A$AP Rocky dropped his fourth studio album “Don’t Be Dumb” on Friday, Jan. 16. This is his first album release since “Testing” in 2018, which had countless features like Frank Ocean, Kid Cudi and Kodak Black. “Don’t Be Dumb,” however, is a solo album by A$AP.
A$AP Rocky is one of the most popular rappers today with two number one albums, “Long. Live. A$AP” and “At. Long. Last. A$AP.” His third studio album “Testing” topped at number four on the Billboard 200. The rapper also has many top 100 hits such as “Wild for the Night,” “LSD” and “Praise the Lord (Da Shine).”
The opening track is “Order of Protection” which opens with the beat before A$AP begins rapping 16 seconds in. The beat is a slow opener but gets louder as the song goes on; it’s a little basic but works with the toned-down vibe. A$AP’s rapping sounds clean; you’re able to understand what he’s saying and it flows well with the beat.
The second track, “Helicopter,” begins totally different. The beat is different from the opener as it starts with a lot of bass. The lyrics flow well with the beat and is very satisfying to listen to. “Helicopter” is also faster paced than “Order of Protection” which makes it easier to focus on.
“Stole Ya Flow” brings similar energy to “Helicopter.” The beat is also fast paced and filled with bass. The lyrics in this one are very catchy — you’ll latch on to them after just a few listens.
“Stay Here 4 Life” has a calmer sound with vocals starting the song. Then, Brent Faiyaz starts to rap repeated lyrics and finally A$AP joins the song. His lyrics flow well with the slower, lighter beat and the song has a more positive vibe to it.
“Playa” continues the calmer, slower beat from the previous song but gets a little faster a couple seconds in. The lyrics itself are alright and Stephen Curry is mentioned in the song with the lyrics “If she curvy, just like Steph Curry, gotta take your shot.”
“Stop Snitching” has a great beat right off the bat. It starts slow and then gets fast; it’s bass-filled and has some good background tracks. The vocals come in hot, right as the song starts and gives a sort of 2016 vibe as it changes pace.
“Air Force (Black Demarco)” also has a more bassy, heavy, fast-paced sound like the previous songs. The lyrics again come in hot and fast, so if you’re not listening, you’ll miss what’s being said. About a minute in, the song suddenly slows down with the vocals being a lot lower-pitched than before. Then, just like that, 30 seconds later it’s back to fast paced. The combination of slow and fast paced lyrics with the beat makes the song fun to listen to.
The rest of the album is good too, “Robbery” has a fun jazzy sound to it, “Don’t Be Dumb/Trip Baby” has a slower lo-fi beat to it and “Fish N Steak (What Is It)” has a weird, mesmerizing sound to it that gets faster as the song goes on.
A$AP Rocky’s “Don’t Be Dumb” is a solid album with all sorts of different sounds, beats, lyrics and paces to it. It’s a good mix of ordinary and weird that makes this album a hit.