A$AP Rocky Don't Be Dumb

"his recent criminal trial (as found almost immediately on the opening track "Order of Protection")"

"his observation on Helicopter that people would "do anything for a blue check""

"‘Helicopter$’ still hits as a glossy, anthemic pop-trap flex drenched in bravado"

"the mix on early single "Helicopter" is busy, but the song is sharp and unidirectional"

"More traditional Rocky-like tracks such as "Helicopter" and "Stole Ya Flow" go back to the basics"

"“Stole my flow, so I stole your bitch,” he charges"

"Stole Ya Flow is ostensibly a Drake diss track, but it succeeds because Rocky sounds like he’s having so much fun"

"the Drake diss "Stole Ya Flow" is somehow emptier than Drake’s non-insults"

"and the primary line of the latter track, "First you stole my flow, so I stole your bitch.""

"“My fairytale with a happy ending … Truth is I just got struck by Cupid,” he says on “Stay Here 4 Life,”"

"The random sample of Ken Carson's toyetic hellraiser 'Mewtwo' proves a jarring addition to the Brent Faiyaz-backed 'Stay Here 4 Life'"

"On the warm, dazed Playa, Rocky sounds positively avuncular"

"Then, on “No Trespassing,” he adds, “I might move to Texas, roll ‘round with protection/Pull up to your section, hit ‘em with that fire.”"

"the album’s best beats (Kelvin Krash, KayCyy, and SpaceGhostPurrp’s "Swat Team," and Rocky’s own "No Trespassing" and "Air Force (Black Demarco)") are defined by palpitating drums and a relentless forward motion"

"On “Stop Snitchin’,” Rocky references his highly publicized trial and acquittal"

"Sauce Walka walks him down on 'Stop Snitching', seizing the beat's blaring horns"

"The flaccidity of "Stole Ya Flow" is mitigated somewhat by Rocky’s inclusion of a truly show-stopping verse from Sauce Walka on "Stop Snitching,""

"it ultimately fascinates with songs like “STFU,” a hardcore banger"

"On the pixellated‘STFU’, he states it plainly - "I'm a grown man, on some wholesome shit""

""STFU" and "Punk Rocky," are not only slight attempts to do something different, however, they are also two of the weakest parts"

"annoying refrain over a mostly awkward beat selection and boasts eye-rolling, cringe-demanding Slay Squad bars"

"“Punk Rocky,” an emo collaboration with singer Cristoforo Donadi, hearkens to the slurry hallucinations of Rocky’s 2015 curveball “LSD.”"

"‘Punk Rocky’, which announced the record with serrated edges, is a snarling, punk-leaning turn"

""Punk Rocky" is trite,"

""STFU" and "Punk Rocky," are not only slight attempts to do something different, however, they are also two of the weakest parts"

"On “Air Force (Black Demarco),” he indulges in crooning reminiscent of Lil Yachty’s shoegaze-y psychedelic trip"

"On Air Force (Black Demarco), he raps over the kind of harsh, glitchy beat"

"It’s difficult to imagine the Rocky from Live.Love.A$AP moving between modes as fluidly as he does on "Air Force,""

"“These boys gon’ finally give me credit for settin’ all these trends,” he claims on “Whiskey,”"

"'Whiskey (Release Me)' with Gorillaz and Westside Gunn also feels oddly unfinished"

"these blemishes are balanced out by irresistibly low-stakes records like "Whiskey (Release Me),""

"one can’t help but give in to the zippy “Robbery,” where Rocky and Doechii play like Bonnie and Clyde"

"Jazz-infused and theatrically cinematic, it plays like a smoky late-night speakeasy"

"the jazzy "Robbery" is hampered by an over-theatrical Doechii"

"intriguing, piano-laden track "Robbery," which features the highly-skilled Doechii"

"Don’t Be Dumb winds down with “The End,” a topical assessment of an increasingly gloomy world"

"This crystallises on ‘The End’, where he and will.i.am reflect on poverty, prisons, gang life"

"the album’s best beats (Kelvin Krash, KayCyy, and SpaceGhostPurrp’s "Swat Team," and Rocky’s own "No Trespassing" and "Air Force (Black Demarco)") are defined by palpitating drums and a relentless forward motion"

"The long-awaited reunion of Tyler, The Creator and Rocky on ‘Fish N Steak’, meanwhile, taps into their adored dynamic"