A$AP Rocky
Don’t Be Dumb
A$AP WORLDWIDE/RCA
A$AP Rocky has finally made his triumphant return to music after several false starts. Eight years in the making, Don’t Be Dumb follows in its predecessors’ footsteps with its use of alt-rock samples and lo-fi production—time-tested Rocky trademarks with an added gothic feel thanks to the unexpected contributions of composer Danny Elfman. Rocky pushes traditional aspects of hip-hop to their limits here, creating something a bit more unexpected. By combining a mishmash of distinct musicians and rappers like Doechii, Thundercat, Damon Albarn, Tyler, the Creator, Clairo, and, of course, Elfman—artists who wouldn’t typically be paired together, let alone on the same track, as is the case with will.i.am and Jessica Pratt—this album feels particularly geared toward defying genre conventions.
Yet Don’t Be Dumb’s experimentation starts and ends with its production, considering that the diss tracks, skits, and general flow found on the album are still very much in the tradition of hip-hop. Opener “Order of Protection” finds Rocky laying out the story of how this album came to be and the resilience required to see this project through—especially after several song leaks, court trials, and drama with former associates (A$AP Relli and Drake, most likely). On “Stay Here 4 Life,” Rocky chops up a Brent Faiyaz sample in a novel manner as it sets up Faiyaz’s feature on the track (some claim the sample is “mewtwo” by Atlanta drill rapper Ken Carson, since Faiyaz uses that same beat). Another layer to this project is the cinematic orchestral flourishes composed by Elfman, which can be found throughout the album.
The first half of Don’t Be Dumb is the stronger side of the album, though. It’s also difficult to determine how the song leaks impacted the final product, especially on the record’s back half. I think the omissions of a leaked song like “Riot” may have weakened the album, with moments like “Robbery”—a catchy, jazz-infused track featuring Doechii—not quite aligning with the rest of the project, especially sandwiched between “Whiskey” and the title track. Yet despite such tonally jarring moments, Don’t Be Dumb is an artsy left turn by A$AP that has all the qualities of a sleeper cult classic. Only time will tell how the album will be viewed in posterity.
