Despite his name, A$AP Rocky does not like to release music as soon as possible. Eight years have passed since A$AP’s last album, “TESTING.” During those eight years, Rocky became a father of three with his longtime partner Rihanna, launched his own whiskey brand, became the first creative director for Ray-Ban, and faced a long and arduous legal battle involving a past shooting incident where he was found not guilty. During his years in legal trouble, Rocky vehemently pursued greatness in “DON’T BE DUMB,” from the production to even the album cover.

To get an album cover done by the elusive Tim Burton himself, the mastermind behind countless classics such as “The Nightmare Before Christmas” and “Beetlejuice,” Rocky had to pursue Burton relentlessly. A$AP had attempted to contact Burton and his team for years, admitting that he essentially “stalked and harassed” him on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.” Eventually, the two met, and Burton heard Rocky’s music for the first time. Burton was pleasantly surprised by Rocky’s songs. Thus sparked the collaboration that created the album’s unique cover, cited as a mix of “German expressionism” and “ghetto futurism” by Rocky himself.

The album opens with an echoing synth lead, as listeners dive into “ORDER OF PROTECTION.” The song recognizes how it has been a long time since Rocky was “in the league.” Beyond this, Rocky mentions how he has been exploring new opportunities, but he is still on top. It is a pretty regular album opener, but nothing is holding it back. It does not need to be anything crazy, since the main purpose of this song is just to set things straight: A$AP is back.

Since this album has 19 songs, I cannot cover them all. So, I have decided to skip straight to song 10, with “PUNK ROCKY.” This song has an incredible instrumental. It fades in with this mystical-sounding guitar before the drums hit, catapulting listeners into a spacey, flowy listening experience. Soft vocals ride the hook, which depicts a fairly regular heartbreak song about feeling like a fool after getting played by a girl, only to then see her get played by another guy. The best line is, of course, when Rocky sneaks in the album’s title in the line “I told her ‘Don’t be dumb,’ you just another fool.”

Three songs later is “ROBBERY,” but I have to mention the incredible title of the track just before “AIR FORCE (BLACK DEMARCO).” That title is such a funny play on Mac DeMarco’s name. Anyways, “ROBBERY” is a smooth jazz beat that’s straight-up ear candy. 

It also has an incredible Doechii feature. I have always thought that she was a standout rapper who was going to break barriers in the hip-hop scene, even though her song “Anxiety” was overplayed and gave her a bad reputation online. Still, this song is incredible, and definitely my favorite on the album.

Next up is “DON’T BE DUMB/TRIP BABY,” which also boasts an incredible beat. Honestly, my second favorite song off the project is well-deserved from the hook. It begins with a robotic voice saying “Don’t be dumb,” before repeating dumb until the rest of the beat kicks in. Then listeners are hit with a cyclical melody that sounds like a soft guitar with a synth layered with it, while Rocky raps about wanting to do anything for someone, and then the beat changes.

The song does a complete 180, delving into a more experimental sound where A$AP now raps about getting back at the people who seemingly wronged the girl he was talking about in the first half of the song, in a hard gangster type style.

To end off the actual album, “THE END” featuring will.i.am, and Jessica Pratt is a societal reflection of sorts, with the main hook being “This is the way the world ends,” while A$AP lists some of the horrible things going around. A$AP recognizes how successful black people have become, yet many are still incarcerated. He also mentions how the Klan has too many members and global warming, citing them as part of how the world ends through the chorus. Rocky compares global warming to a “global warning,” a call to action for the people, but one that has unfortunately been largely ignored. 

Long-time fans of A$AP know that the song “I Smoked Away My Brain (I’m God x Demons Mashup)” was actually released in 2023 as a single with no album affiliation. Now, the song has finally found a home in the four extras of “DON’T BE DUMB.” As one of A$AP Rocky’s biggest songs, “I Smoked Away My Brain (I’m God x Demons Mashup)” has some incredible production and is one of the most recognizable songs of the 21st century by hip-hop fans. Beyond the beat, the song explores drug addiction, a perfectly fitting topic for a song that almost sounds like a trip itself.

This album is incredible. The production and overall vibe of the album scream Rocky, which is exactly what the fans have been waiting for. I am a sucker for jazz-based instrumentals, so “ROBBERY” was a very welcome surprise, among the other incredibly produced tracks on the album. A$AP is also an incredible rapper, which is nothing new. I thoroughly enjoyed this album and would highly recommend it to anyone who is even remotely interested in hip-hop.

Overall rating: 9/10

Favorite songs: “ROBBERY,” “DON’T BE DUMB/TRIP BABY,” “PUNK ROCKY,” “I Smoked Away My Brain (I’m God x Demons Mashup),” and “WHISKEY (RELEASE ME).”