It’s a Friday afternoon in Harlem and Ferg is ready for a peanut butter protein shake. The rapper has invited Hypebeast to Harlem to show us his favorite hometown spots, and the first stop on the agenda is Juke Box Juice & Salads; the music-inspired smoothie and sandwich shop that Ferg has frequented ever since his first record deal.
Ferg, born Darold Durard Brown Ferguson Jr. and raised in Hamilton Heights (the northernmost part of West Harlem), may be a global figure but he’s in his old neighborhood almost daily. “If I leave the house, I’m comin’ to Harlem.”
His uptown NYC neighborhood has always influenced his artistry, but on his next studio release Darold, which marks his first project since Floor Seats II in 2020, Ferg bleeds Harlem more than ever before. What he describes as his “most vulnerable” project yet, Darold hears the musician pay homage to his hometown through his lyrical prowess, while leveling it up further with captivating creative direction, heavy-hitting production and a local lineup of collaborators – as well as some non-NYC natives whom he feels embody “that Harlem energy.”
“There’s not that many people who are from Harlem,” says Ferg, contextualizing the tight-knit community he’s been engulfed in ever since moving into his first Manhattan crib on 120th St. and 5th Ave. “Harlem has a feeling. It’s very alive. It’s super colorful. It’s flamboyant. It’s loud.”
Today, Ferg is really riding for Harlem, repping a white Ferg x Vanson Leathers vest. The one-of-one white biker vest is spraypainted – by a man named DeeDee who he makes sure we meet later on – with a portrait of him and his father on the back. DeeDee is also responsible for Ferg’s airbrushed cowboy boots, emblazoned with portraits of Virgil Abloh and D.A. An A$AP Yams Bust Down chain hangs from his neck, which he often spins, and his hair is currently dyed a shocking shade of lime green.
Elaina Bernstein
As someone who’s attracted to unpredictability, Ferg says he “only knows how to paint outside the lines.” “Why I gotta wear this ‘fit with the Timbs? Why can’t I wear it with Cowboy Boots? I’m gonna wear it with Cowboy Boots.”
Ferg maintains sincerity whenever he speaks, whether introducing himself to someone new or dapping up someone he’s known forever, like his loyal crew of his by-blood family – Ferg refers to a lot of people as his family – Hunter Ferguson and Terry Ferguson. Everything he says feels genuine.
“You can be whatever you wanna be,” he tells a young kid named Knight after casually catalyzing conversation with him and his mom while they wait in line.
The self-proclaimed “samurai for flyness” attributes his approach to fashion to his hometown, where his father, Darold Ferguson a.k.a. D. Ferg, who passed away back in 2005, owned a popular boutique and screen-printing shop on West 145th Street called Ferg 54. The imprint was known for outfitting the likes of Teddy Riley, N.O.R.E. and Shaquille O’Neal as well as creating the Uptown Records logo; Ferg 54 is now a revived Ferg apparel line, headed up by the rapper himself.
“Why I gotta wear this ‘fit with the Timbs? Why can’t I wear it with Cowboy Boots? I’m gonna wear it with Cowboy Boots.”
“Growing up in Harlem, we have a certain kind of braveness and confidence,” he says, readying to take us to his favorite bespoke boutique, the Harlem Haberdashery – but not before treating everyone in the shop to a wellness shot. “I don’t know if it’s in the water or the air, but when you come outside in Harlem, you just know you got to be fly or you’re going to get joked on. The jokes are out of love though, because they’re only going to make us sharper. We’re like samurais for flyness.”
We run into a lot of Ferg’s fellow “samurais” throughout the day, including Harlem-based designers Guy Wood Jr., and Mike B. Ferg just wants to give every one of his friends their flowers, often stepping into the role of journalist to ask them questions about their stories and career trajectories. A conversationalist at heart, Ferg uses his music as a similar outlet, as a medium for telling stories – both his own, and those of the elders who came before him.
