Ferg Wants Hip-Hop To Dance Again As “Cycle” Drives His Wellness Push

Ferg wants Hip-Hop fans back on the dance floor and having fun, with “Cycle” carrying a message beyond the gym.

The Harlem rapper said he wants dancing and fun to have a bigger place in the culture. His own routines now include running, skating and time outside, and he believes fans can enjoy themselves without giving up who they are.

“We don’t gotta be thugging all the time,” Ferg said in an interview published Monday by Forbes,.

The idea took musical form after he started cycling classes at AARMY. Producer NEZ sent him beats, and Ferg recorded “Cycle” that day. He passed it to two coaches, who had it playing in class the next day.

“We can have fun. Like, thugs have fun too…thugs dance,” he added.

That outlook has a personal history. In a March interview with Dazed MENA, Ferg traced his interest in health to his father’s death from kidney failure. He described growing up around relatives who made room for other people, an approach he has carried into his own work in Harlem.

His first Ferg Health Fair in 2015 brought health care vouchers, physical exams and DJ lessons to neighborhood children. At the time, he credited his father with teaching him to give back and encouraging local kids to pursue their dreams.

The work has since grown to include Ferg Strong, Flo Fair and weekly Flo Fridays sessions with AARMY. Project Healthy Minds’ 2026 festival program also lists community runs, roller-skating events and his participation in the Percy Sutton Harlem 5K among those efforts.

For Ferg, the link between exercise and music runs both ways. He told GQ last month that regular workouts help his energy and focus, while his next album draws from the skating culture he knew growing up in Harlem.

He has also returned to meditation.

In the new interview, he described setting aside 15 to 20 minutes in the morning before checking his phone, a routine he said helps him feel more balanced.

“Cycle” leads into Uptown Baby. Ferg told GQ in September that the album was about 95% finished and planned for early 2027.