Change the Record: A$AP Rocky – “Don’t Be Dumb”

You know, I relate to A$AP Rocky in a lot of ways. We may be complete opposites in demographic, class, race, sexuality, and gender, and I may not be devastatingly handsome and in a relationship with Rihanna. But like him, I too am terrible at delivering major projects on time.

A$AP Rocky is an American rapper, actor, model, fashion designer, and, the thing he’s most known for to my parents, Rihanna’s partner. He has been in the rap game since 2011, breaking out with his debut mixtape, “LIVE.LOVE.A$AP,” which to this day is one of the best debuts of any rapper in the 21st century.

He cemented himself as a name open to embracing bold sounds while still keeping a mainstream appeal. From his debut mixtape until his sophomore album in 2015, “AT.LONG.LAST.A$AP,” he maintained that sound pretty perfectly, albeit losing some of the grit with each new release.

In 2018, he would switch things up and release his third studio album, “TESTING.” The project decided to take many big swings, and while bold, most of those swings missed and landed back in the project’s own face. It was an album held back by both its desire to be a big, experimental new step forward for Rocky while still wanting to have mainstream appeal. While that balance is entirely possible, “TESTING” failed to blend the sounds together, instead just having two different sounds. The result was a stark contrast that lacked either cohesion or quality.

It has now been close to eight years since “TESTING” dropped, though. In the interim, Rocky was kept busy with his fashion career, a child with Rihanna, and even getting arrested. But after so much time away, A$AP Rocky announced his fourth studio album, “Don’t Be Dumb,” to be released on Aug. 30, 2024. Then, on March 2, 2025, it was reportedly still being mixed. On July 4, 2025, fans received a teaser track that was deleted two days later and wasn’t on the album. Then, finally, on Jan. 16, 2026, the album was released.

Rocky released five tracks intended for the album that never made the final cut. I have not listened to those songs, so whether or not they’d make the tracklist better will not be considered here.

So, was the eight-year wait worth it? The answer begins with the opening two tracks, “Order of Protection” and the lead single, “Helicopter,” which kick the album off with a relatively energetic start. Even if “Order of Protection” mostly just acts as a short taste of the sounds to come with some awkward autotune, its powerful drums and whooshing, booming synths still give it a sense of grandeur that can build up excitement.

It plays especially well going into “Helicopter,” whose alarm-bell main synth melody and hi-hat/cowbell drum pattern make for an extremely fun banger, even if the chorus isn’t as strong as I’d want for a track of this nature.

The album is mainly split between two types of tracks, starting with the bangers — tracks like “Stole Ya Flow” or “STFU.” These have the common issue tracks like this can have, in that they’re either exciting and fun, like “Stole Ya Flow,” whose gritty main melody mixes like honey and milk with Rocky’s flow and infectiously braggadocious attitude. “No Trespassing” is another highlight in the banger category, reminding me of a more layered “Hey Now” by Kendrick Lamar. Its bare main melody allows for smoother flows, even as more background elements and instruments are layered on.

On the flip side, we have “STFU,” which doesn’t lack good qualities but comes off as far more annoying than intended. It is almost like a watered-down Death Grips track, lacking any of the edge while still keeping that same irritating sound.

The other category of tracks is the smoother tracks, like the incredible “Stay Here 4 Life,” which, alongside a gorgeous chorus from Brent Faiyaz, has Rocky at his most charming over a beautifully relaxing beat. The vocal samples provide another layer of texture through a very pretty track. Other highlights include “Playa,” with its fun and wistful horn melodies, or “Punk Rocky,” which feels like a neat little early 2010s indie rock throwback with these reverb-heavy guitars and a propulsive drum melody.

The final stretch of tracks plays the most with the sound, with “Air Force (Black Demarco)” being a literal back-and-forth ping-pong game between the noisy, cacophonous verses and the smooth, luscious chorus. It’s a neat idea, albeit one that doesn’t play that well in execution.

“Robbery,” featuring white-hot star Doechii, is mostly just a sparse, loungy beat with claps, pianos, and the occasional horn, but it works surprisingly well. It gives space for two very charismatic performers to essentially sing banter back and forth, and it’s both unique and a joy to listen to.

The two-part track “Don’t Be Dumb/Trip Baby” was enjoyable, albeit not as interesting as the tracks surrounding it. “Trip Baby,” in particular, rubs against my ear like cold water.

The closing track, “The End,” though? Perfect. With an eerie, echoey beat and Jessica Pratt’s repeated, “This is the way the world ends,” refrain creating an oddly soothing effect despite how blatantly discomforting the whole thing is. Rocky and will.i.am play off the beat shockingly well together, and the track drifting off into the void by the end with the refrain repeating endlessly feels appropriately like a nightmare.

So, what do we make of this? Was it worth the wait? That’s hard to answer honestly, because, no, it wasn’t. But then again, nothing would have been. That’s the issue with endlessly waiting for something: It will never fill the idea of it in your head when it finally comes. Still, this album defied my expectations and was a lot better than I expected it to be –– downright really good at points –– so I can’t be too mad. It’s good, but if this album ends up on my top 15 best albums list, then it’s a depressing year.