode. For sure. Thanks for today man. My pleasure. In real life. Nice. Thank you so much. That was beautiful. That was the best interview I've ever did in my life. No way. Get that on camera. I love that. Bow. This is Ferg in real life. Let's go. Our I Heart Radio Music Awards are coming back Thursday, March 26th live on Fox. Watch as we honor the biggest stars from all genres of music that you loved listening to all year long on your favorite I Heart radio station and the I Heart Radio app. Hosted by Ludacris. Icon Award recipient John Mellencamp. Innovator Award recipient Miley Cyrus. With performances by Alex Warren, Kailani, Lainey Wilson, Ludacris, Ray, TLC, Salt and Pepper and Invoke. Plus Taylor Swift makes her first award show appearance this year. Also Gold Medal Olympian Alyssa Liu, Neo, Nick Colesher Zinger, Nikki Glazer, Sombra, Weiser and more. Watch live on Fox Thursday, March 26th, at 8. 7 central. And listen at I Heart radio stations across America and the free I Heart app. I'm Daniel Alarcón and this is my friend is much more famous than I am. I wouldn't go that far, but I'm John Green cohost of the podcast, The Away End with my old friend Daniel. On our podcast, The Away End, we'll share with you the magic of international football, all leading up to the 2026 World Cup. Together, we'll find out why of all the unimportant things, football, soccer is the most important. Listen to The Away End with Daniel Alarcón and John Green on the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.