A$AP Rocky has officially announced that his much-delayed album, Don’t Be Dumb, will finally be released this year — and it comes with an unexpected creative twist.
In a new interview with Vanity Fair, the rapper revealed that acclaimed composer Danny Elfman, best known for his decades-long partnership with filmmaker Tim Burton, contributed to several tracks on the upcoming project.
“Danny Elfman… he just did my album with me that I’m putting out this year. He scored a bunch of the songs on my new album,”A$AP Rocky shared.
The 37-year-old artist — born Rakim Mayers — had previously disclosed that Tim Burton himself had listened to the album and surprisingly loved it. Speaking to Billboard,A$AP Rocky recalled playing the record for Burton:
“I sat and I played the album for Tim Burton, and he was f****** with it heavy… he was rocking his head and he’s like, ‘Wow! I didn’t know you made that kind of music!’”
Rocky also approached the legendary director to create the album’s official artwork, but despite their discussions, the collaboration ultimately did not materialize.
Don’t Be Dumb is shaping up to be one of Rocky’s most collaborative projects yet, with expected contributions from Tyler, The Creator, Metro Boomin, Madlib, Pharrell Williams, Swedish House Mafia, and Mike Dean, among others.
The album was initially slated for release on August 30, 2024, but repeated delays — attributed to leaks and sample-clearance issues — pushed the project into 2025.
Fans have already gotten a taste of the LP through tracks like “Tailor Swift,” “Highjack,” “Ruby Rosary,” and “Pray4DaGang.”
Don’t Be Dumb will mark A$AP Rocky’s first studio album since 2018’s Testing, ending a seven-year gap between full-length releases.
