Note: This album contains strong language and adult themes that some may find offensive. Listen at your own risk.
New York is home to some of the biggest names in Hip-Hop, opens a new window and currently one of the biggest names out there is A$AP Rocky. Five years after the release of Long.Live.A$AP, Rocky releases his third studio album entitled, TESTING, opens a new window. The trippy acid laden album is a natural progression for Rocky, as it takes all the ideas of his previous albums and pushes them further with his signature flow and music videos teeming with psychedelic imagery. Case in point is his single released before the album release entitled “A$AP Forever”. It is a fascinating video that I highly recommend watching (might give you motion sickness with the crazy camera work) that’s paired with an equally entertaining tune.
Interestingly enough, “A$AP Forever” is not included in the album. In its stead is the remix with a new intro by T.I. and a new verse by Kid Cudi. I think they should have released the remix separately and left the original track on the album, but I suppose something new is not bad either. It should be noted that both versions of this song sample heavily from the classic Moby Trip-Hop, opens a new window track from 1999, “Porcelain”. There is even a cameo by Moby himself in the A$AP music video.
Now, I have been following Grime, opens a new window for a little while now (a genre of music similar to Hip-Hop but originating in the UK. Dubstep, opens a new window and Grime both share similar roots.) hooked in with artists like Kano, opens a new window, Wiley, opens a new window, and of course Skepta. The Boy Better Know, opens a new window co-founder gained popularity in the American Hip-Hop scene when Drake featured him on his 2017 More Life mixtape on a track fittingly called “Skepta Interlude”. Last year Skepta released Vicious EP, opens a new window, a six-track project meant to follow on the success of Konnichiwa, his highly anticipated and much delayed fourth studio album. On this EP was “Ghost Ride”, a grime tune featuring A$AP Nast, opens a new window and A$AP Rocky. Rocky and Skepta teamed up again in Testing for “Praise The Lord (Da Shine)”, a bouncy summer tune that I feel is the highlight of the album.
Lastly is the honorable mention of the album, “Gunz n Butter”. A$AP Rocky has said in the past (and in some of his songs) that his flow borrows heavily from Three 6 Mafia, opens a new window, and he really doubles down on that fact on “Gunz n Butter”, a song that fittingly features Juicy J and samples a Project Pat, opens a new window song and carries that Memphis sound Three 6 is known for.
Check out All of This Music on Freegal!
Testing, opens a new window by A$AP Rocky
A$AP Forever (Single), opens a new window by A$AP Rocky
Konnichiwa, opens a new window by Skepta
Vicious EP, opens a new window by Skepta
Available on CD
Long.Live.A$AP by A$AP Rocky
At.Long.Last.A$AP by A$AP Rocky
Konnichiwa by Skepta
Are you a fan of A$AP Rocky’s new album? What’s your current Summer tune? Let us know below!
Add a comment to: Review: Testing by A$AP Rocky