ASAP Rocky is letting fans know that Don’t Be Dumb is still coming, but it won’t be until the Fall. He made the reveal in his Billboard cover story. The reason? Sample clearances.
“LEAKS & SAMPLE CLEARANCES ARE DISRUPTING THE ALBUM. ITS BEEN 6 YEARS & I WANNA MAKE THE BEST ALBUM EVER. IM SORRY FOR THE WAIT,” Rocky wrote.
LEAKS & SAMPLE CLEARANCES ARE DISRUPTING THE ALBUM. ITS BEEN 6 YEARS & I WANNA MAKE THE BEST ALBUM EVER. IM SORRY FOR THE WAIT. https://t.co/rA0Z9u66Sy
Just when you thought the 2024 iHeartRadio Music Festival couldn’t grow any more today (August 23) organizers proved otherwise. Back in June, the multiday event set to be held at Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena on September 20 and 21.
The summer has been filled with dozens of tours, festivals, and showcases tailored to specific genres. But the 2024 iHeartRadio Music Festival’s list of confirmed acts run the gamut of sonic influences including rock, rap, pop, and country. Tickets for 2024 iHeartRadio Music Festival are on sale now. Find more information here.
If you aren’t able to catch the multi-day event in-person, you are in luck. The performances will be accessible in other ways. Hulu will livestream the sets, while and iHeartRadio station nationwide will broadcast the event.
Continue below to view the full 2024 iHeartRadio Music Festival lineup.
2024 iHeartRadio Music Festival Lineup
ASAP Rocky
Big Sean
Camila Cabello
Chris Martin
Doja Cat
Dua Lipa
Gwen Stefani
Halsey
Hozier
Keith Urban
New Kids On The Block
Paramore
Shaboozey
The Black Crowes
The Weeknd
Thomas Rhett
Victoria Monét
ASAP Rocky and Drake exchanged a lot of shots this year, and they will probably send more each other’s way in the near future. This is especially true these days, as folks think that Drizzy dissed Rocky on the recent “It’s Up” and considering that the New York rapper will drop an album very soon. In fact, he already allegedly dissed his Toronto enemy on the single “HIGHJACK.” Regardless, what people are really talking about these days are comments from the A$AP Mob member about this feud, which basically dismissed this whole thing. This didn’t sit well with some folks, especially the OVO camp.
“You got to realize, certain n***as was throwing shots for years,” A$AP Rocky remarked about the Drake beef. “I ain’t in the middle of that s**t. That’s not how I retaliate right now. I got bigger fish to fry than some p***y boys. It is real beef outside. It is real. N***as getting really clipped and blitzed every day. N***as sniping n***as every day. That little kitty s**t ain’t about nothing.” Some detractors thought that Rocky tried too hard to sidestep actually engaging with this feud, whereas others took shots at his supposedly false street ties.
But the biggest likelihood is that A$AP Rocky simply chose to focus on his album Don’t Be Dumb rather than the Drake beef. The 6ix God seems to be taking a similar approach these days, so we can probably expect some subliminal shots back and forth either way. After all, they love to shade subtly and not overtly, and they have plenty of reason to do so engagement-wise now that everyone is combing through tracks for potential disses. But DBD faced yet another delay, so we will have to wait a little more for this. Find critical reactions to this development down below.
Meanwhile, another bizarre Drake comment as of late came from none other than Kanye West. He dedicated “I Wonder” to him and Ian Connor at the VULTURES listening event in Korea, which confused many fans. Did Ye mean this shoutout as a diss or is he once again walking back his previous negative comments about his “Glow” collaborator? I mean, it’s too many options…
ASAP Rocky sent fans into a frenzy this week when news broke that he had to delay his upcoming album Don’t Be Dumb… yet again. Moreover, the long-anticipated project, his first in eight years, was supposed to come out next week on Friday, August 30. However, it seems like the LP will now come out later in the fall of 2024, with no tentative, rumored, or hinted day-and-month date in sight. At least it seems like it’ll come out this year. Furthermore, amid a lot of fan speculation and concern due to these external reports, the Harlem creative finally provided an official statement on the matter via Twitter on Thursday (August 22).
“LEAKS & SAMPLE CLEARANCES ARE DISRUPTING THE ALBUM,” A$AP Rocky captioned a retweet of a post covering this delay. “ITS BEEN 6 YEARS & I WANNA MAKE THE BEST ALBUM EVER. IM SORRY FOR THE WAIT.” Still, we at least have more material from the album to enjoy and hold us over until Don’t Be Dumb is finally in our hands. One of these new moves is the single and music video “HIGHJACK,” which caused a lot of commotion due to his potential Drake disses on the song.
LEAKS & SAMPLE CLEARANCES ARE DISRUPTING THE ALBUM. ITS BEEN 6 YEARS & I WANNA MAKE THE BEST ALBUM EVER. IM SORRY FOR THE WAIT. https://t.co/rA0Z9u66Sy
Speaking of which, A$AP Rocky recently spoke on this Drake feud during his Billboard cover interview. “You got to realize, certain n***as was throwing shots for years,” he remarked to the publication. “I ain’t in the middle of that s**t. That’s not how I retaliate right now. I got bigger fish to fry than some p***y boys. It is real beef outside. It is real. N***as getting really clipped and blitzed every day. N***as sniping n***as every day. That little kitty s**t ain’t about nothing.”
