Testing
Studio album by
ASAP Rocky
ReleasedMay 25, 2018 (2018-05-25)
StudioGermano, New York City, New York
Genre
Length52:16
Label
Producer
ASAP Rocky chronology
At. Long. Last. ASAP
(2015)		 Testing
(2018)		 Don't Be Dumb
(2024)
Singles from Testing
  1. "ASAP Forever"
    Released: April 5, 2018
  2. "Praise the Lord (Da Shine)"
    Released: June 26, 2018

Testing is the third studio album by American rapper ASAP Rocky. It was released on May 25, 2018, by ASAP Worldwide, Polo Grounds Music and RCA Records. The album includes guest appearances from Frank Ocean, Kid Cudi, Skepta, French Montana, Kodak Black, Dev Hynes and FKA Twigs, among others, and was produced primarily by Hector Delgado and ASAP Rocky himself, alongside a variety of high-profile record producers.

Testing was supported by two singles: "ASAP Forever" and "Praise the Lord (Da Shine)", alongside numerous promotional singles. The album received generally positive reviews from critics and debuted at number four on the US Billboard 200, earning 75,000 album-equivalent units of which 13,000 were pure sales, becoming ASAP Rocky's third consecutive top-five album on the chart.

Background

In September 2017, ASAP Rocky announced the release of a new album, originally scheduled for a late 2017 release.[3] The previous month, ASAP Rocky released Cozy Tapes Vol. 2: Too Cozy as part of the rap collective ASAP Mob.

In January 2018, the album's title was cryptically left under SoundCloud song descriptions, until being officially confirmed in May 2018.[4] In an interview with GQ, Rocky stated: "My new album is really about testing new sounds. People are scared to test new sounds, so they go with what's current 'cause it's the easy thing to do. The top 100 songs sound a certain way. People cater more to that because it's a bigger demographic behind that, or it's a guaranteed demographic behind that. I prefer to experiment and have my crowd grow with me and to reach new crowds. I don't just rap—I actually make music. That's why it takes time. These sonics represent me."[5]

The album artwork was unveiled on May 21, 2018, while the tracklist was announced three days later.[6][7]

Cover artwork

The cover of Testing features a photo by Houston-based creative director Cary Fagan, in which 10 shadowy figures surround a bold typeface logo.[8]

Promotion

In January 2018, a series of non-album songs were released by ASAP Rocky onto SoundCloud, including "5ive Stars", "Above" and "Money Bags Freestyle".[9][10] The song, "Bad Company" featuring BlocBoy JB, was released as a promotional single on March 28, 2018.[11]

The album's lead single, "ASAP Forever" featuring Moby, was released on April 5, 2018.[12] The song peaked at number 65 on the US Billboard Hot 100.[13] The album version of the single includes guest appearances from Kid Cudi and T.I.

The album's second single, "Praise the Lord (Da Shine)" featuring Skepta, was released to rhythmic and urban contemporary radio on June 26, 2018.[14][15]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?6.4/10[16]
Metacritic67/100[17]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[18]
The A.V. ClubB−[19]
ConsequenceB+[20]
Exclaim!7/10[21]
The Guardian[22]
Highsnobiety5.0/5[23]
HipHopDX2.9/5[24]
HotNewHipHop81%[25]
Now3/5[26]
Pitchfork6.7/10[27]

Testing was met with generally positive reviews. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 67, based on eight reviews.[17] Aggregator AnyDecentMusic? gave it 6.4 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus.[16]

Bansky Gonzalez of Consequence gave a positive review, stating "It's a welcome addition to a genre that has become so occupied with spacey, bare-bones operations and overly simplistic results".[20] Dean Van Nguyen of The Guardian commented that Testing is "completely out of step with any mainstream rap album you're likely to hear this year", but "is a spottier affair" where "too many tracks minimise his strengths".[22] Kassandra Guagliardi of Exclaim! stated that the album is "A shedding of the 29-year-old artist's old skin and a rebirth of something more profound and slightly more complicated", complimenting the album's experimental aesthetic and identity.[21] Andreas Hale of Billboard complimented the album's experimentation but believed that ASAP Rocky is "still style over substance and his efforts at experimentation don't always click like he wants them to".[1] Jake Boyer of Highsnobiety acclaimed Testing, labelling it "an absolute triumph. It does not have the earth-shattering impact of his genre-defining debut, nor does it have any one track with as much immediacy as, say, a 'Fuckin' Problems', but it is unequivocally his most thoughtful, most ambitious, and most rewarding project to date", praising the album's production, experimentation, cohesion and guest appearances.[23] Nina Hernandez of The A.V. Club said, "Though the finished project is as loose and incohesive as its title might suggest, there's a lot to like about Testing".[19]

