“Don’t Be Dumb” is American rapper A$AP Rocky’s highly anticipated fourth studio album after his 2018 album “Testing.” “Don’t Be Dumb” was released Jan. 16, and includes 15 songs with features by artists such as Doechii, Brent Faiyaz, and his long-time friend Tyler the Creator.
As a fan of A$AP Rocky, I have been waiting for his new album for years, putting up with fake release dates, confusing Gucci ads, and unasked-for appearances in niche movies. Until this album, “Testing” was known to be A$AP Rocky’s experimental album, where he dove into unique interpolation and audio mixing. However, “Don’t Be Dumb” certainly pushes the boundaries of both A$AP Rocky’s previous experimental discography and videography.
The artist’s latest collaboration with filmmaker Tim Burton was easily digestible, which has its pros and cons. With his side quests in different industries and eight years going by with him only dropping features and a few singles here and there, I feared “Don’t Be Dumb” would reflect a changed Rocky, one known for Met Gala co-chair fame and being Rihanna’s partner, not living up to his old music that was reminiscent of his Harlem roots. Despite my hesitancy, upon listening to the first track “ORDER OF PROTECTION,” I felt a wave of relief and nostalgia as the smooth lyricism over the chill beat affirmed that this was the A$AP Rocky I was familiar with. The next track “HELICOPTER” made me even more optimistic about the album. I thoroughly enjoyed his fast-paced but rhythmic voice over the hard beat. It was one of the few new details from this album that I appreciated.
My favorite track was the TikTok-famous “STAY HERE 4 LIFE” that featured Brent Faiyaz’s previously unreleased song “Full Moon” which was leaked on SoundCloud last August. I have had “Full Moon” on repeat for a while, so prior to listening to “STAY HERE 4 LIFE,” I had some doubts about how well A$AP Rocky used Faiyaz’s sample because I thought the production of “Full Moon” was perfect on its own. After I listened to it, it was safe to say that his rapping meshed almost perfectly with Faiyaz’s soothing voice. The lyrics talk about his love for his present life, particularly with Rihanna.
“PUNK ROCKY” definitely stood out in the album, in a good way. The first minute sounded like a 2000s indie rock band with the percussion and bass. A$AP Rocky’s singing voice is definitely underrated, and the song was reminiscent of his single “Sundress.”
However, there were some songs that did not really hit for me. His previous albums prioritized melodies and nostalgic tunes. I recall Joe Fox’s angelic vocals blessing his 2015 album “At. Long. Last. A$AP” and the ethereal electronic sound sampled in A$AP’s “Forever in Testing.” In this most recent release, however, there were moments in the album where it just felt like him yelling with weak lyricism and minimal effort in the music, especially in the track “STFU.” In “AIR FORCE (BLACK DEMARCO),” there was some reminiscence of his old melodic tunes but only in the 30 second singing breaks that were sandwiched between upbeat beats and a fast-paced setting that made the singing snippets seem out of place.
Overall, I felt that A$AP Rocky’s artistic aspirations were channeled more through the videography of the music videos rather than the lyricism itself. The music videos were random, quirky, artistic, and cinematic, reflecting his side quests of the past few years. His collaboration with Tim Burton in all the music videos and well-known actress Winona Ryder in “PUNK ROCKY” made the videos seem like movies which the songs on the album were just soundtrack for. In “PUNK ROCKY” there was a storyline in his music video, with ASAP Rocky starring in a loud garage band and befriending the character of Winona Ryder while facing the police. The music video was captivating and highlighted Burton and Rocky’s storytelling through cinematic techniques.
The song itself was serving the short-film-esque music video when usually, at least in his previous music videos, the video would serve the mood of the song. Even in the track “ROBBERY,” though there was no music video for it, the lyrics sounded like a screenplay, with dialogues from Rocky and Doechii over jazz, emulating a noir robbery skit.
Another new addition to this album was a skit after the second track. “INTERROGATION (SKIT)” features a monologue by a man venting about how they won’t let other people’s words be an obstacle to their dreams, reflecting A$AP Rocky’s mantra in life and adding on to the movie-like experience of this album.
If I had to find a theme for “Don’t Be Dumb,” which is hard to pinpoint, it seems to focus more on his current fame. This dilutes his roots, which I was not a fan of. In his previous albums, he would talk about growing up in Harlem with tracks such as “Canal St.” and “1 train.” It was complex and layered and did not just talk about being rich and women wanting him (like many songs on this album), but also the gritty part of living in the city. The lyrics in “Don’t Be Dumb” are fun but shallow.
My way of coming to terms with this is reminding myself that his first mixtape and the following two albums did cover his life’s trials and tribulations. This year’s “Don’t be Dumb” was Rocky’s creative outlet and passion project, merging not just his love of music but of filmmaking and fashion, passions that he could have only pursued due to his early music helping him expand beyond East Harlem. It served to reflect on his present fame, influence on society, and his future rather than focusing on his past, which he already did in his past albums.
A$AP Rocky didn’t just disappear in the years that he didn’t release an album. His side quests such as being Met Gala co-chair and starring in an A24 film with Denzel Washington kept him in people’s minds and cemented his relevance in today’s society, not just in playlists. He has shown to his fans that he is a multifaceted artist that has big dreams outside of the music industry. This album was a thank you to his fans that helped him make it, giving them more music to appreciate after eight years of leaving them on the edge.
