Key Takeaways:
- ASAP Rocky’s album Don’t Be Dumb missed its August 2024 release, but he says the delay is more intentional than fans may have expected.
- In a new Apple Music interview, Rocky explains how fatherhood and personal growth are shaping his next era.
- His latest track, “pray4dagang” featuring KayCyy, dropped on July 4, renewing excitement for Don’t Be Dumb.
The long-awaited ASAP Rocky album, Don’t Be Dumb, was originally slated for August 2024, but the date came and went with no official drop. Still, the Harlem artist isn’t rushing the process. In a new Apple Music interview, he explained why this next chapter in his music is about more than just satisfying demand — it’s a reintroduction rooted in growth and intention.
On Friday (July 4), Rocky reaffirmed he has plans to liberate long-awaited tracks, but doing so requires more intention now than ever before. “I think the funny thing with me is just my journey and my career and my path and s**t is just the ability to perfect,” the Harlem emcee explained. “Nobody’s perfect, but I’m a perfectionist, and I think that every time that I [have] said everything that I needed to say, something else happens, something new happens, something else to talk about,” he added.
His evolution as a Renaissance man with credits in film and respect in the fashion industry has significantly informed how he maneuvers. Fans will hear a familiar voice, but Rocky is certain that they will be meeting a new version. “I’m just mainly concerned with... reintroducing myself. The guy I am now is not the guy I came in[to] this business as… We all know I’m a father now, you know. I’m a devoted father,” he mentioned.
The “D.M.B.” artist welcomed sons RZA and Riot in 2022 and 2023 with longtime partner Rihanna. In February, the couple revealed they are expecting a third child. “I think me trying to make sure that, you know, my business is right, my life is right, my livelihood, all that, you know, is aligned, I think that’s the only time that you can actually do something productive or do something substantial,” he continued.
Moreover, Rocky made it clear that his new music isn’t about surface-level flexes. “I wanna evoke some type of emotion. If I’m out here telling y’all how pretty I am again, that’s not talking about nothing… If I talk to you about how I f**ked your b**ch or I could take your b**ch again, that’s not really talking [a]bout nothing. Everybody knows I love clothes, and you know I’m going to talk about that, but it’s not talking about nothing when it’s just like, 'Okay, what else?' Right?... I’m just one of those artists that, you know, we do things without compromise.”
He dropped off the new track, “pray4dagang,” featuring KayCyy, exclusively available on Apple Music today before it lands on other streaming platforms tomorrow (June 5). It’s the first sample of an era that will surely add to Rocky’s legacy as an artist striving to evolve in all areas of his life.