It’s his time now. I feel like Ferg just took the bull by the horns and pushed his way through. The Harlem lyricist stopped by NPR’s Microphone Check to talk about his rise to stardom, being an animal lover, and the major influence Missy Elliott and J Dilla have had on his music.
Check out the excerpt below:
Is there something visually of the now modern period that has really struck you and has been you think really influential or will be something that people will kind of look towards and speak about like 20, 50 years from now?
I feel like no. And that’s why there’s a void that needs to be filled that I feel like that’s where I come into place, as far as visually. You know, a lot of rappers been putting out a lot of sub-par visuals. I feel like the visuals could be better. Everything is accessible. Nothing is like building sets and taking it back to Hype Williams days when they was building sets and, you know, actually shooting crazy videos. And I understand, like, it’s all due to budgeting and things like that. But I feel like there’s ways to go around it and still be creative. And that’s where I come into play. Cause I miss those videos. And I would link with Missy and Busta Rhymes and we would talk about these things. And I’d be like, “Yo. I miss those days where the crazy videos and the visuals was out.” Like, it was an event.
You brought up Missy and you posted on Instagram recently you’re in the studio with her and Timbo. And then she tweeted at you. She said that you played her some fire. What is happening? Please tell us everything.
You know, it’s just vibing. That’s it. You know what I’m saying?
That’s it.
She’s been one of my biggest inspirations in life. Way before I was rapping, I was looking at Missy videos and loving her music. And just the visuals, I never imagined that I would one day be doing music and, you know, dope visuals like that as well. So just for us to share that moment with one another, that was the biggest thing for me.
And just talking and learning, you know what I’m saying? I’m not pressed to do music or nothing like that when it comes to these type of artists that I look up to because I have to — you have to understand I’m not — I have to just jump in the passenger seat when I’m with Missy or Timbaland and just learn. You know what I’m saying? Cause they got a lot of knowledge for me to absorb. So, I don’t want to just be so quick to get a song done and then just keep bouncing with life. I want to enjoy this — I want this moment to last forever.
Yeah. Can you tell us a couple of things that they taught you?
Well, one thing she did tell me was my music inspired her. And it kind of solidified what they was doing, what they was working on. Because I feel like once you become as big as Timbaland and Missy, there’s a sort of gap or detachment you get to, like, the youth or just like what’s going on in the streets. You know it’s kind of hard for you to be doing huge things and still be knowing what’s happening on the street level.
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