Our interview series Icebreaker features artists talking about things—some strange, some amusing, some meaningful—that just might reveal their true selves. This edition features Harlem MC A$AP Ferg, whose new album Always Strive and Prosper is out now.
Who is a fictional character that you relate to?
Probably Jesus. He was trying to do good by his people most of the time, just trying to feed his disciples—his friends, his homies. They drank wine together. They broke bread together. I’m the same way.
Do you believe in ghosts?
Oh, definitely. I believe that this universe is so big—we can’t be the only enzymes walking around. There are one-cell creatures that we can’t see. There got to be ghosts.
If you could be in any band ever, which one would you choose?
Daft Punk. I’d be the third dude with my own helmet. Maybe I’d transform into a different Ferg—maybe Ferg would just disappear and I’d become somebody else.
What’s the worst aspect of modern music culture?
There’s a lot of replicas and wannabes who will steal someone’s style and run with it, and people don’t even care no more. It’s weird. You know how visual propaganda sometimes floods your view so much that it’s all you have to look at and you just gotta find the good in the bad? That’s what music is like right now. There’s some good music out there, but the rest is bullshit, and people just buy into it because there’s nothing else out there to buy into. I do have favorite artists, like Kendrick and J. Cole—they’re making music with some type of content. I like Young Thug and Chance too—people that are being innovative and bringing something new to the table.
Who would you want to play you in a movie about your life?
There’s nobody that can play me. I would play myself like 50 Cent in Get Rich or Die Tryin’.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
Someone once told me, “Don't be afraid to make enemies.” I am not afraid to make you my enemy. Some people are holding onto love and all that shit, but this game is a cold game.
What is the most recent song you heard that made you believe in the power of music?
I would have to say my song “Strive,” where I’m talking about how wild my come up was—I’m not being biased. I feel like that song is powerful because it touches the masses. It’s the American dream. People gravitate to that song. It has wings of its own. They used it on “SportsCenter.”
What is the most embarrassing thing that you have Googled?
I wouldn’t say it’s embarrassing but I’ve Googled Serena Williams’ booty.
Do you think your life would be better or worse without social media?
I think that my mother and my father’s generation was better. They were more interactive with one another versus hiding behind the computer. For the most part, I would have wanted to live back then. I would have had a better time then because human communication is horrible now as far as giving each other hugs and showing love in that way. Everything is being filtered through the computer now, you can change how you look in a picture and edit the way you talk. You think about things too much.
How would you describe yourself as a dancer?
I’m kind of like Martin.