A$AP Rocky’s ‘Don’t Be Dumb’ Is a Convoluted, But Rewarding Blockbuster

In retrospect, it's only right that A$AP Rocky's long-gestating new album arrives right after his biggest movie role to date. Nearly a decade in the making, Don’t Be Dumb bears a distinct resemblance to the long-gestating, developmentally fraught blockbusters that dot and sometimes define Hollywood history. Sometimes, all the effort pays off with a Mad Max: Fury Road. Other times, we’re stuck with the sprawling and uneven Megalopolis. Rocky’s fourth solo album (and first since 2018) falls somewhere in the middle — an occasionally overwrought crowd-pleaser fueled by Rocky’s charisma and ambitious curation.

Artistically, he’s attempting to walk an extremely challenging line as an underground rap progenitor still on the cutting edge and an A-list star with a headline-grabbing relationship and a lead role in a Spike Lee-directed two-hander opposite Denzel Washington. For God’s sake, his Drake diss track “Stole Ya Flow” was co-produced by ICYTWAT and Danny Elfman.

That song has dominated early coverage of the album, as Rocky throws out rewarmed taunts about ending up with Rihanna, Drake’s alleged BBL, and his failed 2019 set at Flog Gnaw. The production hits hard though — a mix of air raid synths and muddy Three 6 Mafia percussion.

Much more successful is “Stay Here 4 Life,” a genuinely tender love song featuring a perfectly utilized Brent Faiyaz. Rocky’s lyrics aren’t the most novel, but the emotion behind them is palpable, whether he’s talking about sex, longing when they’re apart, or building a family. It’s well-executed, a moment of unguarded emotional candor (and a little charming sappiness) from an artist whose swagger usually keeps us at a remove. “Stay Here 4 Life” is something Rocky couldn’t have made on Testing, and flows elegantly into the Thundercat collaboration “Playa.”

“Robbery” is another standout, with Rocky and Doechii rapping over shuffling jazz drums, upright bass, and classic 7th and 9th chords piano. It’s both a fun listen and effective scene setting, so when Rocky interrupts in the middle to declare that it’s an actual robbery and turn the song into an audio drama, it fits. “Fish N Steak,” which serves as the final bonus track, is another winning entry in the Rocky/Tyler, the Creator CV with an especially well-executed beat switch that completely shifts the track’s mood. 

Rocky has been mixing genres since Live. Love. A$AP, but he’s never quite nailed a formula that works as well for his vocals as that signature triangulation of New York swagger, cloud rap aesthetics, and Memphis-inspired production from the early 2010s. He deserves praise for the continual experimentation and taking big swings instead of sticking to the formula, but there are times on Don’t Be Dumb where his reach exceeds his grasp.

As was the case with his divisive last album, Testing, the genre “experiments” here yield mixed results. “Punk Rocky” is buoyed by Ging’s rich bassline, but it doesn’t give much else besides the vague aftertaste of Tame Impala. “Whiskey (Release Me)” is an awkward marriage of trip-hop and King Krule-ish post-punk, with features from Gorillaz and Westside Gunn that don’t transcend the point of shock value. Even when these ambitious pairings fail, you can feel the effort and thought Rocky put into them, which comes off more endearing than not. He even told Jimmy Fallon that nailing down Tim Burton’s participation involved a years-long pursuit of the filmmaker.

The most annoying movie reviews come when a critic uses their word count to suggest plot changes instead of digging into the actual body of work. But it’s hard not to want to see the path here for something truly compelling. At 37, Rocky grew from an underground sensation to a legitimate star, weathered serious legal trouble in 2019 and 2025, became a Hollywood darling and a famous family man. Who does he want to be as a musician?

Albums like Kendrick Lamar’s Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers or Jay-Z’s 4:44 see superstars peel back the layers of their image for intense and frank self-examination. It’d be fascinating to get that from Rocky at this moment in his career, but that’s just not who he has ever been. As a songwriter, his almost superhuman coolness is both an asset and a barrier.

Don’t Be Dumb is a good album that’s refreshingly tight compared to many tinkered-over blockbusters. But it’s also one that falls just shy of living up to its mythical hype. Hopefully, we don’t have to wait until 2034 to hear the sequel.