A$AP Rocky has not dropped a new project since his 2018 album Testing. In the last six years, Rocky has become a father, a committed partner to Rihanna, and completed endless “Fashion Killa” collaborations that have everyone talkin’ ‘bout his fit again. Drake may have forgotten that he raps but fans haven’t—eagerly checking his socials and Reddit boards waiting for new announcements.
Finally in 2024, he dropped a pre-save link for his new project, DON’T BE DUMB, that had hip-hop heads celebrating like their Super Bowl parlay hit. However, he’s given so many teasers of the album that it’s hard to know what still stands. We’ve compiled all the easter eggs we could find about DON’T BE DUMB to give the most accurate report on what to expect.
How “GRIM” and Tim Burton influenced the album
Fans at first were unsure what A$AP Rocky was teasing with the mentions of “GRIM” scattering his social media pages after dropping (and then deleting) “GRIM FREESTYLE” in 2020. Four years later, we now know why “grim” has been repeatedly associated with the album.
In the June 2024 GQ story covering his AWGE debut at Paris Fashion Week, he explained what the term really means.
“What he would divulge was a link to his ‘ghetto expressionism’ era, a visual style that combines the dark aesthetics of Tim Burton films with the visionary swagger of pioneering cultural titans like André 3000. (The term, as he told me in April, is a portmanteau of German Expressionism and ghetto futurism, and Rocky often shortens it as ‘GRIM.’) It’s how he describes his personal vibe right now, his distinct collage of gritty urban style cues with wavy pearl accessories (not to mention lots of Bottega Veneta),” the story stated.
Not long after this, in an August 2024 story with Billboard, Rocky expanded on Tim Burton’s influence, even asking him to create the album cover. Their schedules couldn’t align to make the artwork happen but Burton ended up being one of the first people to hear the album.
“I sat and I played the album for Tim Burton, and he was f–king with it heavy … he was rocking his head and he’s like, ‘Wow! I didn’t know you made that kind of music,’” Rocky said.
Rocky was still able to get support from Burton’s longtime collaborator and composer, Danny Elfman, to “contribute musical snippets throughout the album, including on a song produced by The Alchemist.”
Potential featured artists and collaborators
Like most things Don’t Be Dumb related, the featured artists began teasing years ago. In 2018, Juicy J spoke about his contributions to Rocky’s Testing album and confirmed he’d already made a beat for Rocky’s new project.
News about any other potential collaborators, though, didn’t drop until years later. In a 2022 interview with GQ, Rocky revealed that Metro Boomin is so heavily involved in his new music it could be a joint tape.
“I’m gonna put it to you like this: This next album needs to be just called Flacko Boomin, you hear me … Metro’s not thirsty for a Rocky song, I’m not thirsty for a Metro beat… it’s natural … Most artists wanna make [collabs just because they’re hot]. For us, it’s like, that’s really my n****,” Rocky said about Metro.
A year later, in July 2023, Rocky revealed even more producers on the project and even potential collaborations with Complex. He said the below names have all contributed to the album.
- — Tyler, the Creator
- — Metro Boomin
- — Madlib
- — The Alchemist
- — Hitkidd
- — Pharrell Williams
- — Mike Dean
- — Swedish House Mafia
- — Dean Blunt
In the same interview with Complex, Rocky addressed the rumors that he’d been in the studio with Mexican artist Peso Pluma.
“I love the fact that he’s successful right now … But I genuinely like him because he is of the culture. He told me a crazy story. He was just like, ‘Yo, I remember I used to work at this pizzeria at this restaurant downtown in Little Italy. I remember just taking the train and listening to ‘1 Train’ and ‘Peso.’’ I was like, ‘Yo, you fucked me up.’ He said, ‘I lived in New York when you popped off.’ So for me, it felt like the right thing to do. I’m not really one to just collaborate with somebody because they’re poppin’. I would prefer for there to be some significance there … That’s why we collabed,” Rocky said.
Even though the album has evolved more times than a Pokémon, fans are still hyped to see who might contribute a verse in support of Rocky.
