After teasing it for the past couple of years, A$AP Rocky dropped his long-awaited album “Don’t Be Dumb” Jan. 21.
Rocky came up in the New York City rap scene and burst on the scene with songs like “Purple Swag” and “Peso,” released in 2011.
These songs came on a trilogy of albums in the early part of the decade, including “LIVE.LOVE.A$AP,” “LONG.LIVE.A$AP” and “AT.LONG.LAST.A$AP.” These projects came to define the acid rap sound that he is known for.
Since his last project, “Testing,” dropped in 2018, Rocky hasn’t released a lot of music, focusing mostly on other creative outlets like fashion and acting. This break gave him some inspiration to explore sonically.
Having cemented himself as a fashion and rap icon, the goal of this album was to explore what a rap album could be creatively.
Rocky has always pushed the boundaries of what rap music can sound like with his production.
That’s what he does best: he thrives as a producer, and this album was no different. Amazing production to go along with features from big hitters like Tyler, The Creator, Brent Faiyaz and Doechii.
The creative highlight on this album was the song “Robbery” featuring Doechii. The song tells a Bonnie and Clyde-inspired story, complete with a jazz beat straight from the 1920s speakeasy.
The ability of this album to switch seamlessly between so many different styles will make it one of the most audibly creative albums of the year. With songs including the classic Rocky sound like “Stole Ya Flow” and “Stop Snitching” to songs like “Punk Rocky” with a much more laid back indie rock sound. Also, an R&B sound on “Stay Here 4 Life” featuring Brent Faiyaz.
This album never gets stale, but also doesn’t feel all over the place. Rocky is able to fit so many different sounds and features together on the same album. This speaks to his ability as a producer. There will not be another album with this sound for a while.
It also isn’t Rocky’s typical sound and lacks many mainstream rap features that an album with this much anticipation might be expected to have. The idea to take a more alternative approach with this album really paid off.
There were so many new avenues to explore when you remove yourself from the typical boom bap sound rap is known for.
The cover art for the album was done by Tim Burton and helps visually represent how the album sounds. There are different characters on the front that can represent all the different sounds the album has, from references to old albums to his roots in New York.
Overall, the album did a really good job balancing a lot of different ideas and themes. We will be talking about this album for a long time and should expect to see it up for a lot of production awards at next year’s Grammys.
