At the end of the event, some of the dancers slide up to the balcony suites that line the room. In other words, the sort of pieces that usually fill the room he’s performing in. “Those pieces like a million and up, $5m and up.” “I can afford contemporary art, but I prefer masters, Renaissance,” he adds. That’s what people trust more than anything.” I don’t completely know what I’m doing, I just know what I like and what I don’t like. His taste in art is similarly instinctual. “I feel like I’m just changing sounds again, and it takes some getting used to,” Rocky says. The album closer, “Purity”, is mournful indie rock featuring Frank Ocean and a Lauryn Hill sample. Rocky is joined on TESTING with features from Juicy J, T.I., Moby, Frank Ocean, French Montana, FKA twigs, Skepta, Kid Cudi and Kodak Black. One song, “Praise the Lord (Da Shine),” was produced by grime star Skepta while both men were on LSD, Rocky says. This album picks up where Rocky last left off, weaving mind-melting aural psychedelics into hip-hop that is, at times dark and confessional, and in other moments uplifting and celebratory. “I wanted to make my version of trip hop,” he said. Testing is his most outré album to date, the one least concerned with prevailing trends. “I never won a Grammy – that makes me sad,” Rocky says. “All of the chicks look like they want to give me some…” He is the sort of rapper – the sort of New Yorker – who understands the difference between living on Park Avenue in the east sixties and living on Park Avenue in the east seventies. I’m in limbo, like, do you cash out or do you stay genuine to your craft? I would sleep better at night knowing that I’m me.” “It’s fun,” he says of those kinds of songs, which are few and far between in his catalogue. It’s notable, and unusual, hearing him rap the hook of a major pop-rap hit, G-Eazy’s “No Limit”, which went to No 4 on the Billboard Hot 100. While he has been one of the most influential personalities in hip hop of this decade – in terms of aesthetics, musical and personal – that hasn’t always translated to musical success. “Their main concern was, do he even like doing this?” he says. It’s been three years since he last released an album, and he realised that his fans worried whether music was his focus. Rocky is joined on TESTING with features from Juicy J, T.I., Moby, Frank Ocean, French Montana, FKA twigs, Skepta, Kid Cudiand Kodak Black.The box, he says, is “a metaphor for me being distracted”. This album picks up where Rocky last left off, weaving mind-melting aural psychedelics into hip-hop that is, at times dark and confessional, and in other moments uplifting and celebratory. TESTING launches a new era for Rocky, exploring new sounds and ideas in an unparalleled musical landscape where he continues to break the mainstream mindset with sonics rarely heard in hip-hop.
The tour comes on the heels of the release of A$AP Rocky’s highly-anticipated third studio album, TESTING, which has garnered over 1 billion streams worldwide, landing at #1 on the iTunes charts in 16 countries upon release. The 18-city North American tour kicks off on Tuesday, January 8th in Minneapolis at The Armory, and will make stops in Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Atlanta and more, before wrapping on Wednesday, February 6th in Kent, WA at accesso ShoWare Center. Acceptable identification is any document that includes the name of the person and photograph.Ī$AP Rocky will be hitting the road this winter with his Injured Generation Tour. Photo ID must match the proof of vaccination or negative COVID-19 test for all attendees age 18 and older. Per the California Department of Public Health Beyond the Blueprint updated guidance for Indoor Mega Events, the CDPH Guidance for Face Coverings and the San Diego County Safe Reopening Guidelines, the State and County requires that attendees of all ages be fully vaccinated (i.e., two weeks or more have passed since the attendee has received a single-dose vaccine or received the second dose in a 2-dose series) or obtain a negative COVID-19 test within one day for an antigen test and two days for a PCR test prior to entry into an event and that unvaccinated persons wear face coverings when attending indoor events. Specifically, you must present proof upon entry that you and everyone in your party meet the vaccination or testing requirements detailed below. By attending an event at Pechanga Arena San Diego, guests agree to follow the current California Department of Public Health Guidelines along with San Diego County Guidelines for Indoor Mega Events.