This article was created in partnership with White Claw®.
As a founding member of the A$AP Mob and solo artist, FERG has spent many years in the music industry — but on his new album DAROLD, he is telling stories that had yet to be shared with his fans, moving listeners through the triumphs and tragedies that made him who he is today. He opened up about the creative process behind his new release, from painting the cover art to securing its strong collaborations, in an exclusive Q&A at the White Claw® Sessions Powered by Billboard in Los Angeles.
“This is the most I’ve ever talked about myself,” FERG acknowledged to Billboard host Tetris Kelly. “And that’s part of being vulnerable, is showing these other sides that I may have not been prone to show, and showing my process and showing everything. Showing sides of Ferg that you never seen, which is DAROLD. And that’s what I decided to do.”
FERG shared how his relationship with his father, one of the themes explored on DAROLD, has informed his overall creative endeavors.”I went to art and design high school. I majored in fashion and fine arts, so I’ve always been into art. My father was an artist as well. We’re trained artists. Like, I studied skits. We did stipple crosshatch. We did architecture designs. We did. I did. Took a sewing class, so I did silkscreen. And I learned that from my dad. I still own the machines and everything, so I knew how to make merchandise.” The Harlem-born rapper went on to describe how building out his brand through merchandise, art and more helped his solo career take shape and branch out into other disciplines.
Watch the full interview — including the stories behind DAROLD collaborations with Denzel Curry, Coco Jones and Mike WiLL Made-It, plus a teaser of what’s to come for FERG in 2025 — above.
