Key Takeaways

• The Don’t Be Dumb cover was illustrated by Tim Burton, marking a rare music collaboration for the filmmaker.
• The artwork includes multiple versions of A$AP Rocky in Burton’s signature style, plus a bold “no” symbol.
• Danny Elfman, known for scoring Burton’s films, also contributed music to the album.

A$AP Rocky just took his long-awaited fourth album, Don’t Be Dumb, to a new visual level — and he tapped one of Hollywood’s most recognizable storytellers to do it. On Tuesday (Dec. 16), the rapper unveiled the project’s cover art and confirmed that Tim Burton, the celebrated filmmaker behind Edward Scissorhands and Beetlejuice, brought the concept to life.

Rocky announced the reveal with an all-caps message: “SORRY 4 THE WAIT. DON’T BE DUMB FINALLY HERE! THANKS TIM BURTON FOR HELPING ME MAKE THIS MOVIE! COMING SOON.” The illustrated cover features multiple versions of the rapper drawn in Burton’s signature style, along with a bold “no” symbol wrapped around the album title. Burton’s name also appears in the artwork credits.

This collaboration has been building for over a year. In a past conversation with Billboard, the Harlem native recalled playing the project for Burton and said, “I sat and I played the album for Tim Burton, and he was f**ing with it heavy. He was rocking his head and was like, ‘Wow! I didn’t know you made that kind of music!'”

He shared even more admiration for the filmmaker during a Vanity Fair interview, explaining, “I love Tim Burton, man. I’ve been inspired by him [since I was] a child. I think what he does with claymation and how he transcended into just, like, live-action movies, and the parallels between ‘em — and [how] he seamlessly included it from matte painting to German Expressionism. I think he’s a f**king genius.”

Rocky also revealed that longtime Burton collaborator Danny Elfman contributed heavily to the music. “Fun fact! His composer, his name's Danny Elfman. He just did my album with me that I'm putting out this year. He scored a bunch of the songs,” he told Vanity Fair. “So, we had [the TV] on mute and just like making music to all of the old films, Pee-wee’s Playhouse, The Simpsons, all of that… That’s with Danny Elfman.”

Rocky first aimed to drop Don’t Be Dumb in late August 2024, but the rollout has shifted more than once since then. He’s already teased a handful of tracks, including “Highjack,” “Tailor Swif,” “Ruby Rosary,” and “Pray4DaGang.”

Rihanna shows love for the Don’t Be Dumb reveal

When Rocky posted the album’s artwork, Rihanna jumped into the comments with full support. “So f**king proud!!!! LET’S GOOOO BABY,” she wrote, echoing the excitement fans have carried throughout the rollout.