In a mixed review, online hip hop publication HipHopDX wrote that "There is no new movement birthed; there is no paradigm shift about the occur; it's simply as the title states: a series of harmonic evaluations meant to gauge audience reaction. Instead of creating a new wave, ASAP Rocky has drowned himself in his own ambitions and lost his identity along the way".[24] Similarly, Stephen Kearse of Pitchfork believed there to be flaws in the experimentation, writing: "Rocky is enamored with collision. His approach to songcraft on Testing is to mash sounds together and capture the friction. The results are often dismal."[27] Kevin Ritchie of Now believed that "Testing's title might suggest experimentation, but it delivers more on tentativeness, with a smattering of solid songs mixed into aesthetically interesting but unresolved experiments", criticizing the lyricism and flows that "aren't as ambitious as the production".[26] Fred Thomas also provided a mixed review for AllMusic, stating that "While in some ways Testing is more musical than anything we've heard from ASAP Rocky before, it's also more confused, with ideas and musical shifts colliding at times to the point of randomness. The album title itself refers to testing new sounds and pushing in new directions in hopes of growth. Like any set of experiments, Testing offers some success, some failure, and some moments that can only be met with a blank stare. Though songs like the gorgeous Frank Ocean collaboration 'Purity', or the darkly simmering 'Fukk Sleep' featuring FKA Twigs, take risks that push ASAP Rocky to new, exciting territory, some of the experiments that made it onto Testing could have been left bubbling over in the lab rather than weighing down the rest of the album".[18]

Year-end lists

Select year-end rankings of Testing
Publication List Rank Ref.
Consequence The Top 50 Albums of 2018
24
Highsnobiety The 25 Best Albums of 2018
4

Commercial performance

Testing debuted at number four on the US Billboard 200 chart, earning 75,000 album-equivalent units with 13,000 copies in pure album sales, becoming ASAP Rocky's third consecutive top-five album on the chart.[30][31] In its second week, the album dropped to number 15 on the chart, with 26,000 album-equivalent units (1,000 in pure albums sales).[32] In its third week, the album dropped to number 22 on the chart.[33] In its fourth and fifth weeks on the Billboard 200, the album dropped to number 37 and 41, respectively.[34][35] It left the top 50 on its sixth week, ending up at number 56, before dropping to number 60 during its seventh week on the charts.[36][37] On October 16, 2019, the album was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for combined sales and album-equivalent units of over 500,000 units in the United States.[38]

Track listing

Testing track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Distorted Records"
2:20
2."ASAP Forever" (Remix) (featuring Moby, T.I. and Kid Cudi)
  • Delgado
  • Lord Flacko
  • Jordie X[a]
5:15
3."Tony Tone"
  • FnZ
  • Delgado
  • Lord Flacko
3:28
4."Fukk Sleep" (featuring FKA Twigs)
3:12
5."Praise the Lord (Da Shine)" (featuring Skepta)
Skepta3:25
6."Calldrops" (featuring Kodak Black)
2:42
7."Buck Shots"
Kelvin Krash2:47
8."Gunz n Butter" (featuring Juicy J)
  • Delgado
  • Blunt
  • Lord Flacko
  • Crazy Mike
3:33
9."Brotha Man" (featuring French Montana)
3:36
10."OG Beeper"
  • Mayers
  • Loving
  • Wesonga
  • Ridha
  • Delgado
  • James Baker
  • Ivy
  • Tommy Wright III
  • Nez & Rio
  • Boys Noize[a]
2:35
11."Kids Turned Out Fine"
  • Mayers
  • Bryan Rogers
  • Esteban Scott
  • Delgado
  • CharlieMumbles
  • Estiee
  • Delgado[a]
  • Lord Flacko[a]
3:03
12."Hun43rd"
Hynes4:02
13."Changes"
  • Mayers
  • James Scheffer
  • Mule
  • de Boni
  • Gerard Powell II
  • Delgado
  • Michael Burman
5:14
14."Black Tux, White Collar"
2:42
15."Purity" (featuring Frank Ocean)
  • Blunt
  • FnZ
  • Delgado
  • Lord Flacko
4:22
Total length:52:16

