Alex Skolnick Continues Rapping With ‘Wear a F**king Mask’ Video

One of the surprise things to come out of 2020 is Testament guitarist Alex Skolnick's rap career. After laying down some rhymes in song called "Trump Sucks" last month, Skolnick is back with his follow-up track "Wear a F**king Mask."

Admittedly, rap is not his main gig, but his flow may surprise some. Skolnick even boasts in the new song, "What did you know about my flow / Kinda like Zappa / I'm all over the Mappa / I guess I'm now a rappa."

But Skolnick's skills aren't really the crux of the song. Instead, his focus is on the current health crisis, and he adopts a big of Dr. Anthony Fauci's vocal affectation while delivering the central idea of the song: "Wear a fucking mask / Protection from invisible slime / Wear a fucking mask / Four words that take us forward in time / Wear a fucking mask / Listen to the message in the rhythm of the rhyme / Wear … a … fucking … mask / Is that too much to ask?"

Skolnick also breaks it down for a minute, addressing President Trump. He offers, "Mr. President / On behalf of the American people / I'd like to have a little word with you / You claim it's important for you to be respected / Well, respect must be earned / No you didn't create this virus / But you ignored it / You politicized it / You downplayed it / You made it worse / And now look what's happened," before strapping on a guitar for a "Rawhide" nod, "You've gone and got Covid, Covid, Covid / Covid, Covid, Covid / Covid, Covid, Covid / Can't hide."

While the song addresses a serious issue, Skolnick appears to be taking his rap career with a little less seriousness. He explains, "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."

He adds, "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. But my question to you is: Does anything make sense these days? Enjoy, and don't forget: Wear a F’ing Mask!”

He also revealed the song has a bit of Eddie Van Halen influence on it, but we'll let him explain. "This project includes some of the the most directly VH influenced parts I've ever done; so much so that I'd taken out my exact replica of his guitar after quite some time (built by a pal of mine, Frankie Fulleda, who builds these just for fun)," says Skolnick. "EVH influence on a rap/hip-hop track? Sure. Eddie's palm scratching technique on the VH track 'Atomic Punk,' is a perfect stand-in for a turntable sound (and easier than coordinating with an actual DJ). The chorus is inspired by a VH groove so funky, it could have worked for rap/hip-hop ("Mean Street"). So in light of this, it's ironic and a bit eerie that EVH's influence was felt so strongly just prior to the news."

For assistance in how exactly to select, wear and wash your mask, be sure to follow the CDC guidelines.