When I learned A$AP Rocky was releasing a new album, I experienced a confusing mixture of disappointment and excitement. After such a long hiatus from releasing albums, I was worried this new project would be overproduced nonsense, with the spark and momentum of Testing (2018) having been extinguished by the incessant leaking of his songs and his complicated legal issues—a 2019 assault arrest in Sweden and a 2025 shooting acquittal. The music industry has an evil way of milking artists for every last iota of creativity, and I thought Rocky might have been a victim of this pattern. After listening to Don’t Be Dumb (2026), I now realize just how dumb I was.
Despite my initial doubts, the album is quintessentially Rocky. From start to finish, each song is a fundamental representation of who Rocky is, what he has accomplished, and where he’s going next. In “ORDER OF PROTECTION,” the first track on the record, Rocky tells us that even though “it’s been a lil’ while since [he’s] been in the league / a couple lil’ trials, couple of leaks,” he’s “still in the field like [he’s] runnin’ in cleats.” A$AP Rocky wants us to know that he hasn’t gone anywhere, and his creativity is perhaps as strong as it’s ever been.
In the only skit on the album, “INTERROGATION,” he rejects any criticism of his artistry, stating, “I ain’t gon’ put out no crystal clear garbage / I put out staticky good shit.” The opinions of producers, labels, and other rappers don’t faze Rocky; if he makes music, it’s guaranteed to be his own, not someone else’s concept of what A$AP Rocky “should” sound like.
It’s easy to say, “I’m different,” but the real challenge is actually being different. In 2011, Rocky released his debut mixtape Live.Love.A$AP—a seminal album in the development of cloud rap. Across his next projects, Long.Live.A$AP (2013), At.Long.Last.A$AP (2015), and Testing, he further developed this sound, venturing into different genres such as boom bap, trap, and indie. Don’t Be Dumb builds upon this monumental discography, posing as both a culmination of every new idea he’s explored in the past and an exploration into uncharted sonic territory.
The first song that really hooked me was “HELICOPTER.” The beat’s complex layers begin with a dark, twangy bass piano sound topped with an eerie synth. The whole thing is backed by acidic snares and infectious hi-hats, with two cheeky bells that cut percussively through the whole beat. “HELICOPTER” is the rage rap anthem that I wasn’t expecting from Rocky, as it sounds more like Ken Carson or Yeat than Pretty Flacko.
The next song that really took me by surprise was “PUNK ROCKY,” the lead single from this project. It was responsible for creating the hype around the album, especially with its music video featuring Winona Ryder. This song takes the album in a fresh direction, as it’s unlike anything Rocky has released in the past—an indie anthem reminiscent of “Let’s Go Surfing” by The Drums or “Donchano” by Steve Lacy. It creates a nostalgic indie feeling through lo-fi drums and sparky basslines, but retains the orchestral, cloudy vibe of an A$AP track with endless layers of echoey vocals. “PUNK ROCKY” flows right into “AIR FORCE (BLACK DEMARCO),” a beautiful chronicle that switches between a hard-hitting trap beat and a warbly, omnichord-esque atmosphere. The bars speak of the experience of simultaneously being a pretty boy and a city boy, wearing black Air Force 1s and modeling for Dior on the same day.
Towards the end of the album comes my favorite song and the title track, “DON’T BE DUMB / TRIP BABY.” This song samples “Sinking” by Clairo, chopping and slowing her vocals and drums to form a hypnotic backing for Rocky’s raps. The first half is a wonderful love song, as he sings about cutting his hair and getting rid of all his material possessions to stay with the person he loves most. The second half then transitions into an intricate rap flow over a glitchy, bubbling beat that pays a stylistic homage to indie electronica group Sweet Trip. In this half, A$AP seems to describe a more routine way of life with the person he loves, going their separate ways for the day, but remembering their commitment to each other throughout everything.
Don’t Be Dumb is the brainchild of A$AP Rocky, as well as its massive list of samples and features. Features include Thundercat, Doechii, Brent Faiyaz, and Tyler, The Creator, all providing phenomenal performances. “ROBBERY” would be nothing without Doechii’s witty bars over the Thelonious Monk “Caravan” sample, and “STAY HERE 4 LIFE” is incomplete without Brent Faiyaz’s perfect vocal runs partnered with the beat from Ken Carson’s “mewtwo.” The lineup on this album is top-tier, which can only be attributed to the sheer legacy Rocky has been able to create during his career.
As a whole, Don’t Be Dumb commands us to be unwaveringly ourselves. Rocky defines “dumb” in “DON’T BE DUMB / TRIP BABY” as being “temporarily unable or unwilling to speak,” providing the possibility for musical voices, both young and old, to express themselves with the boost of his enormous platform. This LP is meant to show how eccentric and disparate music can be, while still fitting into the canon of mainstream rap.
Don’t Be Dumb is a spiritual journey; each experimentation takes the music in a distinct direction, and it all culminates in one of the best mainstream rap records in recent history. Even though he left us waiting for eight years, A$AP Rocky blessed us with his most versatile project yet. Don’t be dumb: listen to this album.
