Hailing from Harlem, New York, A$AP Rocky (Rakim Mayers) started to rap when he was very young. During his musical career, he has released a few albums under his "A$AP" name, and also under the "A$AP Mob" as well. His first album "Long. Live. ASAP" was released in 2013, and his second album "At. Long. Last. ASAP" was released in 2015. His new album "Testing" wasn't what I had expected from the artist, however, I really enjoyed the first half of this album.
It all starts with "Distorted Records." This first track on the album essentially describes itself by incorporating a lot of distorted noise and bass. Afterward Rocky comes into the track using the chorus "I can feel the bass." He also drops a line "My newest president an asshole."
Moving forward "A$AP Forever" features Moby, T.I, and Kid Cudi. This track was my second favorite on the album and I enjoyed every part of this song. The piano introduction to this track hooks listener and Rocky drops a line describing what A$AP means "Always striving and prosper." There are a number of favorable lines that Rocky uses, but my favorite gives a reference to Frank Ocean "We kiss to Frank Ocean and blind, convincin' my bitch to go blonde" obviously referring to Frank Ocean's album "Blonde." The chorus of this song is also pretty tight, "I put ASAP on my tat (woo), I put New York on the map (woo)." After Rocky's verse, the piano introduction comes back into play and the song ends with T.I singing a harmony with Moby.
"Tony Tone" follows "A$AP Forever" and Rocky's voice mimics the flow of the beat of the track. The chorus to this song is pretty straight; "I could give a f*ck about a list, I could give a f*ck about a diss." I also really enjoyed the line he drops, "I run this game like I'm Time Warner. This ain't no Teen Choice Awards, slime slide on ya." Obviously referring to how the Time Warner Corporation owns practically everything, and how he isn't rapping to be liked by some kids at a fake awards show. About a third of the way into this track, the song stops and a girl can be heard talking to Rocky about how he has her "f*cked up" and that "her two kids are listening." I thought that this interjection was unneeded and this was the only part of the song I did not enjoy.
"Fukk Sleep" features FKA twigs and is the best track on this album, period. The flow that Rocky spits follows the beat perfectly, and the chorus "F*ck 'em, f*ck sleep, come clean, zonin. Can't forget that I'm golden, can't forget where I'm going" is something that everyone can relate to. Rocky essentially makes a statement about how to succeed and be happy with oneself by ignoring the negative views of others. No matter what life throws at you, you can't forget how great you are. FKA twigs' feature in this track was interesting as well, and I enjoyed hearing her voice hit a series of high notes that was a perfect opposite to Rocky's deeper voice. After this song, the album starts to fade in and out, while once being music to blast in your car to background noise.
"Praise the Lord (Da Shine)" features Skepta and although the beat is super whistle-able, the lyrics come in pairs which I thought was mundane. "I came, I saw. I came, I saw." The only flow pattern I really enjoyed in this track was "I praise the Lord, then break the law" and this is because of the way it was rapped by Skepta. They rap the word "Lord" and "law" in a similar way that makes them sound interchangeable, giving a new depth to the lyrics.
The next two songs "Calldrops" featuring Kodak Black, and "Buck Shots" can be viewed as a pair because of how one flows into the other. Both of these tracks are about par, and this is because of the sleep-like beat used in "Calldrops" and the redundant adlibs in "Buck Shots." Additionally, Kodak Black's feature in "Calldrops" is him rapping into a phone at prison. Although it sounds like a good idea, it probably would have worked well if it were not for Kodak Black's voice and lyrics.
I found the remaining songs on this album to be uninteresting because they could not hold my attention. I liked what I heard from the first half of this album, but Rocky could not keep me interested in the rest of his album. I thought this album was great overall, but I can't see myself actually purchasing the album. "Testing" receives a light 6 out of 10.
