130,000 vinyls sold ahead of its release—the most sold rap album in the pre-release period.
A$AP Rocky released his album Don’t Be Dumb on January 16 and was rated 75 out of 100 or 3.75 out of 5 stars on Album of the Year the first day of release.
This project has been years in the making, being his first album in almost eight years.
Rocky cultivated the album cover with well-known filmmaker Tim Burton, who Rocky said “greatly inspired him since he was a child.”
The characters seen in the cover embody alter egos explored throughout this album.
Some of these are a call back to his previous work.
The main ones shown represent Rocky and the role he has taken as a father, a word he coined during the album’s making, “ghetto expressionism,” which combines his harsh upbringing with high fashion and art to create a modern, dark-sounding, and emotional style, with the last being a reference to what Rocky wore to his 2025 Rolling Loud set.
Don’t Be Dumb could be compared mostly to Rocky’s previous album, Testing, from 2018.
This album is the successor to Testing, but is thought to be better and more cohesive.
Don’t be Dumb maintains the same experimental vibe of Testing while feeling more polished and settled at the same time.
Rocky masterfully produces an album that captivates listeners with prominent tracks such as “Stole Ya Flow” and “Playa”.
He also prematurely released two singles that were on the track list before the album’s release: “Punk Rocky” and “Helicopter.”
“Punk Rocky”, the first single released from the album, has a very distinct vibe compared to the other songs on the tracklist.
On this song, Rocky merged punk rock with a more swagger feel, resulting in a mixed blend of styles that helps it to feel more natural.
Rocky uses this song to turn sadness into a clever melody that helps the listener feel more understood.
The song resonates as an exceptional and daring experiment, with proof that these stylistic trials still show his authenticity.
“Helicopter”, being the single that followed, arrived as the final rollout for the album.
This song displays Rocky at his sharpest, talking slickly, with an energetic soundscape.
Rocky is concentrated on this song and precedes it with beautiful precision as the last single pre-album.
When the album was released, “Stole Ya Flow” got major publicity for being a direct diss to Drake.
In 2023, Drake released the album Fear of Heights, which took a jab at Rocky and his partner Rihanna.
Rocky responds by accusing Drake of stealing his flow and talks about how he stole Drake’s girl while mocking him about alleged cosmetic procedures.
An eye-catching song to many fans, “Playa” is noted as a direct sonic continuation of “Stay Here 4 Life.”
The tempo on Playa is dialed up with a heavier, more rapid bass and more polished synthesizer, giving it more of his modern high-fashion style.
The Rolling Stone said, “Playa” “pushes Rocky back into braggadocious form.”
This album demonstrates that even after eight years of not releasing music, Rocky still maintains his edge.
Don’t Be Dumb can be found on Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube.