This is not a test. A$AP Rocky’s third album Testing is complete.
The Harlem rapper took to social media to reveal the cover art and announce that he is done recording. “ALL DONE,” he captioned a photo with the artwork, which finds him and some friends looking down into the camera.
“I need to circle back and show ’em this is where it started. This is the origin of my legacy, and why I really do this shit,” he told Complex. “I wanted to make my emotional song without being too emotional. You know how JAY-Z said, ‘I can’t see it coming down my eyes / So I gotta let this song cry?’ and that’s just what it was—pain drops, tear drops, heartache, plight, demise. You gotta speak on it.”
The album, his first since 2015’s At.Long.Last.A$AP, is set to feature Skepta, Moby (“A$AP Forever”), and Kid Cudi. “The Cudder is the fucking man,” he said. “He’s dope as fuck, man. He’s a dope big bro.”
In anticipation of the album, Rocky partnered with Sotheby’s for a live-streamed performance art piece called “Lab Rat.” During the experiment, Rocky performed a series of tasks in a testing lab (including submerging himself in an ice bath), and took questions about his upcoming album.
“I think I’m testing the waters and I think that’s the difference [from previous albums],” he said. “I’ve matured so much throughout the years. I feel reborn again since my last album. I think the hardest thing for me is losing someone every time I put out a project. It makes it very difficult. But you know, you always strive and prosper.”