It’s been eight long years since A$AP Rocky’s last album ‘Testing,’ and the anticipation for comeback record ‘Don’t Be Dumb’ couldn’t really be higher: it’s a release that’s always felt near-mythical, spoken of in the same breath as J. Cole’s ‘The Fall Off’ and that non-existent ‘Blonde’ follow-up from Frank Ocean. That being said, it’s not like Mayers has been crafting the album diligently for all that time— the guy was just found not guilty on assault charges, for goodness sake! Now that it’s finally here though, we can all breathe a sigh of relief. ‘Don’t Be Dumb’ isn’t quite generational, but it sure as hell isn’t a disappointment.

Even amidst the weight of expectation placed upon him, Rocky has stepped back into the spotlight with nothing but confidence. There’s no great fanfare kicking off his new record— no orchestral samples or outrageous lyrical showcases smacking you over the head— but rather a simple “it’s been a lil’ while since I been in the league” and an in-his-element Mayers that greets us on opener ‘ORDER OF PROTECTION.’ Though ‘Don’t Be Dumb’ will go on to take a number of stylistic gambles across its fifteen tracks, its central through-line is the sense of style, character and self-assurance emanating from its star. Single ‘Helicopter’ comes out swinging with a gnarly bass-heavy beat, over which Rocky delivers a host of sleek and effortless flows: it’s easy to feel like he’s hardly even trying on a number of tracks, with the obvious evidence to the contrary being the excellent level of quality on offer here. We may be a long way away from the spacey cloud rap of 2011’s ‘LIVE.LOVE.A$AP,’ but you wouldn’t know it listening to Mayers himself, who sounds like he never left.

It’s from here that ‘Don’t Be Dumb’ proceeds to go on a pretty ridiculous run, kicked off by the exhilarating ‘STOLE YA FLOW.’ Even if dissing Drake is much akin to beating a dead horse in 2026, the combination of this cut’s grimy synth tones and Rocky’s arrogant, looking-down-at-you delivery on the mic combine to make this an undisputed standout, full of more disdain and dismissal than outright aggression.

“Just might pull up to your crib, spin it like the rent

Spend it like the time that you ain't spending with your kids

We take these boys to school, they try to Columbine

Word to Tyler, we see you bomb like Oppenheimer”

The multiple references to Mayers’ wife Rihanna across the song make for an apt transition into the much smoother ‘STAY HERE 4 LIFE,’ which is grounded instantly in some absolutely gorgeous guest vocals from Brent Faiyaz— it’s a pop-rap number full of as much heart as it is strong melody, not even mentioning the phenomenal beat switch that sees the track diving back into the cloud rap of Rocky’s past. When the following ‘PLAYA’ carries on in that same vein, filling itself with intimate piano licks and a massive range of vocal inflections, ‘Don’t Be Dumb’ really begins to get comfy in its own identity.

And so the excellent production continues with ‘NO TRESPASSING,’ a song that feels scientifically engineered to scratch an itch in your brain, and ‘STOP SNITCHING,’ which brings the energy back in a big way. The cuts are quite different from one another, but fit together cleanly as a one-two punch of arrogant indulgence: if you were going to check out but a single moment of the record, let it be Sauce Walka’s infectious feature that completely overshadows Mayers’ own contributions. Even ‘STFU,’ which has come under fire for its abrasive rage-style presentation, feels quite natural as part of a track list as diverse and confident as this— we might even defend the cut over genre-combining lead single ‘PUNK ROCKY,’ only because that song’s spacious vocal production and laid-back atmosphere are undercut by the simplicity and monotony of its beat. Regardless, this stretch of the record feels like a breather, allowing us to reflect on the journey ‘Don’t Be Dumb’ has taken us on thus far. Its first two-thirds are basically untouchable.

And then it all falls apart. Perhaps that’s somewhat hyperbolic, but it’s a statement reflective of the whiplash the album goes through following ‘PUNK ROCKY,’ quickly abandoning its tight, focused style in service of a much more sporadic and chaotic experience. The frenetic trap beats and spacey passages that make up ‘AIR FORCE (BLACK DEMARCO)’ are both solid ideas in their own rights, but listening to them combined has us feeling like we’re switching back and forth between two rivalling radio stations, unsure of which one we’d rather ride out— Mayers ends up settling on that smoother sound, continuing it on the somewhat forgettable Damon Albarn-backed ‘WHISKEY (RELEASE ME).’ The song that really rocks the boat is ‘ROBBERY.’ Each aspect of this track, from Doechii’s raspy vocals to its comical jazz backing, clashes with the atmosphere ‘Don’t Be Dumb’ has cultivated so lovingly thus far— it feels out of place like a laugh at a funeral, and the album never really finds its footing from there. Rocky chooses to close things out on more ambient pieces in the title track and ‘THE END,’ making ‘ROBBERY’ the final burst of energy to define the album experience: would that we could swap it out for bonus track ‘SWAT TEAM.’

‘Don’t Be Dumb’ struggles to round itself out in a satisfying way, but lingering on that criticism would feel silly when we can still feel the excitement brought on by ‘STOLE YA FLOW’ and ‘NO TRESPASSING.’ A$AP Rocky has well-and-truly met all expectations placed upon him here, delivering an album that feels both experimental and crowd-pleasing in equal measure. We can only hope his next release comes sooner rather than later— it feels like we’re in very safe hands.