A$AP Ferg says "Hood Pope" is what it would sound like if Kirk Franklin or Donne McClurkin rapped.

In between dropping bars from his Trap Lord record “Hood Pope” during his “Decoded” segment with Jay Z’s Life + Times, Harlem rapper A$AP Ferg gave a little insight into the record he says touched on the experiences he encountered in his hometown of Harlem.

While decoding “Hood Pope,” Ferg went on to compare living in the city of Harlem to surviving World War II. He further commented on the harshness of the upper Manhattan neighborhood as he informed viewers of the issues that can arise from merely attending a cookout.

“It’s my whole story of Harlem that went into this song,” the A$AP Mob emcee explained. “You know, just me growing up, seeing everything. And retaliation from beefs and how things turn out. Where people wind up. I really survived World War II living in Harlem. To go to a cookout means that you had to prepare yourself to hear gunshots. You might be just going there to get fly and get girls and enjoy yourself, but you had to expect some type of triumph within these realms. I’m basically telling everybody what it’s like being a young kid growing up in these conditions. And how you can kinda channel your energy and just put it into something positive.”

Additionally, A$AP Ferg revealed that the idea to approach “Hood Pope” from the perspective of a preacher was partially inspired by the song’s producers, Virginia trio VERYRVRE. According to the rapper, he feels the song is similar to what it would sound like if gospel artists Donnie McClurkin or Kirk Franklin were to rap.

“The producer of ‘Hood Pope’ is this group from VA named VERYRVRE,” Ferg said. "It’s three of them. When they sent me the beat—cause I call myself the Hood Pope a.k.a. Trap Lord, they sent me the beat and it said ‘Hood Pope’ on it. And then I just said ‘Alright, I’m not even gonna think of another title. I’mma just use this as a theme.’ So, I wanted to speak in the voice of a preacher. If Donnie McClurkin was to rap, that’s how he would sound to me or Kirk Franklin or one of them.”

Released on August 20, Trap Lord is A$AP Ferg’s debut studio album. The 13-track project includes appearances from Waka Flocka Flame, A$AP Rocky, Bone thugs-n-harmony and others.

Video of A$AP Ferg’s “Decoded” segment can be found below (via Xclusives Zone).

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