New Level
by A$ap Ferg (featuring Future)

Album: Always Strive and Prosper (2016)
Charted: 90
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This come-up anthem features A$AP Ferg trading verses with Future. The pair previously worked together on Juicy J's "Ice."
  • Ferg starts his verse by recalling the hard times he had in his early days on tour with Juicy J. He recalled to Genius: "Tour life was f--king wack as s--t. Juicy J was living, he had the big-ass bus. We couldn't afford that s--t. We were grinding. It was a big tour for us, but we were pushing around in a Sprinter.

    I used to sleep in itchy beds in broke-ass motels. N---as were uncomfortable. Sometimes we slept in the sprinter, sometimes we slept in the motel. N---as had little red dots on they back. It was crazy."
  • The video features cameo appearances by Cleveland Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon, Olympic fencer Daryl Homer, and BMX biker Nigel Sylvester.
  • Speaking during an appearance on the Rap Radar podcast, Ferg revealed that the song almost didn't make it onto Always Strive and Prosper.

    "Y'all almost didn't get 'New Level,'" he said. "I didn't have no turn-ups on my album because that wasn't how I was feeling. I'm an artist, I gotta go with what I'm feeling inside."

    Ferg eventually included the track after connecting with Future at the last minute.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Al Kooper

Al KooperSongwriter Interviews

Kooper produced Lynyrd Skynyrd, played with Dylan and the Stones, and formed BS&T.

Oliver Leiber

Oliver LeiberSongwriter Interviews

Oliver Leiber talks about writing and producing hits for Paula Abdul, and explains his complicated relationship with his father, the songwriter Jerry Leiber.

Harry Shearer

Harry ShearerSongwriter Interviews

Harry is Derek Smalls in Spinal Tap, Mark Shubb in The Folksmen, and Mr. Burns on The Simpsons.

Don Dokken

Don DokkenSongwriter Interviews

Dokken frontman Don Dokken explains what broke up the band at the height of their success in the late '80s, and talks about the botched surgery that paralyzed his right arm.

Gene Simmons of Kiss

Gene Simmons of KissSongwriter Interviews

The Kiss rocker covers a lot of ground in this interview, including why there are no Kiss collaborations, and why the Rock Hall has "become a sham."

Meshell Ndegeocello

Meshell NdegeocelloSongwriter Interviews

Meshell Ndegeocello talks about recording "Wild Night" with John Mellencamp, and explains why she shied away from the spotlight.