By Ethan Goddard
Every once in a while, we get lucky and see an artist pull off the impossible – meeting the expectations of a highly anticipated release. After eight years of stop-and-go promotion A$AP Rocky’s Don’t Be Dumb is out and while I’m not disappointed, it’s also not a jaw dropper.
I was skeptical in the lead up to this one, despite news that Danny Elfman was allegedly the producer, and that Tim Burton’s fingerprints were supposedly going to be all over the art and promotion.
At the time of writing, I’ve had about a week to sit with the record. Something about this record felt a bit different. In short, it was good. It lived up to every expectation I had…but that was kind of it? I know that might make me musically spoiled, but something about the album made me feel strange. But let’s put a pin in that for now and talk about what was good.
For starters…the production is SO good! I’d never thought about Danny Elfman collaborating on a hip-hop record. But let me tell you, he did not disappoint. Elfman didn’t executive produce the record, but did play a key role throughout. One of the most impressive credits he holds on the record is the production on STOLE YA FLOW, a song that takes shots at Drake. This is one of many moments throughout the record where Rocky turns his chaotic energy to 10. Another is HELICOPTER, the second single leading up to the release. I’ve been a Rocky fan long enough to know that he’s no stranger to bringing moshpit energy to his records, so while they’re extremely fun, I also found some of the slower moments to be even more memorable.
One in particular is ROBBERY (feat. Doechii). Pardon my French, but holy shit, this is easily the best song on the record. The instrumental manages to do something I don’t see very often in modern hip-hop – it eliminates any semblance of modernity in its production, all while remaining true to hip-hop at its core. It feels timeless despite being brand new. It’s jazzy, smooth, and exudes wealth in a way that isn’t bragadocious. It feels luxurious to listen to. The delivery of Rocky and Doechii’s respective verses pair extremely well with the instruments, as if they’re performing inside a dimly-lit speakeasy. It’s refreshing, and I believe it could be the song of the year. Maybe even for the decade!
These three songs aren’t the only highlights. There were plenty of good songs, but this brings me to my point from earlier. The record is good, but it lacks memorability. It’s extremely fun, musically enjoyable, but doesn’t have many moments that leave my jaw on the ground. If an artist creates eight years of anticipation for their record, they better feel confident that they have something REALLY special. For the last 10 years, we’ve seen artists build nonstop, drawn-out hype for their albums, and then leave us disappointed (I blame Kanye West for this godawful rollout formula). As fans, it’s exhausting. So when we see someone stick the landing on returning from a hiatus like Pusha T and Malice did last year with Clipse’s Let God Sort ‘em Out, it rebuilds and reaffirms fan expectations. Rocky’s new album was by no means bad, but for me, it did exactly what I thought it would. And when it did surpass expectations on songs like ROBBERY or HELICOPTER, it made me wish the rest of the album was on that same level.
The biggest way this record went above and beyond was the rollout. From the music videos like PUNK ROCKY, which looked like a short film starring Winona Ryder (produced by A24) to WHISKEY/BLACK DEMARCO, which mixed animation and live action as if it was a tribute to Cool World or Who Framed Roger Rabbit, all of it was done well. In the end, Don’t Be Dumb proves that Rocky is more than the average east coast rapper, but this LP is generally safer than I would’ve hoped for.
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