“I think helping my people is my purpose, and what better way to do that than by using myself and my stories as an example?” explains Ferg of his candid approach to Darold. “I’m getting – I won’t say older, but I’m getting wiser – and I’ve lived a lot of life. It’s okay to grow up, and that’s what I want to show my community on this album.”
Elaina Bernstein
Ferg walks us through the Harlem Renaissance-inspired Haberdashery, filled with handcrafted, Harlem-made apparel, specifically Ferg’s favorite, 5001 Flavors, a custom clothing company. He reflects on family anecdotes and laughs at local lore tidbits, smiling for a significant amount of the time we spend together.
The rapper has always been admired for his fashion choices – something Mike B. says is “embedded in him” – which he’s been conscious of since his early elementary years. Having attended Catholic school, Ferg had to wear a uniform every day growing up but used the pay-a-dollar free dress days as opportunities to flex his taste. “My teacher would be like ‘Darold, are those five hundred dollar pants?” he laughs. “We gon’ get our sh*t off regardless. You can’t hide the vibes.”
A sentiment that all of Ferg’s friends find their way back to is what they call the “Harlem mentality.” “If you didn’t know someone’s name, you described them by their jacket or their chain,” recounts Ferg, noting the neighborhood’s encouragement of individuality of style.
Elaina Bernstein
After about thirty minutes at the Haberdashery, Ferg insists we head up to see the “inner workings of the magic” at 5001 Flavors’ garment factory. Donned by the likes of Nas and Nipsey Hussle and put on the map by The Notorious B.I.G., 5001 Flavors’ is known for its quality craftsmanship garments, including fur jacketing and, most notably, its sophisticated suiting. Through all of his eras, Ferg has found some style inspiration by tapping into the label’s collective of stylists and designers to take his looks to the next level.
He introduces us to DeeDee, the artist responsible for Ferg’s custom vest and cowboy boots as many more of his companions, like stylist Mike B., pop in and out of the shop. “I remember this kid was runnin’ around the store knockin’ racks over,” Mike B. laughs of Ferg’s adolescence, reflecting on D. Ferg’s unwavering influence and the leather belts they once made for Ludacris and J. Cole.
“Ferg is cut from a fabric that isn’t made anymore.”
“At the time, there was no one like D. Ferg. No one had their brand, let alone their own store. A lot of rappers talk about fashion, but for this guy, it runs deep. Ferg was born into it. He was cut from a fabric that isn’t made anymore.”
The day’s final stop is Dyckman Park, where Ferg is set to attend a local basketball game. “Work” blasts on the speakers as Ferg walks in, the emcee hopping on the intercom to announce the rapper’s arrival. “These are the goats right here next to me,” Ferg proclaims, as attendees continue approaching him, standing up to greet each person who comes over.
“We love a fresh white tee. We love hard denim jeans. We love sitting on the stoop. This is Harlem. This is what we do. We just get fly and hang out.”
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He shakes everyone’s hands after the game and doesn’t shy away from photo opps, evoking the energy of an “Allure” lyric: “Well, I got somethin’ to tell ya, Darold is livin’ his dream / Pull up in a ‘Gatti in front of the projects, I’m makin’ a scene / Give all of my plaques to the hood ’cause it never meant nothin’ to me.”
“I can now be one of the leaders in my Harlem community and that feels good,” he adds. “I think I’m a good person. People love to see the real ones win, and I consider myself one of the real ones. I ain’t never been on no f*ck sh*t. I ain’t never been on no ‘it’s all about me sh*t.’ It’s always been about we.”
A personal anecdote: Two weeks after our interview, walking through SoHo, I’m greeted by a familiar baritone: “Hypebeast!” I turn around and there’s Ferg, posted up at an outdoor cafe with a bowl of paella alongside Hunter and Terry. It’s like running into three old friends, as they ask me how my week has been going and where I’m off to now.
From Uptown to Downtown, Ferg makes Manhattan feel a little more friendly.
