A$AP Rocky wasn’t dumb

There were many positives to “Don’t Be Dumb.” A$AP Rocky released the album on Jan. 16, following an eight-year hiatus since his last album, “TESTING.” The album did resemble the stylistic choices of Rocky’s past albums like “LONG.LIVE.A$AP,” as it was also hard-hitting, and like “TESTING,” with its more psychedelic sound. Though on “Don’t Be Dumb,” this sound was more refined and modern; “Don’t Be Dumb” feels like a balance between these two eras. Some of the core producers on the album consisted of Rocky himself, Jordan Patrick, Rance, and Kelvin Krash. The album still felt creative and showcased growth not only through the development of Rocky’s sound but also through his mindset.

Rocky’s “Don’t Be Dumb” was an album that explored themes of love, fatherhood, maturity, artistic resistance against conformity, and avoiding past mistakes. At times, Rocky is confident in his words and unbothered, while at other points on the album, he is more introspective, reflecting on life, connection, and growth. 

There are several songs on the album that stand out to develop Rocky’s sound, like “HELICOPTER,” which was one of the early singles released to give a peak to the energetic production that was to come for the album, along with a music video to showcase some of the wild stylistic choices that were going to be a part of the album. Though there were also songs that completely juxtaposed the sound of “HELICOPTER,” like “STAY HERE 4 LIFE” and “ROBBERY.” “STAY HERE 4 LIFE” was a track that still kept the higher energy, though it also slowed the pace down slightly and let Rocky explore a more emotional territory, especially with the pairing of Brent Faiyaz’s vocals. “ROBBERY” also stood out on the album, as it was completely different than any song on the album, bringing in a more jazz-infused sound and a theatrical energy, posing more as a scene with dialogue between Rocky and Doechii. 

The overall feel of  “Don’t Be Dumb” was quite diverse through its production and its feature list. The production of the album is layered and diverse; some of the songs lean more into a more traditional hip-hop sound, with heavy 808s in multiple songs, while other songs were more genre-blended with more jazz-inspired sounds on “ROBBERY,” punk, and electronic sounds. The features on the album also stood out as they were quite diverse, featuring artists such as Faiyaz, Doechii, Thundercat, Tyler, The Creator, will.i.am, Westside Gunn, and Gorillaz. Each feature made the track they were a part of pop without overwhelming Rocky’s presence on the song, more often complementing the flow of Rocky with examples like Doechii’s and Rocky’s almost theatrical performance together on “ROBBERY,” as well as the traditional combination of Tyler, The Creator and Rocky on the bonus track “FISH N STEAK (WHAT IT IS),” as Rocky and Tyler have collaborated multiple times over the years and are a well-known combination. However, the album wasn’t perfect; there were moments where the themes of ego and confidence did begin to feel slightly repetitive, and some of the transitions could have been sharper. Though even with these moments in the album, they all added to the complexity as a whole, showcasing an album that was quite entertaining, but still had its imperfections.

Overall, “Don’t Be Dumb” showcased that Rocky was still able to push himself and put together a cohesive and quite entertaining album. With the nearly decade-long hiatus, Rocky seemed to be able to provide a product that makes up for his absence; earning this project an 8.5/10, being a satisfying product for the wait and a great album to listen to for those who appreciate hip-hop that experiments with sounds, and has personality and depth.