Rising star is winning over hip-hop royalty, writes Chris Schulz.
The last time the Herald spoke to A$AP Ferg, the Harlem rapper was getting a massage. This time he's tucking into a hearty - and very healthy - breakfast.
"I'm having some egg whites and some fruits," he says, answering the door to hotel room service with the phone in his hand. "I tend to be healthy sometimes." Eating right has become a necessity for the in-demand rapper, speaking from Australia after already touring America and Europe this year - and heading to Canada after tonight's Auckland show.
Ferg - real name Darold Ferguson Jr - says his biggest fans are Down Under and as a result he's paying us his third visit in three years, after touring with his A$AP Mob boss A$AP Rocky in 2013, and headlining his own show here last March.
"I've got a great-sized fan base in Australia and New Zealand," he says. "And the crazy thing is they are the most supportive ... so shout outs to y'all." Plenty has changed for Ferg since his bruising last show here: he's released a new mixtape called Ferg Forever, an expansive follow-up to his 2014 debut Trap Lord that added many more shades of colour to his dark, bass-heavy trap grooves.
He promises to continue that growth on his as-yet undated second album, which he says will be out "ASAP - no pun intended".
"I put out Ferg Forever so people could see my growth, because I feel like if I'd put out [my new album] without bridging the gap, it would go over people's heads. I can tell you that I've got a lot of good songs on there. I don't feel like it's a masterpiece yet - we're laying the foundations. This is the best piece of art that I've ever worked on in my life. I'm very confident about it." That confidence is serving him well - it's not just enticing new fans but also building Ferg a celebrity fan base.
Popular British model Cara Delevingne was persuaded to star in his recent video for Dope Walk after getting a shout out in the song's lyrics. And Ferg recently met his idol Missy Elliott when he joined Timbaland in the studio - and got a shout out from Jay Z.
"I saw Jay Z at Kanye West's fashion show. He said, 'I'm a fan, I love your music, you've got something, keep doing what you're doing'. It was cool. And meeting Missy was a dream come true for me."
Ferg freaked fans out at his last show here, emerging above the crowd in a parachute jacket and gas mask before delivering an explosive show. He's promising to deliver something different - but equally thrilling - as long as the crowd's up for it.
"I like to keep each show different," he says. "I test the crowd out every time I go out there."
Who: Trap rapper A$AP Ferg
Where and when: The Studio, tonight