More alleged Drake disses on the album
Once friends and collaborators on songs like 2012’s “F**kin’ Problems,” A$AP Rocky and Drake have allegedly had tensions for years, which came to a head during the Don’t Be Dumb rollout.
Amid the rap civil war between Kendrick and Drake, Rocky had some choice words of his own for the 6ix god. His guest verse on Metro Boomin and Future’s “Show of Hands” in April 2024 fired shots, stating that he slept with the mother of Drake’s child before Drake did.
Drake responded on “Family Matters,” pettily pointing out, “I ain’t even know you rapped still ’cause they only talkin’ ’bout your ‘fit again.”
Since then, rumors have circulated alleging Rocky’s new album will have more Drake disses, but the singles Rocky’s continued dropping suggest some validity to these whispers. On August 2nd, he released “HIGHJACK,” and fans deciphered certain lyrics allegedly aimed at Drake.
“These n***** want my wife bad, the people want my next track, The coppers want my Black ass, fucked up, but it’s like that,” Rocky says on “HIGHJACK.”
Refusing to take any type of L, Drake came back with “It’s Up” days later on August 6 from his massive 100 GIGS drop for all of his fans and naysayers. “Knockin’ off the namebrand n***** in your crew, Heard you miss your dogs, now it’s long live who, Idiot,” Drizzy said to close out the track.
Rocky addressed the beef off wax in an August 22 interview with Billboard.
Nevertheless, Rocky kept his foot on Drake’s neck. On September 6, Rocky returned locked and loaded on his J. Cole collab “Ruby Rosary.”
Hinting at Drake’s K. Dot diss track “Push Ups,” Rocky rapped “N***** want smoke with me, tell him, ‘Push up, Hercules,’ Hercules, tell him push up, tell him pull up, thirty-three, My mind obliques, tell ’em push up, ambulance on the scene.”
There is still more to come. DJ Kast One, who heard music from the upcoming project, told the Ebro in the Morning show on July 26 that Rocky “is going to be cemented on Drake’s list after this” next album fully drops.
Singles released (so far)
Whether it was due to leaks or teasers for what’s to come, Rocky has dropped multiple singles and previewed others that may (or may not) be on the album. Starting with the singles he’s officially released, most of which have music videos, in chronological order:
- — “D.M.B.” was released in May 2022 with a music video ft. Rihanna
- — “Shittin’ Me” was released in December 2022 (fans have theorized this was a Testing-era song and won’t be on the album)
- — “Same Problems?” was released in January 2023, honoring A$AP Yams and Yams Day
- — “RIOT (Rowdy Pipe’n)” was released in July 2023, not long after Rocky revealed his second son with Rihanna was born and named Riot Rose
- — “HIGHJACK” was released in August 2024
- — “Tailor Swif” was released in August 2024
- — “Ruby Rosary” ft. J. Cole was released in September 2024
Aside from official releases, Rocky’s show at Paris Fashion Week in June 2024 was his biggest album announcement yet. Previewing three new songs in the soundtrack and closing the show with a pre-save link to the album.
Alleged release date is fall 2024
The last four years felt like A$AP and fellow AWGE artist Playboi Carti were going lie for lie with their “album almost done” teasers. 2024 seemed to be the year Rocky would stop playing when he revealed an “August 30th” release date at his Paris Fashion Week show.
Unfortunately for fans, the album was delayed (again) eight days before it was scheduled to drop. Billboard initially broke the news in their cover story on the rapper, citing a cryptic “fall 2024” as the updated release date. Rocky addressed the news on X, citing the usual scapegoat for album delays.
Despite Rocky offering his reasons for the delay, fans began developing theories about what was going on.
“I saw a theory that Flacko was putting out singles that weren’t really hitting, kinda testing the waters before dropping a full project and might be the reason why it’s taking so long … This just adds to that theory,” Reddit user KuntaWuKnicks said in an August 2024 post.
With just three months left of 2024, here’s hoping we get a new A$AP or Playboi Carti album before GTA 6.
