It has been 2,973 days since rapper, fashion icon, model and actor Rakim Athelaston Mayers, otherwise known as A$AP Rocky, released a rap album.
A lot has happened for A$AP Rocky since then, including getting married to Rihanna, having three kids and appearing in 2025 films Highest 2 Lowest & If I Had Legs I’d Kick You. Facing legal troubles, including a conviction for assault in Sweden and an acquittal of assault in the U.S., A$AP Rocky has continued his rise to stardom in the fashion industry, co-chairing the 2025 Met Gala and leading campaigns for major fashion brands including Gucci, Dior, and Calvin Klein. Despite occasional singles and features, Rocky’s personal life and affairs have largely remained private as to how the past seven and a half years of Rocky’s life have affected him.
“Don’t Be Dumb” blends Rocky’s typical calm, collected and confident style of rap with experimental and creative forays into multiple genres. Across the album, Rocky explores R&B, punk, trap and rock, blending these genres with his distinctive dreamy psychedelic production.
The album begins with “Order of Protection,” a fun and boisterous track that touches on Rocky’s legal issues, his long hiatus from rapping and his enduring passion for the genre. The song sets the tone for the rest of his album, signaling that he’s hungry and won’t be holding back.
The second single off the album, “Helicopter,” shifts to a catchy Southern trap beat where Rocky expresses happiness both in his own success and the lack thereof from his adversaries. Many songs on the album have similar lyrical content, such as “Stole Ya Flow”, “No Trespassing”, “Stop Snitching” and “Air Force (Black DeMarco).” Some of Rocky’s most successful songs touch on themes of luxury and success, so, understandably, they made up a sizable portion of this album. However, these songs sound dated and take fewer risks compared to other songs on the album. Rocky is at his best when he makes bold songs that explore creative concepts and deep subjects.
“Robbery” and “Don’t Be Dumb / Trip Baby” are great examples of Rocky at his best. “Robbery” features Doechii, one of the most successful and confident rappers right now. The pair exchange confident, witty and sultry bars about their luxurious habits over a Duke Ellington jazz sample. The song is briefly interrupted by Rocky announcing that there is a robbery, before the song progresses to a back-and-forth between Rocky and Doechii that feels somewhat similar to “Promiscuous” by Nelly Furtado.
All in all, this song is a fun, engaging listen that sounds like nothing in Rocky’s catalog. “Don’t Be Dumb / Trip Baby, on the other hand, feels like it would fit right into some of his older mixtapes. The first part of the song is marked by hazy, ethereal production and lyrics that touch on themes of gratefulness, love and Rocky’s upbringing. The song samples “Sinking” by Clairo and it sounds somewhat influenced by her distinctive style of bedroom pop.
“Trip Baby” is underdeveloped in comparison to the first half of the song, but it features some of Rocky’s best rapping on the entire album. He finds multiple great flows and makes a hard-hitting end.
“Don’t Be Dumb” can be considered a successful return album for Rocky. It falls short of his mixtapes, but is easily better than his last album. The highs on this album are really good, but the lows are pretty forgettable. I’m excited to see how this album ages, and how Rocky’s new sound influences other contemporary artists.