Testing is a bland record on which Rocky fails to play to his strengths. Throughout the 52 minute project, the Harlem rapper and fashion influencer provides vague concepts and directions without the songwriting or production to bring them to life. The kick drums and snares fall into the background of the mix too often and when the production is more punchy it results in a more entertaining experience. Take the track with Skepta as an example of one of the few tracks that brings energy and clear intent to create a cohesive and engaging piece. Far too often on the album Rocky settles for smooth RnB vocals and spacey pads which gets pretty old quickly, and only becomes more dull as we reach the overly long runtime.
The opening track shows promise with a 90s rave influenced lead but when we hit the album mix of A$AP Forever the time of the record is set as dragged out and shallow. The new version adds nothing and retains the boring intro and outright sections of the single version, just with the order changed a bit.
The features throughout add very little and even Frank Ocean can’t save the underwhelming outro track (which wastefully samples Lauryn Hill).
Lyrically, the album is fine. Rocky explores the usual themes of friendship, unity, parties, a few glimpses into his upbringing. There is nothing revolutionary about the subject matter but Rocky’s flows are decent if a bit one note.
Sure, Testing is disappointing but what should we expect from an artist who is more involved in the fashion and culture world than music recently. He is still an influencer in the hip-hop world but this phoned-in effort was not worth the wait since 2015.
4/10
Highlights: Distorted Records, Praise the Lord, Buck Shots
Testing is out now.
LEW VS CULTURE 