The road between recklessness and pure chaos is skinny in terms of A$AP Rocky‘s music. The very lead-up to the rapper’s first album in eight years was marked by this rigidity, and given his final effort was the divisively experimental Testing, no person anticipated Don’t Be Dumb to be completely mature and cohesive. For all its occasional – and infrequently refreshing – silliness, the file largely heeds its personal titular recommendation, faltering when it tries too exhausting to supply a world of knowledge in proving its relevance. That effort borders on drained desperation over an hour’s price of music, however Rocky zigzags between kinds like he is aware of precisely the place he’s going, giving the look of cautious curation even because the file solely will get weirder and messier. His power might typically be misdirected, nevertheless it hardly wanes, and it’s straightforward to have enjoyable with it when he appears to be doing the identical.
1. ORDER OF PROTECTION
The opening observe feels redundantly expository and overlong at lower than three minutes, with the beat dropping across the midway level – and it ought to hit loads more durable. Rocky’s bars are strong however typically forgettable, apart from that one line about followers “nonetheless screamin’ encore after I’m lengthy gone.” It’s true that his absence was by no means actually felt.
2. HELICOPTER
The early single will get the adrenaline flowing far more than its predecessor ‘PUNK ROCKY’ – a rambunctious tune Rocky’s greater than able to proudly owning, at the same time as its sawing synths threaten to drown all of it out.
3. INTERROGATION (SKIT)
“I ain’t gon’ put out no crystal clear rubbish,” he declares, “I put out staticky good shit.” By his exhilaration alone you hope he delivers.
4. STOLE YA FLOW
Even at his most brazen, Rocky nonetheless fires out clunkers – I imply, “Hip-hop is my home, welcome to mi casa” – however that doesn’t negate the truth that he’s in peak kind on ‘STOLE YA FLOW’. It’s a diss observe all of the extra brutal for its ambivalence (Drake and Travis Scott are each potential targets), however Rocky’s resentment breeds knife-sharp precision.
5. STAY HERE 4 LIFE
There’s no world wherein ‘STAY HERE 4 LIFE’ must be nearly six minutes lengthy, even when it speaks to the purpose of the tune. The second half stultifies what’s already a fairly uninteresting R&B tune, with a strong Brent Faiyaz function and Hit Boy manufacturing that’s too placid to be hypnotic. If it’s to be a success, I want they didn’t need to play the entire thing.
6. PLAYA
The smoother, extra mature facet to Rocky’s newly unbothered perspective, ‘PLAYA’ glimmers with manufacturing from Cardo Obtained Wings, Johnny Juliano, Yung Unique, and Loukeman – to not point out a sneaky Thundercut function. It’s a vibrant reintroduction to the rapper’s rulebook that’s straightforward to heat as much as and immediately makes ‘STAY HERE 4 LIFE’ sound higher.
6. NO TRESSPASSING
The album’s second finest banger, frantic and darkish sufficient to conjure the phrase “demon” out of the “Shut it down” chorus. Between gurgling synths and an ear-piercing one, Rocky steps it up within the second verse, having enjoyable with strains like “Ghetto birds within the air, they tried to pigeonhole us.” It’s infectious.
7. STOP SNITCHING
Rocky instantly follows it up with the finest one, a team-up with Houston underground rapper Sauce Walka that spirals on authorized drama prefer it must be everybody’s enterprise. Its paranoia makes each different tune on Don’t Be Dumb sound timid by comparability.
8. STFU
Rocky’s experimental tendencies flare up on ‘STFU’, a fully feral collaboration with California’s Slay Squad, whose member Brahim Gousse delivers one of many album’s most killer strains: “They are saying Haitians consuming cats, I make sure that my canines eat.” Rocky’s personal sincerity goes exhausting: “I’m a grown man, on my healthful shit.” You’d anticipate him to say stuff like this at this level – possibly not that it will go so exhausting.
9. PUNK ROCKY
I appear to love ‘PUNK ROCKY’, which might not sound misplaced on an Yves Tumor file, greater than the typical fan; nevertheless it’s an admittedly odd alternative for a lead single, and it halts the album’s momentum. There’s one thing in regards to the hazier, psychedelic components of the file that stand out on their very own – particularly when paired with that Winona Ryder-starring video like ‘PUNK ROCKY’ – however don’t fairly gel with the remainder of the LP.
10. AIR FORCE (BLACK DEMARCO)
Beginning with ‘PUNK ROCKY’, the experimental closing part of the album affords loads to draw indie rock followers. Mac DeMarco shouldn’t be truly featured right here, however Rocky did verify, on the New York Instances Popcast, that he recorded music throughout COVID with him, Ariel Pink (ugh), and John Maus. The observe’s manufacturing is far more dynamic than you’d anticipate from simply listening to the refrain, a restlessness Rocky matches by deftly switching up his stream.
11. WHISKEY (RELEASE ME)
As soon as once more maintaining the rhythm fluid, ‘WHISKEY’ is simply too playful and catchy to slide by means of the cracks. As an alternative of doing a Gorillaz impression, Rocky truly will get Damon Albarn on the tune and then provides Westside Gunn to the combination, simply to flex. You possibly can’t blame him when it manages to work.
12. ROBBERY [feat. Doechii]
Rocky introduces an entirely totally different facet of his showmanship close to the very finish of the file, a cartoonishly theatrical efficiency aided by a good goofier Doechii. It’s charming if oddly misplaced.
13. DON’T BE DUMB / TRIP BABY
The album’s edges are softened on the dreamy, even sleepy title observe, the Clairo-sample first a part of a tune with a slightly nondescript second half. Incomes some extra indie cred earlier than easing us into ‘THE END’.
14. THE END [feat. will.i.am and Jessica Pratt]
It was disappointing to find that Rocky’s 2024 Jessica Pratt collab ‘HIGHJACK’ wouldn’t be on the file, however the rapper does one higher by ending it with one other one, a hauntingly dystopian tune that manages to additionally slot in a will.i.am verse. Rocky has been hinting at its heavy-handed international warnings for the previous few songs, so ‘THE END’ doesn’t really feel solely awkward – and corny as “Newsflash, we at struggle, a worldwide warning” would possibly sound, Pratt’s simplistic chorus, interpolating Nancy Priddy’s 1968 tune ‘Ebony Glass’, makes up for it. In spite of everything, she has a manner of singing in regards to the world as if holding it in her personal palm. Right here, all she urges is for us to take a greater have a look at it.
15. SWAT TEAM
Relegated to bonus observe standing, ‘SWAT TEAM’ nonetheless boasts one of many album’s most kinetic beats (from Kelvin Krash, KayCyy, and SpaceGhostPurrp). It’s a disgrace that Rocky doesn’t do a lot with it lyrically.
16. FISH N STEAK [feat. Tyler, the Creator & Jozzy]
There might have been songs on the primary file the place Tyler, the Creator could be higher suited, nevertheless it’s nonetheless thrilling to listen to him reunite with Rocky on ‘FISH N STEAK’. Their off-kilter dynamic accentuates the tune’s woozy manufacturing, as Tyler largely raps about using round with your mates, “how that sunroof opened up like remedy.” At its warmest and most mature, Don’t Be Dumb can really feel somewhat like that too. Different instances you simply hope it doesn’t crash.
