Emerging from Harlem, New York, yet making music in a Houston or Southern sound, rapper and entrepreneur Rakim Mayers, also known as A$AP Rocky, would begin his career in 2011 with his debut mixtape, “LIVE.LOVE.A$AP,” and show off a psychedelic trap energy that, at the time, was unheard of. In just a few years, Mayers would cover every corner of the hip-hop genre, marry pop-star Rihanna, become a world-renowned fashion model, and grow strong relationships with label mates and fellow artists alike. 

Following the release of his third studio album, “TESTING,” though, Mayers would remain almost silent for several years with music. After an eight-year wait, several failed roll-outs, terrible streaming numbers, and a plethora of singles, Rocky finally slates his upcoming album, “DON’T BE DUMB” for Jan. 16, but can it revive his music career?

For years, Rocky has been known as a consistent and fun rapper. You could play his music in the car, in your room, with friends, on headphones and stereos alike, but ask anyone in 2025 what new music they’re playing, the answer won’t be Rocky. This year has been his least active musically since 2021, and it’s gonna be an issue for the album. Since 2022, when the “American Sabotage” rollout began, Rocky has released six singles for the upcoming album, all ranging from mediocre to great songs. And the worst part? None are confirmed to be on the album.

The issue with none of the current six songs released potentially being on the album is that people are now walking into the already controversial album blind. And if they are, the issue with them being on the album is that of the 16 tracks, a full six of them are what many fans consider underwhelming or mediocre. This issue could’ve been mostly avoided. Without confirmation, fans may walk into it expecting a previous vibe or energy and may walk out disappointed if it’s different, which it certainly could be, as four years have passed, allowing different perspectives and experiences to alter the sound. Perhaps even worse, if almost a quarter of the album is full of songs fans have already heard, hype may die quickly as they’ve already been talked out and played through.

Another really big issue is that it’s been eight years since “TESTING.” Anyone who was 16 years old when it came out is now 24, potentially graduating this spring, and they only get older and have more responsibility. An eight-year wait is not only long, but couple in constant lying about the state of the album and a once dying hype, fans have had time to check out, and you can’t necessarily blame them. Eight years is enough to go through high school and college, to watch a child be born and enter second grade, and even exit that party phase in everyone’s 20s. The people who wanted the first concepts to the album may have already moved on.

An issue not only seen in Rocky’s music, but the genre itself. The music Rocky has previewed often sounds generic. Basic trap beats everyone’s heard a million times with a new name and package being spit out at you by a new voice. Coming from literally pioneering the genre, if you can’t sound any different from what’s already available, you won’t see success past the hype. 

That’s already being seen in his stream numbers as well. Following a one-day exclusive drop on Apple Music, only to be added to all other DSPs on July 5, 2025, “pray4dagang” only gathered 237,000 streams on Spotify, the music video was deleted, and as of Dec. 15, 2025, gathered 3 million streams. While that’s not a few streams at all, it never charted, it never appeared on Spotify’s debut top 100, and most tend to say they don’t like the song. It’s been five months since it was released, and that is the last new content we’ve heard. Of course, the Tim Burton collab for the cover made pre-order sales sell out in hours and resell in the hundreds while reigniting hype, but the numbers for “pray4dagang” say that it may not do too well after the hype. 

I write none of this because I hate Rocky, and I hope the album flops. In fact, as I write this, I regret not purchasing a signed copy this week and am contemplating purchasing a copy off Amazon, but I also cannot act like this album isn’t his career. While I may not be a lifelong fan, I’ve been around long enough to remember the Aug. 31 date in 2024, and the alleged “sample clearance issues,” the silence in that winter, followed by the loud silence in pretty much all of 2025. I enjoy a few of the singles, I love the new cover, I have my calendar marked, but if this album does not do well, it will be the end of his musical career. 

And if it does, perhaps it’s deserved. Time and time again, we see artists get big and then completely disappear. In the case of Frank Ocean, a past collaborator of Rocky, he hasn’t even had a verse since Travis Scott’s “ASTROWORLD” in 2018, and he remains one of the most anticipated artists in the R&B genre. And neither of them is the only one to do it. Maybe Rocky will do the same thing label-mate Playboi Carti did with “MUSIC” after a four-year wait and have the highest-streamed rap album on release date on Spotify, but I have my doubts. If it does, let it be a message to other artists in the mainstream scene: You can’t abandon what brought you stardom and randomly come back when you get bored. Stop playing with your fans, and let the fans hear the music.