It’s been nearly a decade and countless Kobe-like pump fakes since A$AP Rocky’s last album, but Don’t Be Dumb is well worth the wait.
Release date: January 16, 2026 | A$AP Rocky Recordings LLC | Website | Instagram
If you weren’t eagerly anticipating another A$AP Rocky album, I’d have understood. His first three projects are all borderline classics, but AT.LONG.LAST.A$AP was over ten years ago, and since then, all there’s been is one mediocre album and a whole lot of hit-and-miss singles and features. Add in the very full life outside of music, and many may not think a new album would happen, expect much from it, or both. I never really gave up. For the most part, I think the loose tracks put out between then and now are all solid to excellent (I still love “Babushka Boi” and “Tailor Swif”), and he’s still a very dependable feature. There just wasn’t an album to back me up. Now that Don’t Be Dumb is here to back me up, I feel vindicated for never losing hope.
The time between albums hasn’t lessened Rocky’s skill, and it’s possible all the ‘failed’ attempts at dropping only helped him focus on what it was he actually wanted Don’t Be Dumb to be – a more diverse and creative showcase of his talent. “STFU” is a great moment for Rocky to both really try something new and give a great opportunity to a lesser known group in Slay Squad. The track is far beyond the realm of what he’s ever done before, and it’s a much more aggressive track than some of the other rockish cuts on the album. For someone that hates Mac DeMarco’s music, I’m surprised how much I liked a song named after him. “AIR FORCE (BLACK DEMARCO)” is almost certainly where that one rumored Morrissey feature would have been (if that song wasn’t cut entirely). It brings on indie singer Spencer Sutherland to help follow up some of Rocky’s better verses on Don’t Be Dumb with one of the highlights of the album on the outro.
The hits are still here too; “HELICOPTER” was an instant banger single in the same vein as the loose tracks I loved, as is “STOLE YA FLOW”. Rocky’s got an incredible delivery here and an uncanny ability to sound incredible on any beat he gets on, and I appreciate he’s not just choosing to get some half-assed beat from a big name. “STOP SNITCHING” is one of the more vibrant and energetic tracks you’ll hear all year and a fantastic Sauce Walka feature.
One of my requirements if you’re going to go for a big, blockbusteresque album is that I really want to be able to hear the collaboration that went into the song. I don’t want to listen to an average track and then check and see later that you had every single Swedish songwriter you could find help come up with it. Don’t Be Dumb passes my test. If you’re going to go big, give me Damon Albarn‘s crooning over some Westside Gunn ad-libs. I wanna feel something.
The best guest appearance on the album by far goes to Doechii. It’s not close at all – “ROBBERY” is also the best track. The jazzy beat sounds fucking incredible (best beat on the album? Also, a strong possibility.) and both Rocky and Doechii bring their best flow to take advantage of it. She’s able to get a bit of a bossa nova thing going there for a minute; the song is incredible. Thundercat is also around with help on the production end, and I think you feel him most on “PLAYA”. He obviously delivers some nice vocals at the start to help get the track started on a high, and Rocky is able to take over after and deliver a nice track on modern relationships. I’m a little biased, but I was happy to hear Clairo even if just for a second or two on “DON’T BE DUMB / TRIP BABY”. The beat on this sounds divine, and Rocky is able to execute on one of his lower energy tracks, which is something he’s struggled a bit with in the past, especially on TESTING.
Rocky has said there will be a disk two for Don’t Be Dumb. As of the time I finished writing this, it’s not out, and he’s said it may drop closer to the start of his tour in late May. Would I bet my life on that actually happening? I would not. The four extra tracks already attached could just become bonus tracks, and for now that’s how I’ll treat them, since I can’t talk about the actual second disk.
If he’s going for more straightforward bangers, more easier to listen to hits, which seems to be the point of ‘for the fans,’ then I think this will deliver. Currently they serve as four fun tracks, even if I personally think the results are a bit more mixed than the main album.
“FLACKITO JODYE” reminds me a lot of something Kilo Kish and Vince Staples would cook up. Vibes are great. I don’t really like the Tyler, The Creator collaboration “FISH N STEAK (WHAT IT IS)”. It’s my least favorite of the four, and maybe my least favorite of Rocky and Tyler’s collabs period. Beat doesn’t really do it, neither of them are at their best. It didn’t make the initial cut for a reason. Irrelevant of quality, I just don’t think “I SMOKED AWAY MY BRAIN (I’M GOD x DEMONS MASHUP)” should be on here. It sounds phenomenal, don’t get me wrong, and this is obviously the version that Rocky’s longtime producer Clams Casino has had in his head for years, but it really does not add anything to include this years-old track (I’m a hypocrite though, I would love “Babushka Boi” to get added) other than to celebrate Clams for landing his white whale. “SWAT TEAM” is my favorite of the four by a good margin. Strong track about some of Rocky’s post-trial life and his relationship with Rihanna, on one of the darkest and grittiest beats of the whole project.
My only complaint is that Don’t Be Dumb does not have a strong opening or closing moment. “ORDER OF PROTECTION” is a pretty weak track and has probably the worst instrumental on the album, but “THE END” is a real stinker. It’s trying way too hard to ‘say something,’ and by trying to touch on just about every issue possible, be it global warming, racism, mental health, authenticity, food in public schools, and more, it just ends up saying nothing. Jessica Pratt does close the track strong, but everything that came before is a complete mess.
When someone takes this much time off from music, works heavily in fashion, takes up a film career, and starts a family, a return album probably isn’t going to turn out well – if it happens at all. Rocky was never going to be able to return to his early style of being a cloud rap pioneer in 2026, this has been pretty obvious since TESTING (a miss but not a disastrous one). The constant singles and album teases never followed up on didn’t change the mind of anyone who thought he lost his confidence. It’s good to see that Rocky was able to find it again and become an outlier on one of his most creative and fun albums to date.
