REVIEW: A$AP Rocky, Testing

A$AP Rocky, Testing (RCA)

In 2011, a relatively unknown Rocky dropped LIVE.LOVE.A$AP, one of the last classics of hip hop’s “mixtape era.” None of the rapper’s subsequent releases has matched its exceptionally high caliber, and this third LP, Testing, is unfortunately no exception. The project is at once deeply experimental and trendy. Such a statement can be back simply by its collaborators, a hodgepodge including the likes of everyone from Moby, Skepta and FKA Twigs. A$AP’s consistent avant-garde approach is something to appreciate, yet doubling down on it this time around may be too much for his own good. Going excessively left-field removes Flacko from the “Young G.O.A.T.” conversation that Kendrick and J. Cole continue to dominate. 6.5/10 Trial Track: “Purity” feat. Frank Ocean