A rookie to the game, A$AP Ferg is making a name for himself under the A$AP Mob hip-hop collective, spearheaded by A$AP Rocky. Last year, A$AP Ferg dropped his debut album, Trap Lord, which was generally well-received by critics. As an artist, Ferg has a unique sound that is loud and in-your-face, seemingly giving it a more “gansta” rap feel with deafening beats that make standing still a challenge.

This sound culminates into an exciting and engaging performance for a concert. As an up-and-coming artist, A$AP Ferg does not have the large library of hits his fellow A$AP Mob member A$AP Rocky does, but this didn’t hinder him from putting on an overall grand performance on the UC Berkeley campus last Saturday night. The young artist brought his fire and flow to SUPERB’s event on Memorial Glade, which culminated in a rocking and high-intensity performances.

The songs, “Dump Dump,” “Work (Remix),” “Hella Hoes” and “Shabba” had some of the strongest fan reactions. Many mosh pits formed within the crowd while these songs were playing, keeping the rowdiness and intensity at an all-time high. Despite this rowdiness, the Trap Lord held his own in keeping the audience engaged with his verses.

Throughout the concert, A$AP Ferg not only showed his love for his own style of hip-hop but also for the progression of the hip-hop movement itself. SUPERB’s choice to bring someone to the stage to freestyle and deliberate a rap battle between members of the audience is commendable. Ferg did both and he did so with the intention of not only keeping the audience engaged, but also giving those lucky few the ultimate chance to shine. This calls for a deeper respect for Ferg and his place within the hip-hop community. Not only did he promote the future of hip-hop, but also forced the audience to remember its roots; mid-concert the Trap Lord made special shoutouts to the late Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac Shakur because, as he said, “If it wasn’t no Tupac or Biggie, there would be no A$AP Ferg.”