For many Australians, A$AP Ferg’s 2016 show at the Metro Theatre has reached mythical status. Sure, the Harlem rapper brought absolute fire, having at the time just released his monumental house-tinted sophomore album ‘Always Strive & Prosper’, but there was one specific serendipitous moment during the show that any Sydneysider that was there will recount to you perfectly.
Ferg made an audience callout for a rapper, and being heckled onto the stage by friends who were with him at the time (as Kwame recounts to us) Kwame himself served up a freestyle that caught the rowdy crowd completely off-guard; a film recording went viral, and the rest is history.
Four years later, at Melbourne’s 170 Russell, things have, as Kwame sums it up, “come full circle.” Leading Australia’s local hip hop scene, the Western Sydney emcee has two genre-fluid EPs under his belt, and a string of explosive cuts that have been snapped up on triple j high rotation and adored by the entire nation. Tonight, he tears through familiar favourites like “CLOUDS.” and gospel-injected “STOP KNOCKIN’ @ MY DOOR”, but what really gets the sweaty audience hyped, are premieres of brand new singles.
Rather than the usual semi-awkward response to new material that a high-octane audience might revert to, Melburnians didn’t hesitate to bounce along and attempt to chant back the new choruses by the second time they rolled around. More than anything, it’s a true testament to Kwame’s oozing charisma; his performance is completely captivating, his bars are all delivered with unbridled fervour, and his love for both his fans and his art is infectious.
When fellow local legend Arno Faraji joins Kwame onstage for their brand new collab “schleep.” (which is now officially out), the night hits fever pitch and we have to remind ourselves that there’s another entire set to go. Kwame’s biggest headline tour to date kicks off later this month, and it’s one you’d be bonkers to miss.
“We flew 18 hours, so we gotta make this one hell of a party.” A$AP Ferg announces, stepping out on stage in a tie-dye sweatshirt, with grillz gleaming and he grins from ear to ear. Melburnians had been scouring Sky Scanner when it was initially announced the A$AP Mob founding member would be back on our shores for Hidden Festival, hitting every state bar Melbourne — thankfully we’d been gifted with the only sideshow for the festival appearances and were well and truly ready to make it worth Ferg’s while (it would be, after all, his seventh visit here).
The NYC artist has had a hectic 12 months, prepping for the release of two new projects while inking deals with Hennessy, G-Shock, Tiffany & Co. and Adidas. Ferg’s star-studded third studio and first EP, ‘Floor Seats’, is a suitably reflective piece and performed live against his name-making, more well-loved numbers, the incredibly dynamic nature of his discography is on full display.
A slice of ‘Floor Seats’, Rico-Nasty-tapping single “Butt Naked” has the room silly, bouncing beneath the LED panels that lined the roof with swirling graphics that mirrored the screen behind the decks — truly immersing everyone in each single as it hit. Ferg switches up new material with old tracks like “Hella Hoes” and “Yamborghini High”, the latter remembering A$AP Yams. Closing the set with back-to-back chart-toppers, and the 4 x Platinum “Plain Jane”, there’s no room to come up for air, the crowd drenched shoulder to shoulder, reciting every word to each song with arms raised.
I spot two panicked security guards, desperately trying to find an opening in the mosh to make their way towards a plume of smoke. “There’s no way. There’s too many of them,” one sighs in surrender to the other, having assessed the impossibility of making it through the feverish fans. I can’t help but chuckle.
Photos by Tim Lambert.