NPR Music’s Microphone Check sat down with A$AP Ferg, just before he released the video for “Doe-Active,” a song off his November mixtape, Ferg Forever (February, 2015). The pillar of New York City’s A$AP Mob spoke about his creative choices in life, the way he imagines the future, the progression of his generation, the internet culture, and what he’s learned from hip-hop’s legends.

The “Shabba” artist explained how A$AP fits into hip-hop, and what mark they leave in the culture. “It’s definitely the fashion cultures, the art culture. But it’s still so early for all of us. So who knows, you know?” He said. “I got big plans and, as far as sonically with the music, I want to take it to new levels, like to a height where no other artist from New York ever took it — or in the world.”

Microphone Check’s on-air personalities, Muhammed and Kelley, ask the “Fergivicious” artist for the meaning of the Trap Lord album title. Ferg replied, “When I said ‘Trap Lord,’ Trap Lord the name came from me just working and having different hustles all my life. I grew up printing shirts, like hundreds and hundreds of shirts. 400 shirts, front and back, all three color jobs. Manually. With my father for Bad Boy and D-Block and Ruff Ryders and all of these guys. I was coming out of high school printing shirts and picking up checks from Diddy‘s house — from Puff and all them — at a young age. And then I started making jewelry. And then I started making accessories, belts and things like that. And my clients was like Swizz Beatz and Chris Brown before I was even doing music. So that’s why Yams named me the Trap Lord because I had so many different traps. And I’m the lord of it. I do it to the best ability each time.”

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