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Jan 16, 2026What we get is a 2026 version of Rocky who raps as sharply as ever while flaunting the curatorial abilities that helped make him a star in the first place.
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Feb 3, 2026The weird detours and stylistic wanderlust result in an album that somehow makes a lot of sense as a larger statement, with all the dissimilar sounds contributing to a listening experience that demands attention and doesn’t let go once it takes hold.
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Jan 28, 2026Ultimately, this is a more mature Rocky: suited, settled and self-assured. The bachelor’s grown up – and somehow, that hasn’t dulled his shine at all.
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Jan 16, 2026‘STAY HERE 4 LIFE’ feels like his re-commitment to the art, a high point on an album laden with anthems – ‘NO TRESPASSING’ is sheer, filthy club music, while ‘AIR FORCE (BLACK DEMARCO)’ marries Mega Drive electronics to impetuous flows. There’s subtlety, too.
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Jan 21, 2026Don’t Be Dumb won’t replace old favourites. But it is, in its own sprawling way, a reaffirmation of what makes Rocky compelling: his appetite for risk, his curation of texture and collaborators, and his refusal to smooth every rough edge.
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Jan 22, 2026An overstuffed and engrossing album that's a bit of a mess.
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Jan 20, 2026It’s slick and overstuffed. .... Still, it sounds like he’s having fun, and he eventually persuades the listener to join in as well.
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Jan 20, 2026Don’t Be Dumb is not a blockbuster, and it’s all the better for it.
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Jan 16, 2026Don’t Be Dumb isn’t quite the cultural leap Rocky was hoping to make, but it is a step in the right direction.
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Jan 22, 2026Quality control has never been A$AP Rocky’s strong suit, but he remains a highly capable rapper, with a smooth, easy-to-appreciate flow. .... Rescue the highlights and move on.
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Jan 16, 2026Some songs feel phoned-in lyrically, and others feel overstuffed with production elements; as is so often the case with years-in-the-making albums, an edit feels necessary. Even so, it’s coherent and plainly fun to listen to.
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Jan 20, 2026An album that’s compelling in spurts, exhausting in bulk, and oddly resistant to final judgment: it doesn’t rewrite his catalog or vindicate every delay, but it at least makes the lost years legible.
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Jan 26, 2026“Don’t Be Dumb” certainly doesn’t feel like something that has been multi-drafted, painstakingly thought out or perfected with time. Instead, it plays like a subpar effort from an artist we have all seen deliver notably stronger work in the past.
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