This year’s most unlikely political rap star, Testament guitarist Alex Skolnick, has returned with a second pandemic anthem: “Wear a F**king Mask”.
The thrash guitarist surprised everyone last month when he dropped the hilarious “Trump Sucks” rap — a homemade ditty with a clear and direct political message, given the impending November elections.
Consider this new track the B-side to “Trump Sucks”. Tragically, the basic safety measure of wearing a face covering during the pandemic has become a divisive political issue, with President Trump remaining defiantly apathetic toward mask regulations despite contracting COVID-19 himself.
Well, Skolnick is having none of that. He might not be the most gifted rapper, but that’s part of the satirical humor, as Skolnick himself admits.
“My recent homespun rap track ‘Trump Sucks’ got so much attention, from being labelled ‘an anthem’ and ‘brilliant’ to ‘pathetic’ and ‘cringeworthy,’ that I just had to follow it up,” Skolnick said in a press release.
“I realize a jazz/rock guitarist widely known for his thrash metal work releasing old school rap tunes with a sociopolitical message and Zappa-esque satire might not make sense,” he added. “But my question to you is: Does anything make sense these days? Enjoy, and don’t forget: Wear a f**k’ing mask!”
In a world that makes no sense, Alex Skolnick rapping makes perfect sense. After all, he had first hand experience with the virus when Testament was on tour in Europe in March, prior to global lockdowns.
Many crew and high-profile band members involved with the tour package contracted the virus, including Testament singer Chuck Billy, Slayer/Exodus guitarist Gary Holt, and Death Angel drummer Will Carroll, who was in a coma before recovering. A month later, Heavy Consequence caught up with Billy, who described weeks of post-sickness fatigue and aches.
Testament’s European tour is a good example of what could happen if widespread live music activities and extensive touring return too soon. So we should all take Skolnick’s advice and wear a f**king mask, if we ever want to get back to safe concert going.
Watch Skolnick delivering his latest rap below.
Editor’s Note: Stay safe by picking up one of our custom face masks. A portion of the proceeds will benefit MusiCares’ COVID-19 Artist Relief fund supporting independent musicians.