When I was a kid, I was taught so much of my African-American history from my grandmother and grandfather, who both changed their names legally from their former slave names to new names-Maiesha and Kweli Kanaya. I have a dream that one day, I'll be able to create a global charter school, a network of academies that stemmed from Harlem. My role is crucial because not only do I want to restore the sense of community that Harlem once had-I want to expand it. What is your role as one of those people? Harlem has a special energy within it that produces some special people. Harlem is a mindset-it's the heart, drive, and passion for the community. I guess what Harlem is doing for the future is producing the ones who will shape the future of hip-hop. I went to Harlem School of the Arts, but I wasn't the only kid that went to Harlem school of the Arts-I'm here to show that to the world. And there are a lot of kids like me in Harlem currently, doing their own thing. What Harlem is doing for the culture now is me. That really pushed hip-hop to another level because it was not just music-it was a lifestyle. When I think about what Harlem really provided for hip-hop, it was style and culture. I was very much an oldies type of kid-I listened to a lot of The Temptations, Phyllis Hyman, Norman Connor, The Isley Brothers. It's funny because I didn't even necessarily grow up on a lot of hip-hop. My roots span further than Harlem, reaching into Sedgwick, which is the home of hip-hop.
I watched my brother, and I had a small collection of memories of my father and inherent gifts within me that allowed me to be the person I am today within my community.Īs a Harlem native, what does hip-hop mean to you? What role is Harlem playing in shaping the future of hip-hop? He was able to embody what he had seen our father do.
I lost my father at a young age-at five-but my brother, who's 10 years older than me, lost our father at 15. He really took what Harlem was and elevated it to the next level with his parties, his community efforts, his leadership, his mentorship.Īll of those characteristics paved the path for me and my brother. He was really a community leader-a community ambassador. Everything he did in art got catapulted because of the person he was. My father had a nickname in Harlem: "The Greatest Entertainer." Outside of just designing, he threw parties and was well-known and respected in the Harlem club scene and cultural life, but the way he expressed himself was through art. Which aspects of his legacy are integral to your music career? On multiple occasions, you and Ferg have cited him as the blueprint. Also, my father once had a children's brand called Ferg 27 back in the day, so being the child brother within the family, it really made sense for me to be like, "Alright, I'm 27Delly.”Īs you mentioned, your father, the late Darold “D-Ferg” Thompson, is celebrated for his impact on Harlem fashion, as well as for his logo work for two of the most influential labels in hip-hop: Uptown Records and Bad Boy Entertainment.
If my father was Ferg 54 and my brother is ASAP Ferg, it's only right that I'm 27 Delly. My brother took the family name, ASAP Ferg. My father’s brand name was Ferg 54-for the 54 flavors that he was gonna put out through his brand. My father had mad “sons” because he was a leader of fashion and art culture within Harlem, but he had two biological sons: me and my older brother, ASAP Ferg.
It would be in my best interest to take what I do seriously before I tell the world to take it seriously.Ĭan you explain to our readers what the 27 in your name means? Same thing with my music: I want to take time before I just throw myself into the pit of fire. But I'm an artist and a master craftsman. I feel like everybody's doing that right now-learning something new and automatically going to the world with it. I don't want to be one of those people that’s like, "Oh, I just learned something new. I'm sewing my mattress, repainting my rooms, and reorganizing my closet.Īre we to expect 27Delly home decor in the future? I'm actually doing a whole home makeover. In terms of tangible things that other people can learn, I'm learning Swahili, which is the most frequently language in Africa with over 150 million. I'm blessed, I'm happy, and I'm learning-that’s the most important one out of all of them.
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