“Don’t Be Dumb”, Be Legendary: A$AP Rocky Ends His Retirement from Albums

The album cover of “Don’t Be Dumb” shows off Tim Burton's illustrations that attempt to capture the gothic aesthetic that A$AP Rocky portrays throughout the album.

Photo Creds: Wikipedia

Ria Titus, Staff Writer for The Powderhorn

A$AP Rocky released his first album since 2018, “Don’t Be Dumb,” on January 16, 2026. The album has 17 tracks and is about an hour long. It features many big artists such as Brent Faiyaz, Doechii, Gorillaz, BossMan Dlow, Sauce Walka, Slay Squad, Westside Gunn, will.i.am, Jessica Pratt, Jozzy, and Tyler, The Creator. The album also features Tim Burton, a famous filmmaker and animator, in a different way. He illustrated the album art and is even featured in the music video of a mashup of 2 songs, “WHISKEY(RELEASE ME)” and “AIR FORCE (BLACK DEMARCO)”, which Burton also animated. A$AP Rocky also teased a film to go along with the already popular album, which will be done by Tim Burton. 

The album was immediately met with an abundance of praise from Rocky’s fans due to it being his first album in a while. While a lot of them just enjoyed it because it was Rocky’s work, the album, for me, is actually worth the hype. The album is full of well-done songs, all containing Rocky’s signature style, good beats, and genius verses. Many fans, including myself, felt that a few songs particularly stood out, and here are the 3 that I most enjoyed:

3. “HELLICOPTER”

 This is generally not a very well-liked track, but I found it enjoyable. It’s the kind of song to listen to in the gym or on a run. The beat is bass-heavy and gives it a dark kind of feeling. The lyrics are what you would expect from any album within this genre. They boost your confidence and get you hype. This song isn’t a meaningful one, and it doesn’t feature many vocals, but I appreciated that about it. This song is perfect to turn off your brain and just listen to.

2. “PUNK ROCKY”

Between this song and the previous one, it was a difficult tie for second place. This song ended up winning because of its purposeful and relatable lyrics. This song veers away from the heavy rap style his songs usually follow and moves towards a sadder type of song. The track follows the theme of heartbreak and having trust issues and delivers the raw emotion that Rocky has felt in the past. He was trying to blend his style with a “punk rock” kind of style. I didn’t really feel that vibe when I listened to the song, and I felt that it came across more as pop. The drum utilization in this is one of the best in the album, and it makes the track more catchy and the build-up to the chorus enjoyable.

1. “STAY HERE 4 LIFE” (feat. Brent Faiyaz)

This song was my overall favorite from the album. I, like many fans, grew up listening to Rihanna, who is Rocky’s long-standing partner. The song is about rejecting a player lifestyle and committing to one woman, which is  uncommon for men in the rap industry. The lyrics are meaningful and showcase his love for Rihanna. He was tired of the accusations and made this song as a final end to the rumors of his noncommittal lifestyle. Rocky did not let this influence the quality of the song, however. The beat and verses are outstanding, and Brent Faiyaz’s melodic voice adds a heavenly sound to the track, which really contributes to the message of it.

Overall, this album was a success, with many well-made songs with good beats. However, there were some things about this album that made fans immediately gravitate away from it. The first thing is that having Tim Burton have an appearance on the album felt a bit out of place. The album follows a dark aesthetic to an extent, but not to one that would warrant his illustrations. The film mentioned previously could prove these criticisms wrong, but it’s not very likely. Another thing questionable about the album is that many of the songs don’t really deliver on the waiting time of 8 years. About half the songs on the album are rather lackluster and are only carried by the collabs he did. For example, “FISH N STEAK” would have been a certified skip if Tyler, the Creator, wasn’t featured on it. 

A$AP Rocky was highly inconsistent with this album,  as every song had a different vibe and style. Whether this was a good decision really depends on the person you ask. Some people would say it makes it feel cluttered and unfocused, but others would say it was pushing Rocky’s genre in a good way. It did cater to everyone because they could just listen to the style they liked. He went with experimental instead of sticking to his usual style, and I appreciated that. Variation in albums is important for me, albums that are full of songs that sound the same don’t usually deliver the best results.

Even though this “Don’t Be Dumb” is not A$AP Rocky’s best work, it is still definitely a good album. The lyrics strike you in the heart, and the beats keep you listening and wanting for more. This was a good album for Rocky to come out with after 8 years. Many of the songs were worth the 8 years for me, and I’m not just saying that because I like A$AP Rocky. Listening to this album was a good experience and led to many additions to my playlist. I rate this album a 7.4/10.