Jay Electronica's debut studio album is finally here.
Fans have been waiting on the project since Jay signed with Roc Nation nearly a decade ago. Rumors and speculation swirled around Jay's debut effort throughout the 2010s, but it wasn't until last month when fans received promising messages of its (actual) impending release:
Jay claimed he began recording the album, titled A Written Testimony, on Dec. 26, 2019, and was able to complete it within 40 days and 40 nights. He then went on to say that it would arrive in 40 days, which suggested a March 18 release date.
Jay also announced Roc Nation boss JAY-Z would be involved with album, but did not say to what extent.
Fast-forward to this week, when engineer Young Guru posted an Instagram photo that showed himself, Jay, JAY-Z, and Lawrence "Law" Parker inside the recording studio, which fueled more anticipation.
We received a little more insight just hours before the release. Jay returned to social media on Thursday to share the project's official tracklist written in Arabic. The post was immediately translated to English, and it was confirmed that Travis Scott and The-Dream were featured on the album, with the latter artist attached to two songs.
Prior to its release, Jay Electronica shared a livestream preview of the album on YouTube and Instagram Live. It confirmed JAY-Z shows up on several tracks, including the previously released "Shiny Suit Theory." Electronica also revealed the last song on the album was made the same night Kobe Bryant died.
Per TIDAL, here's the production credit breakdown:
1. "The Overwhelming Event" (Prod. by Jay Electronica)
2. "Ghost of Soulja Slim" (Prod. by Jay Electronica)
3. "The Blinding" (Prod. Araabmuzik, G. Ry, Hit-Boy, and Swizz Beatz)
4. "The Neverending Story" (Prod. by The Alchemist)
5. "Shiny Suit Theory" (Prod. by Jay Electronica)
6. "Universal Soldier" (Prod. by Jay Electronica)
7. "Flux Capacitor" (Prod. by Jay Electronica)
8. "Fruits of the Spirit" (Prod. by No I.D.)
9. "Ezekiel's Wheel" (Prod. by Jay Electronica)
10. "A.P.I.D.T.A." (Prod. by Khruangbin)
You can listen to A Written Testimony up top via YouTube, on TIDAL, or on Spotify and Apple Music below.