Meanwhile, despite these issues holding the release of Don’t Be Dumb back, A$AP Rocky still found plenty of room as of late to unwind and enjoy life. For example, he and Rihanna (plus their children) recently went on a vacation to her native home country of Barbados. There’s a lot of FOMO-inducing, wholesome, and fun content from this trip. Most likely, Rocky kept working on the project during this time, and while it won’t come out as soon as we thought, we at least know that it’s finally coming out.
ASAP Rocky sent fans into a frenzy this week when news broke that he had to delay his upcoming album Don’t Be Dumb… yet again. Moreover, the long-anticipated project, his first in eight years, was supposed to come out next week on Friday, August 30. However, it seems like the LP will now come out later in the fall of 2024, with no tentative, rumored, or hinted day-and-month date in sight. At least it seems like it’ll come out this year. Furthermore, amid a lot of fan speculation and concern due to these external reports, the Harlem creative finally provided an official statement on the matter via Twitter on Thursday (August 22).
“LEAKS & SAMPLE CLEARANCES ARE DISRUPTING THE ALBUM,” A$AP Rocky captioned a retweet of a post covering this delay. “ITS BEEN 6 YEARS & I WANNA MAKE THE BEST ALBUM EVER. IM SORRY FOR THE WAIT.” Still, we at least have more material from the album to enjoy and hold us over until Don’t Be Dumb is finally in our hands. One of these new moves is the single and music video “HIGHJACK,” which caused a lot of commotion due to his potential Drake disses on the song.
LEAKS & SAMPLE CLEARANCES ARE DISRUPTING THE ALBUM. ITS BEEN 6 YEARS & I WANNA MAKE THE BEST ALBUM EVER. IM SORRY FOR THE WAIT. https://t.co/rA0Z9u66Sy
Speaking of which, A$AP Rocky recently spoke on this Drake feud during his Billboard cover interview. “You got to realize, certain n***as was throwing shots for years,” he remarked to the publication. “I ain’t in the middle of that s**t. That’s not how I retaliate right now. I got bigger fish to fry than some p***y boys. It is real beef outside. It is real. N***as getting really clipped and blitzed every day. N***as sniping n***as every day. That little kitty s**t ain’t about nothing.”
Meanwhile, despite these issues holding the release of Don’t Be Dumb back, A$AP Rocky still found plenty of room as of late to unwind and enjoy life. For example, he and Rihanna (plus their children) recently went on a vacation to her native home country of Barbados. There’s a lot of FOMO-inducing, wholesome, and fun content from this trip. Most likely, Rocky kept working on the project during this time, and while it won’t come out as soon as we thought, we at least know that it’s finally coming out.
Way back in December 2022, during an Amazon Music Live performance, ASAP Rocky shared the message, “Thursday Night Football. Amazon. My first time back on the stage. Album’s finished. Don’t Be Dumb. Let’s go!” Just because it was finished, though, didn’t mean fans were getting it soon.
Updates followed from there. In July 2023, Rocky suggested that the project would be on the way shortly. Eventually, the project was given a release date of August 30, 2024.
Well, that’s not happening: The project has been delayed.
“Today, Rocky seems confident that he’s in full control of his creative output and says he’s finally ready to drop his long-awaited fourth album, Don’t Be Dumb. He’s only been working on it for the past year but he believes, like most artists discussing their new work, that it’s the best album he’s ever made. (During the course of reporting this story, he does push its release date from Aug. 30 to the fall.)”
Elsewhere in the piece, Rocky said, “I sat and I played the album for Tim Burton, and he was f*cking with it heavy. […] He was rocking his head and he’s like, ‘Wow! I didn’t know you made that kind of music!’”
On Thursday, August 22, Rocky was revealed as the latest Billboard cover star and commented nonchalantly about Drake and all of the beef mounting around him in 2024, spearheaded by Kendrick Lamar.
“You got to realize, certain n****s was throwing shots for years,” the Harlem rapper told the publication. “I ain’t in the middle of that sh*t. That’s not how I retaliate right now. I got bigger fish to fry than some p*ssy boys. It is real beef outside. It is real. N****s getting really clipped and blitzed every day. N****s sniping n****s every day. That little kitty sh*t ain’t about nothing.”
Billboard additionally relayed that Rocky pushed the release date for Don’t Be Dumb, his forthcoming LP, from August 30 to “the fall.”
ASAP Rocky’s new Billboard cover story is an expansive piece, which should come as no surprise. After all, he’s just as involved in music as he is in fashion and film these days, and his family life with Rihanna and their children supersedes all of that. But of course, there was no way that the outlet wasn’t going to ask about the Harlem creative’s beef with Drake, one of many stemming from a group of Kendrick Lamar-led artists dissing the Toronto superstar this year. While his thoughts definitely fulfill a fan-fueled need to learn more about their rift, his comments also make it clear that he considers this a largely irrelevant footnote when he’ll look back at 2024.
