Not all hiatuses are made the same. Unfortunately, in a world where visual aesthetics and short attention spans play hand-in-hand, there’s little to grasp beyond what we can see. For the mysterious artists who feel they can disguise their face and expect the world to come to them, they’re stuck chasing the anomaly of early 2010s marketing when artists like The Weeknd and Frank Ocean managed to catch lightning in a bottle with dedicated fanbases. For the average celebrity, they’re stuck in the same rat race as the rest of us. Touring artists, specifically, don’t have the luxury of vacationing or taking breaks like executives, labelheads, and investors do. Even our favorites are burnt out; they just have the resources to disguise it better than we do.
But when artists mistake absence for substance, we’re left with style masquerading as vision, and no one exemplifies that better than A$AP Rocky. His hiatus has been inexplicable, aside from the fact that he’s been convincing us a masterpiece is in the works for roughly seven years now. Nonetheless, credit is due: he became a father, fought an assault charge abroad and a shooting case domestically, with a few singles and features sprinkled in, plus major collaborations, endorsement deals, and headlining festival spots that keep his name in the ever-evolving news cycle. This context should allow for more depth, reflecting aging in hip-hop and an evolving mindset where art, fashion, and society intersect; where visual, sonic, and lyrical influences align with his vision of how things are, and could be. His breakout moments embodied this perfectly. Rocky merged the essence of Houston and Harlem to breed the backbone of the cloud rap subgenre.
With that said, the hype surrounding the next ASAP Rocky album, Don't Be Dumb, feels futile. Once a spearhead of an integral era in hip-hop and a masterful curator through A$AP Yams’s spiritual guidance, there’s been little to chew on lately. He hasn’t extended the influence he once had. It materialized through the heliotrope hues of Live.Love.A$AP, the Pyrex Vision-cloaked flyness of Long.Live.A$AP, the nomadic sophistication of At.Long.Live.A$AP, or the ambitious experimentation of 2018’s Testing.
The heartfelt “Same Problems?” in 2023 was the closest we’ve seen him address broader issues since “Phoenix.” However, there’s a hollowness–a drab attempt to pose as a thought leader when he’s rarely exercised real intellect in his music or public presence. Then there are tracks like “Sh*ttin Me” and “Rowdy Riot.” These are crafted moshpit bangers that haven’t stirred many of those beyond Rolling Loud. One of the few saving graces recently was his work on Nigo’s I KNOW NIGO compilation, with appearances on “Arya” and “Lost and Found Freestyle 2019” alongside Tyler, The Creator, where his style and lyrical weight paired effortlessly. His long-awaited link-up with J. Cole on “Ruby Rosary” felt like an attempt to build off what Griselda has done—minimal drums, sample-heavy loops, gritty yet gleaming. Still, everything feels sparse creatively; it’s hard to pinpoint a consistent line throughout his releases.
That brings to mind a 2019 tweet from Tyler, The Creator, around when they plotted a potential joint project. Like many other Rocky projects, it never came to fruition.
“wish rocky would shut the fuck up and stop always saying what he's working on 40 years before its even a fleshed out idea. with that said, again, dont get your hopes up and be 'disappointed' because something that doesnt really exist didnt come out. that shit dont exist yall =),” he wrote about the rumored WANG$AP project following "Potato Salad." Interestingly, with the release of DON’T TAP THE GLASS, some pointed out Tyler has released more albums since Testing than Rocky has in his entire discography. Yikes.
We’ve heard this before. Rumors of a Metro Boomin and ASAP Rocky joint project largely resulted in a few solid collabs on Metro’s Heroes & Villains and Rocky’s feud-sparking verse on “Show Of Hands.” That verse sparked a retort from Drake on "Family Matters", who, if anything, was accurate when he rapped: “I ain't even know you rap still 'cause they only talking 'bout your fit again / Probably gotta have a kid again before you think of dropping any shit again / Even when you do drop they gon' say you should model cause it's mid again.” Petty? Yes, but tellingly accurate. It went largely unaddressed and aged into prophecy. Ian Connor echoed similar grievances about Rocky on Twitter in early July, though he suggested Don’t Be Dumb has undergone significant changes, which could explain its continued delay.
The release date for Don’t Be Dumb has been pushed back countless times, even when a release feels imminent. Reasons remain unknown. Rocky says it’s in mixing and mastering, which sounds good on paper, but cynicism breeds elaborate theories during such long waits, even if he attributes the delays to leaks.
If ASAP Rocky’s next chapter has clarity, it might be best reflected in “pray4dagang” ft. KayCyy, his most emotionally vulnerable track in recent memory. There’s quiet grief anchored by KayCyy’s euphoric vocals and melancholic production handled by a team including James Blake, Dom Maker, KHUSHI, Dahi, Rex Kudo, Car!ton, Jordan Patrick & Daniel Lynas—a tension between survivor’s remorse and hope his son inherits only his best traits. It’s mature and earnest, honest within Rocky’s carefully styled universe.
Despite its emotional resonance, the single failed to chart on Apple Music, even with an exclusive premiere. That says less about the song and more about Rocky’s diminishing musical mystique. The disconnect widens.
Like the mother of his children, ASAP Rocky has clearly pivoted toward a mogul path—film, fashion, influence. But juggling that with the need to stay relevant in a culture moving faster than ever has left him creatively stranded. He’s never been one to follow trends but lead them. Now, it feels like recycled efforts echo past glories—companion pieces to his arthouse-adjacent music videos. Unfortunately, that makes Don’t Be Dumb feel less like a revelation waiting to drop and more like an afterthought. The wait has outlived the want, and whatever myth he was building has long since disappeared. It worked when there was something to look forward to, but with so many delays and pushbacks, it feels like he’s hiding behind that same mystique.
