A$AP Rocky’s follow-up to 2018’s Testing is closer than ever before, but fans will have to wait just a bit longer for his return.
Initially announcing the long-awaited DON’T BE DUMB during Paris Fashion Week (originally slated for release on Aug. 30), Rocky’s cover story in Billboard (Aug. 22) revealed that the album has been delayed until Fall 2024.
Sharing singles in “Ruby Rosary” with J. Cole, “TAILOR SWIF” and “HIGHJACK” in the interim, these releases are the AWGE rapper’s first solo drops since “RIOT (ROWDY PIPE’N)” in 2023 — and Rocky had some more heat directed at Drake on “HIGHJACK,” “Pull up to the trenches, all my jewelry, yeah, I’m like that,” he raps. “Don’t compare that p**sy boy to me, I don’t like that / These n***s want my wife bad, the people want my next track.” Rocky and Drake have directly traded bars about Rihanna on “Family Matters” and “HIGHJACK,” as Rocky spoke on the beef in his latest cover story.
“You got to realize, certain nas was throwing shots for years. I ain’t in the middle of that sht. That’s not how I retaliate right now. I got bigger fish to fry than some py boys,” he told Billboard. “It is real beef outside. It is real. N***s getting really clipped and blitzed every day. N***s sniping n***s every day. That little kitty sh*t ain’t about nothing.”
His appearance on Future and Metro Boomin‘s WE STILL DON’T TRUST YOU kept him in rotation up until he teased a new track during the debut of AWGE’s AMERICAN SABOTAGE runway show at PFW—where he debuted beef-laced bars aimed at Drake. Amid the beef, Rocky’s latest single “TAILOR SWIF” (which he dropped on Aug. 30 in place of DBD) takes a wacky, off-the-cuff approach to Rocky’s rather dialed video direction. The song itself is bombastic and catchy, but the video makes a splash with the ceaseless randomness that ensues (perhaps a take on Rocky evading and tackling the endless internet sleuths leaking his album).
Check out Rocky’s latest singles as we wait for the official ‘DBD’ release date.
What took so long?
Rocky said “leaks” and “sample clearances” have disrupted the album’s release. It’s been six years since Rocky shared TESTING, and fans are ravenously waiting for his return.
Produced by Pharrell, “HIGHJACK” preceded the AWGE rapper’s headlining set at Rolling Loud Miami 2023, which saw him preview songs off the album that may or may not still slated to release (who knows at this point what’s changed due to leaks).
Rocky initially performed “RIOT” during his Amazon Music Live performance in December 2022, as the track’s droning horns, crashing percussion and triumphant energy allow Rocky’s bars to shine brightest. “I might start a riot (Woo, woo, woo) / We grow, we learn and we live (Woo, woo, woo) / Opposite of quiet (Woo, woo, woo),” he raps on the hook, interpolating Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” on the ghostly, layered ad-libs beneath him.
Seen donning a wrapped white tee babushka in the cover art and numerous social media clips — which coincided the track’s premiere in a new Beats By Dre commerical “ICONIC SOUND” (which Rocky directed) — “RIOT” was the head-turning hit Don’t Be Dumb desperately needed at that stage of its rollout. It’s disruptive and of-the-moment for Rocky’s newfound work-life balance, which is illustrated in DBD Easter eggs like the “Don’t Be Dumb Hotel” and AWGE Bodega seen in the shoot. The visual features an army of Rocky’s white tee “dummies” scrambling the streets.
Production credits
In January 2023, Rocky revealed that he has “some heavy hitters” on his forthcoming project, officially releasing “Same Problems?” (Jan. 18) which surprisingly touted writing credits from Miguel, Tyler The Creator (Tyler Okonma) and Lil Yachty (Miles McCollum). Per an interview with Complex’s Jordan Rose, Rocky’s forthcoming album will feature production from not only Pharrell and Tyler, but Madlib, Alchemist, Hitkidd, Metro Boomin, Mike Dean, Swedish House Mafia, Hit-Boy, Boi-1da and more. The Harlem trendsetter also implored hackers to stop leaking.
“They gotta stop leaking it! These dummies got to stop leaking shit. Every time, we have to go back to the drawing board, but right now I think it’s in a place where we tightened it up and we really can’t make or break anything right now. We in album mode, it’s time to start rolling out the project. This is just a single for the project. This is really happening.”
A$AP Rocky via Complex
The A$AP frontman previously confirmed that Tyler, Miguel and Yachty — as well as Thundercat and rising Latin star Peso Pluma — are slated as features for Don’t Be Dumb during his Apple Music 1 interview with Zane Lowe. “We got some help from a lot of friends there. We got Miguel, we got Tyler, The Creator, we got Lil Yachty here, we got Thundercat,” he said. “Those are some heavy hitters.” He also alluded to Rihanna being featured on the album. “New collab with my baby mom,” he raps on “RIOT,” as the couple welcomed their baby boy, RZA, in 2022.
Lead singles
Connecting the lead track to 2012’s “Fuckin Problems,” Rocky explained that “Same Problems?” was written from the perspective of “remorse.” “I just wanted to touch on something a bit different opposed to just being braggadocious, flamboyant, and just regular rap content for me… I just kind of wanted to express myself and tell how I felt without preaching,” he continued. And I think we can all relate. We all got the same problems.”
Rocky’s been teasing music off the record for the better part of three years — first unveiling “RIOT” (formerly dubbed “Roddy Rowdy Piper”) and “Mushroom Clouds” during his Summer Smash set in 2020. Performing “Same Problems?” during his Amazon Music Live set, he dedicated the track to “everybody we lost in hip-hop throughout the years.”
“You gotta know that we the highest statistic of losing people,” Rocky announced mid-performance. “No other genre loses rockstars, pop singers, and country artists. Hip-hoppers, we get killed and shot every day. Overdoses, all types of unfortunate events. So this song is dedicated to everybody we lost and anybody who ever lost somebody.”
This all came days after Rocky dropped “Shittin Me,” which followed “D.M.B.” — the album’s first single in May 2022. On top of appearing on Metro Boomin’s instantly beloved HEROES & VILLAINS, the NYC emcee divulged that his next album has tons of Metro’s maestro influence. “This next album just needs to be called Flacko Boomin, you hear me?”, he told GQ Magazine at Miami’s Art Basel, garnering greater hype altogether.
While we still wait for an official tracklist and artwork, we’re just weeks away from Rocky’s full-length return.
This story will be updated
Listen to “DON’T BE DUMB” below!