Following an eight-year wait, rapper A$AP Rocky has finally released his fourth studio album, ‘Don’t Be Dumb’ on Jan. 16, 2026. With a total of 15 tracks and four bonus songs on the latest update, the album runs at just over an hour long. First-week sales showed the album went number one on the Billboard chart, with 123,000 total sales and 40,000 pure sales. With a confirmed deluxe on the way and a tour starting in late May, how was ‘Don’t Be Dumb’?

The album begins with “Order of Protection” and ends with “The End”, featuring the producer and rapper will.i.am and songwriter Jessica Pratt, with four additional songs, “Swat Team”, a snipper shown in a Cash App commercial in 2025, “Fish N Steak” with long-time collaborator Tyler, the Creator, and singer Jozzy on the original cut. On Jan 21, he added “Flackito Jodye” with Dominican rapper Takischa, and Clams Casino’s mashup of “Demons” off Rocky’s first mixtape, and “I’m God” with Imogen Heap, “I Smoked Away My Brain”. The album itself is incredibly experimental, ranging from jazz rap, trap, and nu-metal to punk. 

The album cover was done by Tim Burton, a legendary director and artist known for “The Nightmare Before Christmas”. The singles, “Punk Rocky”, “Helicopter$”, “Stole Ya Flow”, “Air Force (Black Demarco)”, and “Flackito Jodye” were all given covers that nod at vintage video games from the early 2000s. The music videos for “Punk Rocky”, “Helicopter$”, and “Whiskey/Air Force” all feature visuals for the album, animation between the album characters, and end with Rocky dying in some way, a potential theme.

This would make Rocky’s fourth album, and as a Rocky fan, it’s definitely up there. His first mixtape and the next two albums are timeless and full of hits, but I can see “Don’t Be Dumb” being a classic in a few years. While it lacks the constant hits like previous albums, “Stole Ya Flow”, a long-anticipated sneak diss at Toronto rapper Drake following a decade-long feud, “Stay Here 4 Ever” with Brent Faiyaz, “Punk Rocky”, and “Swat Team” definitely all have potential of doing incredible past the hype, and so do the other tracks.

The production itself is great. I hate to say it, but this is definitely one of the better-sounding albums I’ve heard in a while. A big worry for me was that it’d sound cookie-cutter, but the production itself has great samples and even better mixing. It’s also one of the best mixed projects I’ve heard since rap duo Clipse’s album in July of 2025, and that really shouldn’t be a compliment. 

I personally really enjoyed the album. I was very skeptical of it after seeing the features, but even before that, the singles were incredible. The interviews, live shows, and announcements since the release have only made me even more excited. My favorite track has to be “Don’t Be Dumb”, a double track that was shown throughout the four-year-long rollout. Even saying that, though, the album itself is incredibly replayable. The songs don’t feel boring; they sound great, and the features earned their spots.