After a long-awaited eight years, American rapper A$AP Rocky released his fourth studio album “Don’t be Dumb” on Jan. 16th, 2026.
Rocky’s last release was “Testing”, released in 2018. Pitchfork gave the album a score of 6.7/10, citing the album’s experimental and ambitious attempts, however, it fell short in consistency.
Rocky continues his exploration of modern styles beyond his cloud rap origins in “Don’t Be Dumb”; however, the album’s ambitions fall short. Having an eight-year wait, the build-up for this album was tremendous. The project felt a little repetitive at times and some of the songs felt like fillers, rather than fully drawn out art. The album is 59 minutes 49 seconds with 17 tracks that bring a high-energy, creative, and entertaining addition to his catalog.
“ORDER OF PROTECTION” is the first track, setting the tone for the rest of the album with an increasingly aggressive rap and repetitive beat. This track does a good job of introducing the listener to the type of high energy that takes place throughout the album.
“HELICOPTER” features a beat with heavy bass and an interesting use of cowbells, adding a fun element to the track that isn’t seen in many. It follows “ORDER OF PROTECTION” with the same high energy and aggressive rap.
“STOLE YA FLOW” gives hard and rattling drums while also using synthesizers, showcasing A$AP Rocky’s use of hard trap in his album. The lyrics also create an aggressive and almost confrontational energy, which is also present in other tracks.
“STAY HERE 4 LIFE” takes a step back, softening the intensity of the album, acting like almost a palette cleanser from the hard rap and aggressive trap. The feature, Brent Faiyaz, uses his smooth vocals throughout the track, carrying most of the emotional weight in the song, giving it that Rhythm and Blues (R&B) feel he’s known for.
“PLAYA” serves as a transition from the R&B feel of “STAY HERE 4 LIFE” back to the usual rap in the album that uses laid-back drums and steady rhythm. Unlike other tracks on the album, this song isn’t as busy and really brings out A$AP Rocky’s vocals.
“NO TRESPASSING” brings it back to the previous trap/rap style of the album. Unlike the last couple of tracks, “NO TRESPASSING” is driven more by rhythm and repetition, making it less melodic. The dirty bass and more aggressive lyrics create a high-energy feel.
“STOP SNITCHING” is more serious and assertive compared to other tracks on the album. Using an ominous beat and bass heavy rhythms, tapping back more into what Rocky’s known for, hip-hop. This was one of his less experimental tracks on the album, feeling a lot like other songs he’s made in the past.
“STFU” is definitely the most aggressive song on the album. You can tell Rocky was trying to make this track hit hard. He completely ditches any form of R&B here or forms of melodic softness. The energy is loud, almost too loud, which makes it a little bit of a hard listen for me, as I prefer a slower R&B feel to a song like “STAY HERE 4 LIFE”.
“PUNK ROCKY” completely deviates from the mood of the rest of the album, tapping into a theme of indie rock. He achieves this using a dreamy instrumental and chill guitar, which tie well with his lyrics of conflicted emotion.
“AIR FORCE (BLACK DEMARCO)” doesn’t follow his usual trap in the album, but instead blends hip hop with some chaotic and electronic elements that remind me of Ken Carson. The track keeps the listener alert by changing beats from slow and laid back to quick and high energy beats.
“WHISKEY (Release Me)” creates more of an atmospheric sound that gives late-night vibes, unlike many other tracks in this album. The slow lyrics and deep bass, along with the slow piano, make this song more calming compared to the high-energy feel of the album.
“ROBBERY” differentiates from the other tracks in the album, bringing a jazz element that hasn’t been seen previously. The combination of jazz and piano in the song, along with the whisper-like vocals from Doechii and Rocky, makes the song stand out.
“DON’T BE DUMB / TRIP BABY” isn’t as trappy or aggressive as other tracks in the album, but instead, creates a spacey and almost trippy feel to the track. The vocals are touched on with reverb and filtering, creating an almost hypnotic vibe that is also created with the addition of slow drums and light high hats.
“THE END” is the last track on Disc one, using soft strings and layered vocals, creating a dramatic tone and cinematic feel to the song.
“SWAT TEAM” is the first track of Disk two, which is a bonus track, bringing the album back to that trap feel that died down towards the end of Disc one. Using siren noises, along with sharp snares and aggressive drums, it brings the energy back high.
“FISH N STEAK (WHAT IT IS)” is a track that features Tyler, the Creator. It taps into Tyler’s quirky and fun vibe, which is common in his music. The song contrasts tremendously to the hard trap beats with high energy in the album previously.
Overall, the album has its strengths and weaknesses. As someone who prefers a slower and smoother song, the R&B and hip hop tracks spoke to me more than the hard, high-energy trap tracks. My favorite songs on the album were “STAY HERE 4 LIFE”, “PUNK ROCKY”, and “DON’T BE DUMB”. My least favorite were the loud and aggressive tracks such as “STFU” and “STOP SNITCHING”.
Everyone should listen to it once. Just based on the fact that it wasn’t really my style, and it didn’t feel like an eight year project, I would give “Don’t Be Dumb” by A$AP ROCKY a 5/10.
