After an eight year wait and heavily hyped release, Rakim Meyers (A$AP Rocky) released Don’t Be Dumb to the public January 16, 2026, experimenting with a variety of new aspects to his music such as jazz, indie, metal, and punk.
“I thought the experimentation of the album made it really interesting,” junior Rutger Webster said. “I was very impressed in my first reaction to the album with the diversity of sounds and genres that Rocky harnessed.”
The experimentation Rocky included in the album has attracted opinions of interest with twisting themes jumping from indie to metal. Many fans felt the project felt like a breath of fresh air within the rap industry that has been thought of as bland for multiple years.
“I get sick of hearing the same type of song over and over again so I feel good with the way Rocky experimented with new sounds and artists was super cool especially in Stop Snitching featuring Bossman Dlow and Sauce Walka, I love that song,” senior Shiloh Trujillo.
The experimentation on the album has created a large attraction about many of the songs on the record. Another thing fans have appreciated is the several artists featured such as Tyler Okonma (Tyler, the Creator), Jaylah Hickmon (Doechii), Alvin Worthy (Westside Gunn), and more.
“My favorite song is Stay Here 4 Life because of how smoothly Rocky glides.” Webster said.
Christopher Wood (Brent Faiyaz) is another notable feature that many people consider to be the best on the album. The features on the album have been heavily praised so far which have improved public opinion on the album even more.
“Honestly the album was pretty solid in itself,” said senior Angelina Cruz. “It’s different from what he normally drops, so it was an interesting listen.”
Not only does he curate his creativity within the music portion of the album, but also with Tim Burton as the creative director and designing more than ten designs for the album’s cover. Even though the album debuted at one the vibrant, experimental, visual and auditory style show Rocky’s return with an album carrying purpose rather than an attempt to top the charts.
“I think the album was wonderful, however it did not live up to the expectations I had for it which were astronomically high after 8 years of curation,” said Webster.
Despite the compelling atmosphere of the project, many believe that such a long wait did not match the substance of delivery. However, others believe that his intent and experimentation wasn’t static but rather a build up throughout the years while serving as a reminder of memories.
“I can already tell some of these songs are going to make me so nostalgic about my senior year. It’s such a good mix of different vibes I loved it,” said Trujillo. “Also not too much on Rocky for the wait, he just wanted Tim Burton on it badly.”
