A founding member of Harlem's A$AP Mob (Always Strive and Prosper), A$AP Ferg was initially the group's main clothing designer, but after teaming with Mob member A$AP Rocky he became one of the crew's breakout rappers. While Ferg and Rocky were originally planned to be the crew's Mobb Deep-like duo, they found more success as solo artists, beginning with Rocky and his series of 2012 mixtapes. Ferg's big break came that same year when his track "Work" landed as the key cut on A$AP Mob's Lords Never Worry mixtape. The announcement that A$AP Ferg signed with RCA came in early 2013 and was followed by an all-star remix of "Work," with Trinidad James, French Montana, and ScHoolboy Q added to the cut. Ferg's "Persian Wine" single landed that same year, along with his solo album Trap Lord. His Ferg Forever mixtape dropped in 2014 and spawned the 2015 hit "Dope Walk." A year later his "New Level" single arrived featuring Future, along with his sophomore album, Always Strive and Prosper, which included guest shots from Missy Elliott, Chuck D, Skrillex, and Lil Uzi Vert. In 2017, Ferg teamed up with Remy Ma for the hard-hitting single "East Coast." This was followed by the release of his second mixtape, Still Striving, later that summer. The effort included a remix of "East Coast," which featured Busta Rhymes, Snoop Dogg, and Rick Ross, and the single "Plain Jane," his highest-charting solo track to date. Ferg's summer remained busy with the arrival of A$AP Mob's Cozy Tapes, Vol. 2, which landed at number six on the Billboard 200. In 2018, he issued a series of collaborative singles that included "Kristi" with Denzel Curry, IDK, and NickNack, and "Moon River" with actress Elle Fanning. ~ David Jeffries