Notes

  • ^[a] signifies an additional producer
  • "ASAP Forever" features background vocals by Khloe Anna
  • "Tony Tone" features background vocals by Puff Daddy and additional vocals by Akia Harvey
  • "Fukk Sleep" features background vocals by Hector Delgado
  • "Calldrops" features background vocals by Acyde and Dean Blunt
  • "Buck Shots" features background vocals by Playboi Carti, Smooky MarGielaa and Kelvin Krash
  • "Brotha Man" features background vocals by Frank Ocean and Snoop Dogg
  • "OG Beeper" features background vocals by BlocBoy JB
  • "Kids Turned Out Fine" features background vocals by Mateo "Teo" Arias
  • "Hun43rd" features background vocals by ASAP Mob
  • "Black Tux, White Collar" features background vocals by Mikky Ekko

Sample credits

  • "ASAP Forever" contains a sample of "Porcelain", written by Richard Melville Hall, as performed by Moby.
  • "Tony Tone" contains a sample of "Man Inside", written and performed by Roger Webb.
  • "Fukk Sleep" contains a sample of "FYM", written by Albert Johnson, Gary Lucas, Matthew Samuels and Michael Tyler, as performed by Joyner Lucas.
  • "Praise the Lord (Da Shine)" contains a sample of "Midsummer Again – Roma Surrectum II", written by Viktor Tärnholm.
  • "Calldrops" contains a sample of "Morning Sun", written and performed by Dave Bixby; and "Money & the Power", written by Hayword Ivy, as performed by DJ Squeeky.
  • "Buck Shots" contains a sample of "The Format", written by Anthony Cruz, as performed by AZ.
  • "Gunz n Butter" contains a sample of "Street Type Niggaz", written and performed by Tommy Wright III; and "Still Ridin Clean", written by Patrick Houston, Jordan Houston and Paul Beauregard, as performed by Project Pat.
  • "Brotha Man" contains a sample of "Intermission", written by Leon Michels, Toby Pazner and Jeffrey Silverman, as performed by Lee Fields.
  • "OG Beeper" contains a sample of "Street Type Niggaz" and "Shoot to Kill", written and performed by Tommy Wright III; and "Still Get My Dick Sucked", written by Hayword Ivy, as performed by DJ Squeeky.
  • "Kids Turned Out Fine" samples "Don't Come Home Today" by Good Morning.
  • "Hun43rd" contains a sample of "Cradle to the Grave", written by Tupac Shakur, Tyruss Himes, Maurice Shakur, Diron Rivers and Walter Burns, as performed by Thug Life.
  • "Changes" features a sample of International Players Anthem (I Choose You) by UGK featuring Outkast.
  • "Purity" contains a sample of "I Gotta Find Peace of Mind", written and performed by Lauryn Hill.

Personnel

Credits adapted from ASAP Rocky's official Twitter account and Tidal.[7][39]

Instrumentation

  • Andrew VanWyngarden – keyboard (track 4)
  • Devonté Hynes – bass (track 13)
  • Michael Burman – guitar (track 13)
  • Mikey Freedom Hart – guitar, keyboard (track 13)
  • Eric Alcock – guitar (track 15)

Technical

  • Hector Delgado – recording, mixing (except track 13)
  • Sam Houselander – recording (tracks 2, 11)
  • Alex Ridha – recording (track 6)
  • Nico Marzouka – recording (track 13)
  • Marylebone – recording (track 15)
  • Tom Elmhirst – mixing (track 13)
  • Billy Cumella – mixing assistance (tracks 1, 3, 5–7, 9, 11, 14, 15)
  • Federico "C Sik" Lopez – mixing assistance (tracks 1, 4, 8, 10, 12)
  • Barry McCready – mixing assistance (track 2)
  • Dan Fyfe – mixing assistance (tracks 10, 12)
  • Tatsuya Sato – mastering