“You got to realize, certain n***as was throwing shots for years,” A$AP Rocky’s words on the Drake beef began. “I ain’t in the middle of that s**t. That’s not how I retaliate right now. I got bigger fish to fry than some p***y boys. It is real beef outside. It is real. N***as getting really clipped and blitzed every day. N***as sniping n***as every day. That little kitty s**t ain’t about nothing.”
NEW YORK, NY – SEPTEMBER 23: *Exclusive Coverage* – A$AP Rocky and Drake attend the FIFA 14 Launch at The Union Square Ballroom on September 23, 2013 in New York City. (Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images)
As such, it seems like A$AP Rocky’s pot shots at Drake on Future and Metro Boomin’s “Show Of Hands,” plus the ones that Drizzy for him on cuts like “Family Matters,” are just that to him: pot shots. They’re boastful but well-documented bars from two MCs who don’t like each other, but it was never going to escalate to the level of a full-blown battle. Perhaps Rocky’s next album Don’t Be Dumb will contain even more disses, but it’s clear that it’s not a focal point. It’s just lyrical content like any other in the rap game.
Meanwhile, for those unaware, A$AP Rocky and Drake’s beef might stem back to when the former first started dating Rihanna, leading up to their marriage. The fact that it seems like a petty exchange over women they’ve both been with and whether or not they’re dropping good albums makes it even more likely that not much will come from this feud. Again, we have to wait until Don’t Be Dumb to fully see, as the 6ix God may have dissed Rocky again on the recent “It’s Up” with Young Thug and 21 Savage. But if it does continue, their jabs will be nothing like the actual showdown with Kendrick Lamar, and neither lyricist probably wants to take it there at this point.
ASAP Rocky’s comeback season is upon us. Fans have been waiting since 2018 for new Rocky music, and the rapper is finally poised to deliver. Don’t Be Dumb is slated for released on August 30. Now, we have a music video for ASAP Rocky’s new single, “HIGHJACK.” The song didn’t scale the charts when it dropped on August 2. It was, however, proof that the Harlem rapper still had what it took to make a slick, cloudy bop. The music video for “HIGHJACK,” which dropped August 21, enhances the song tenfold. It showcases ASAP Rocky in a mold that fans haven’t gotten to see in over a decade.
ASAP Rocky broke out with a singular, black-and-white aesthetic. ASAP Mob was dangerous when they first started out, but Rocky gave them a stylish flair. These strengths are on display in the “HIGHJACK” music video. It starts off minimally, but quickly descends into a beautiful, surreal collection of images. Rocky raps in different corners of the camera frame, while the perspective of the rooms around him shift. At one point, he’s seen tossing bars off in a frame reminiscent of an M.C. Escher painting. It’s all very trippy, which perfectly segues into the “HIGHJACK” chorus sung by Jessica Pratt.
“HIGHJACK” saves its most startling visuals for the second half of the song, though. While it’s cool to see ASAP Rocky posted up in a series of black-and-white settings, the Jessica Pratt chorus unlocks a kaleidoscope of wild imagery. Members of the ASAP Mob seemingly celebrate in slow motion, while a camera pans through various tableaus of Rocky in different outfits. A pair of hands rock rings that have the album’s title, Don’t Be Dumb, written on them. A funhouse face rocks a silver grill in the background. Most curiously, a be-speckled Rocky gets up from a bed and puts on a suit.
The music video culminates with two contrasting images. One of Rocky standing above a tall building, and other of the rapper facing the wall in a mysterious room. Neither narrative is resolved, which leads us to believe there will be more to come in future Don’t Be Dumb music videos. “HIGHJACK” may not be a smash hit, but in drumming up interest for what Rocky has next, the song and video could not have done a better job.
In June, ASAP Rocky teased the release date for his long-awaited fourth studio album, Don’t Be Dumb, during his Paris Fashion Week show for AWGE, ending a six-year gap between full-length projects from the Harlem native. Despite announcing the album’s title in December 2023, Rocky has been frustratingly cagey throughout the rollout; his most recent update on the album was simply that there wouldn’t be any previously leaked songs on it, which could mean that he’s planning to keep recording until the 11th hour, or that the retail version has been locked in a vault to ensure its security.
We’ll find out more about the album when it’s officially out in a week or so, but for now, here’s what we know about Don’t Be Dumb.
Release Date
Don’t Be Dumb is due on 8/30 via ASAP Worldwide, Polo Grounds, RCA. You can find more info here.
Tracklist
As of now, the tracklist has yet to be released. This post will be updated.
Features
Like the tracklist, the features have yet to be revealed. This post will be updated.
Singles
So far, several singles have been released, but it has yet to be revealed whether any of them will appear on the final tracklist. “Sh*ttin Me,” “Riot (Rowdy Pipe’n),” and “Highjack” featuring Jessica Pratt are the songs that have been released so far.
Artwork
ASAP Rocky hasn’t revealed the artwork for Don’t Be Dumb as yet. Stay tuned.
Tour
If there’s going to be a tour for Don’t Be Dumb, we can likely expect Rocky to announce the dates closer to the album’s release, judging fromm other releases this year.
