We were so close. ASAP Rocky has been teasing the release of his fourth studio album since 2018. The traction that the album, titled Don't Be Dumb, gained in recent months, however, made it seem like it was finally coming to fruition. An August 30th release date was unveiled, and ASAP Rocky started doing the promo rounds. He even dropped a music video for his latest single, "HIGHJACK." Then, within hours of the video's release, the rug was pulled out. Don't Be Dumb is reportedly being delayed. Again.
The delay was announced by the Twitter account Amk. The account posted a screenshot of a convo in which the release date of the Don't Be Dumb vinyls was confirmed to be September 30th. The account noted that September 30th has not been officially announced as ASAP Rocky's new release date, but it does look as though the rapper is going to push the album back once again. September 30th would be exactly one month removed from the original Don't Be Dumb release date.
ASAP Rocky's Album Has Suffered Multiple Delays
The Amk tweet noted that Don't Be Dumb was supposed to release the same day as the Destroy Lonely album, Love Lasts Forever. It's unclear whether the Destroy Lonely release has anything to do with the alleged delay. ASAP Rocky talked about the recording process for Don't Be Dumb during a recent chat with Apple Music's Zane Lowe. He blamed internet leaks for the album's delays. "It’s very important and special if it makes it on the album," he explained. "Most of the songs that I usually perform and sh*t like that, motherf*ckers leak it."
ASAP Rocky claimed that none of the leaked songs made the final tracklist. "Once it’s leaked, it’s just like, ha, it’s not on the project," he stated. "I might perform it here or there, but it’s leaked. It is what it is... It’s out already. A lot of these records didn’t make it because they got leaked at some point." Hopefully the Harlem rapper is able to recover, and drop the album soon. The response to the rumored delay has not be positive, and given that fans have waited for five years, it's easy to see why.