Charts

Certifications

Certifications and sales for Testing
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[65] Gold 20,000‡
Canada (Music Canada)[66] Gold 40,000‡
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[67] Platinum 20,000‡
Poland (ZPAV)[68] Platinum 20,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[69] Silver 60,000‡
United States (RIAA)[38] Gold 500,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. 1 2 "A$AP Rocky Returns With 'Testing,' His Most Experimental Album to Date". Billboard. May 25, 2018. Archived from the original on May 25, 2018. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
  2. ↑ "A$AP Rocky's New Album "TESTING" Out Today!". RCA Records. May 25, 2018. Archived from the original on May 27, 2018. Retrieved May 27, 2018.
  3. ↑ "A$AP Rocky still aiming to release his new album this year". The Fader. October 23, 2018. Archived from the original on May 25, 2018. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
  4. ↑ "ASAP Rocky says new album Testing is "done," shares artwork". Consequence. May 21, 2018. Archived from the original on May 25, 2018. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
  5. ↑ "A$AP Rocky Talks New Album, Under Armour Deal, and His Deep Love of Flowers". GQ. October 23, 2017. Archived from the original on May 25, 2018. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
  6. ↑ "A$AP Rocky Shares 'TESTING' Artwork, Tweets 'Album Done'". Billboard. May 21, 2018. Archived from the original on May 25, 2018. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
  7. 1 2 "LORD FLACKO JODYE II on Twitter: "OFFICIAL CREDITS AND TRACKLIST". Twitter. May 24, 2018. Archived from the original on June 21, 2018. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
  8. ↑ Indiana, Jake (June 11, 2018). "Cary Fagan: Meet the Photographer Behind A$AP Rocky's 'TESTING'". Highsnobiety. Archived from the original on May 24, 2020. Retrieved September 4, 2019.
  9. ↑ "ASAP Rocky Shares New Song "5IVE $TAR$"". Complex. January 23, 2018. Archived from the original on May 25, 2018. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
  10. ↑ "ASAP Rocky's New Album Is Finished". Complex. February 3, 2018. Archived from the original on May 25, 2018. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
  11. ↑ "Bad Company (feat. BlocBoy JB) – Single by A$AP Rocky on Apple Music". iTunes. 28 March 2018. Archived from the original on June 21, 2018. Retrieved March 28, 2018.
  12. ↑ "A$AP Forever (feat. Moby) – Single by A$AP Rocky on Apple Music". iTunes Store. 5 April 2018. Archived from the original on June 21, 2018. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
  13. ↑ "A$AP Rocky Chart History: Hot 100". Billboard. Archived from the original on June 21, 2018. Retrieved June 21, 2018.
  14. ↑ "Top 40 Rhythmic Future Releases". All Access. Archived from the original on June 17, 2018. Retrieved June 21, 2018.
  15. ↑ "Urban/UAC Future Releases". All Access. Archived from the original on June 12, 2018. Retrieved June 12, 2018.
  16. 1 2 "Testing by A$AP Rocky reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Archived from the original on June 21, 2018. Retrieved June 21, 2018.
  17. 1 2 "Testing by A$AP Rocky Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Archived from the original on June 18, 2018. Retrieved June 19, 2018.
  18. 1 2 Thomas, Fred. "Testing – A$AP Rocky". AllMusic. Archived from the original on June 12, 2018. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
  19. 1 2 Hernandez, Nina (June 1, 2018). "Father John Misty, LUMP, The Dreebs, and more albums to know about this week". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on June 12, 2018. Retrieved June 21, 2018.
  20. 1 2 Gonzalez, Bansky (June 15, 2018). "A$AP Rocky – Testing". Consequence. Archived from the original on June 21, 2018. Retrieved June 21, 2018.
  21. 1 2 Guagliardi, Kassandra (May 25, 2018). "A$AP Rocky Testing". Exclaim!. Archived from the original on May 26, 2018. Retrieved May 27, 2018.
  22. 1 2 Van Nguyen, Dean (May 25, 2018). "A$AP Rocky: Testing review – twisted pretty-boy cranks up the weirdness". The Guardian. Archived from the original on May 25, 2018. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
  23. 1 2 "'TESTING' Is the Album A$AP Rocky Was Born to Make". Highsnobiety. May 29, 2018. Archived from the original on May 24, 2020. Retrieved May 30, 2018.
  24. 1 2 "Review: A$AP Rocky's "TESTING" Experiment Is A Quiet Fail". HipHopDX. May 27, 2018. Archived from the original on May 28, 2018. Retrieved May 28, 2018.
  25. ↑ "A$AP Rocky "Testing" Review". HotNewHipHop. June 1, 2018. Archived from the original on June 12, 2018. Retrieved June 3, 2018.
