A$AP Rocky is known for his eclectic collaborations. “A$AP Forever,” the first official single from his upcoming album Testing, features electronic musician Moby, and the Harlem rapper previously worked with classic rock singer Rod Stewart on the 2015 track “Everyday.” During an appearance on Complex’s series Open Late earlier this week, host Peter Rosenberg kept that history in mind while asking Rocky about his dream collaborator.
In response, the A$AP Mob leader revealed that he would like to work with former Smiths‘ frontman Morrissey:
I might have to fuck with Morrissey, on some Smiths shit. Make some emo, real, retro-infusion, motherfuckin’ 2018 shit, man.
The Smiths were formed by lead singer Morrissey and guitarist Johnny Marr in 1982. Their melancholy, guitar-based rock music stood in stark contrast to the synth pop sound which was popular at the time. Morrissey wrote songs from the perspective ordinary people and their everyday experiences, allowing the English group to top the UK Albums chart with their second proper album Meat is Murder. They also reached No. 2 on the chart with their 1984 self-titled debut album, third LP The Queen is Dead, and final studio release, Strangeways, Here We Come before breaking up in 1987.
One of the Smiths' most well-known songs is “How Soon Is Now?” It appears on the soundtrack for Adam Sandler’s 1998 romantic comedy The Wedding Singer, and a cover version was used as the theme song of the TV series Charmed. On the track, Morrissey shows vulnerability and expresses his loneliness:
I am human and I need to be loved
Just like everybody else does
Since then, Morrissey has gone on to have a successful solo career, making the Top 10 of the UK chart on 10 occasions and reaching No. 1 on the UK Albums chart three times. Some of his biggest hits include “Suedehead,” “Let Me Kiss You,” and “You Have Killed Me.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Rocky revealed how Testing will be different from his previous albums:
I’m experimenting in a more calculated way, like I’m trying to make sure that I take precaution… I’m not just drawing out out of lines all crazy, mixing colors. I’m still trying to give you a beautiful canvas, but something different. I want to take a different approach and I want to challenge the viewer [who is] tired of hearing the same old shit… I’m just trying to test my viewers and listeners to see if they ready to evolve and grow with me.
Testing doesn’t have an official release date yet, but is expected to be dropping sometime soon. In addition to “A$AP Forever,” Rocky also debuted a new track entitled “Distorted Records” during his appearance on The Tonight Show last week. Over the past several months, he’s released a string of tracks including “Above,” “☆☆☆☆☆ 5IVE $TAR$,” “Money Bags Freestyle,” and “Bad Company.”
Watch the interview above and read all of A$AP Rocky’s best lyrics on Genius now.