  26. 1 2 Ritchie, Kevin (May 30, 2018). "Review: A$AP Rocky's Testing is tentative". Now. Archived from the original on June 12, 2018. Retrieved May 29, 2018.
  27. 1 2 Kearse, Stephen (May 29, 2018). "A$AP Rocky: Testing Album Review". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on May 29, 2018. Retrieved May 30, 2018.
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  30. ↑ "Hip Hop Album Sales: Pusha T's "DAYTONA" & A$AP Rocky's "Testing" Hit Billboard 200 Top 5". HipHopDX. June 4, 2018. Archived from the original on July 20, 2018. Retrieved July 20, 2018.
  31. ↑ Caulfield, Keith (June 3, 2018). "Shawn Mendes Scores No. 1 Album on Billboard 200 Chart". Billboard. Archived from the original on June 13, 2018. Retrieved June 19, 2018.
  32. ↑ "Hip Hop Album Sales: Kanye West's "ye" Tops Billboard 200 With 5th-Biggest Week Of 2018". HipHopDX. June 11, 2018. Archived from the original on July 24, 2019. Retrieved July 20, 2018.
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  34. ↑ "Top 200 Albums". Billboard. June 30, 2018. Archived from the original on June 26, 2018. Retrieved July 20, 2018.
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  37. ↑ "Top 200 Albums". Billboard. July 20, 2018. Archived from the original on July 20, 2018. Retrieved July 20, 2018.
  38. 1 2 "American album certifications – A$AP Rocky – Testing". Recording Industry Association of America.
  39. ↑ "Credits / TESTING / A$AP Rocky". Tidal. Archived from the original on May 31, 2021. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
  40. ↑ "Australiancharts.com – A$AP Rocky – Testing". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 2, 2018.
  41. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – A$AP Rocky – Testing" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 7, 2018.
  42. ↑ "Ultratop.be – A$AP Rocky – Testing" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 1, 2018.
  43. ↑ "Ultratop.be – A$AP Rocky – Testing" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 1, 2018.
  44. ↑ "A$AP Rocky Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved June 5, 2018.
  45. ↑ "Czech Albums – Top 100". ČNS IFPI. Note: On the chart page, select 23.Týden 2018 on the field besides the words "CZ – ALBUMS – TOP 100" to retrieve the correct chart. Retrieved April 8, 2019.
  46. ↑ "Danishcharts.dk – A$AP Rocky – Testing". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 6, 2018.
  47. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – A$AP Rocky – Testing" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 1, 2018.
  48. ↑ "A$AP Rocky: Testing" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
  49. ↑ "Lescharts.com – A$AP Rocky – Testing". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 5, 2018.
  50. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – A$AP Rocky – Testing" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved June 1, 2018.
  51. ↑ "Irish-charts.com – Discography A$AP Rocky". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 2, 2018.
  52. ↑ "Italiancharts.com – A$AP Rocky – Testing". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 2, 2018.
  53. ↑ "Mūzikas Patēriņa Tops/ 50. nedēļa" (in Latvian). LAIPA. December 13, 2019. Archived from the original on April 15, 2021. Retrieved December 14, 2019.
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  56. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – A$AP Rocky – Testing". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 1, 2018.
  57. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – A$AP Rocky – Testing". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 6, 2018.
  58. ↑ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 2, 2018.
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  60. ↑ "A$AP Rocky Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
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  62. ↑ "Tónlistinn – Plötur – 2018" (in Icelandic). Plötutíóindi. Retrieved January 3, 2022.
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  65. ↑ "Brazilian album certifications – A$AP Rocky – Testing" (in Portuguese). Pro-Música Brasil. Retrieved October 21, 2023.
  66. ↑ "Canadian album certifications – A$AP Rocky – Testing". Music Canada.
  67. ↑ "Danish album certifications – A$AP Rocky – Testing". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved October 6, 2021.
  68. ↑ "OLiS - oficjalna lista wyróżnień" (in Polish). Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved December 20, 2023. Click "TYTUŁ" and enter Testing in the search box.
  69. ↑ "British album certifications – Asap Rocky – Testing". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved October 6, 2022.
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